Helsinki

Since we were already in the capital of Finland, we decided with Ola to make a little tour around Helsinki. Helsinki is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, so you will not be surprised that we will start the visit in the harbour.

Then we start ticking off the major tourist attractions. Those of you who have ever received a postcard from Finland are likely to know this one.

This is of course the Helsinki Cathedral, belonging to the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church. It is well known for its green domes.

Next to the Cathedral we saw the City Hall.

Then we move on to the Supreme Court of Finland.

In the nineteenth century Finland was part of the Russian Empire. Helsinki still has a Russian minority. You will then not be surprised to see a majestic orthodox church, the Uspenski Cathedral.

The domes are green again, though they are more cones than domes in fact. If you remember the architecture of orthodox churches in Ukraine that I have shown you recently, this one is pretty different.

Of course Finns are not only about religion and politics. Helsinki has a fantastic Olympic Stadium that housed the 1952 Olympic Games.
 

 
The tower includes an observation deck but we did not have time to queue so we only watched it from the outside.

 Here comes the stadium in its full beauty.

You can also find in Helsinki many shopping spots. These can be both huge shopping like Stockmann that is over 150 years old ...

... and smaller but very popular shops like Marimekko, offering unique Finnish design.

You probably wonder whether there are any famous people associated with Helsinki. Of course yes. Just to name two of them - Aleksis Kivi was the first writer to write a novel in the Finnish language. Do not be surprised it happened only in the middle of the nineteenth century. Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden staring from the twelfth century.

The second man commemorated in the city is the famous composer, Jean Sibelius. His monument is really huge. I mean it - it weighs 24 tons!

I must say I liked it. But don't ask what is exactly meant by this monument. I've heard it is supposed to represent the essence of the music of Sibelius. And here comes the master himself. He does not seem happy to be honest.

Finally, we went to one more church. It is unique because it was carved in stone. It is the Temppeliaukio Church. 

Inside it is full of light, thanks to the glass dome.

That was a long and exciting walk. Time to sit and have a good lunch. What could be better than a nice piece of salmon.

* * *

My human secretary was insisting so that she can say "I've seen it all ...". Well, she did: Uspenski Cathedral, Protestant Cathedral, Sibelius Monument, Church of the Rock and the harbour. All those who do not believe Postcrossing is a means of visiting the world have now a firm proof of it.

Postcrossing gathering in Helsinki

For the first time I was participating in an international gathering of Postcrossers - this time I was lucky to accompany Ola to Helsinki.

The gathering gets officially opened.

We met next to the monument of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish military leader. And his horse of course.

The first major point on our list is the Suomenlinna fortress, known also under the Swedish name Sveaborg. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fortress is built on six islands.

To get there we will need to take a ferry. Group picture first, to make sure we do not lose anybody on the way.

If you think that only humans participated you are obviously wrong. Lots of toy travellers came to share the fun. They came from Germany, USA and Hong Kong, just to name a few.  

I was impressed by the calm all around. I love this kind of landscapes. Hard to believe we are in a capital city of a European country.

Have you heard the horn? Well, some bigger vessels pass here too. This one is probably going to Sweden. Or maybe to Tallin? Nobody really knew. [Update! Ola has found it - it connects Helsinki with Stockholm].

Finally, we arrive to the fortress. It fits very naturally into the islands.

 The white flag with the blue cross is the national flag of Finland.

I am sure that you have noticed that this flag resembles a lot the flags of other neighbouring countries. Well, this is not a coincidence. All Scandinavian countries have in their flags the Nordic Cross.

Here comes the fortress itself. It is not a real defence line anymore of course.

Though some of the walls are pretty high.

And there is still some artillery there. I doubt however if these cannons are still operational.

Another group picture to check if the entire team is there, on time for the second part of the party.

Those of you who have ever participated in a meeting of Postcrossers have for sure already guessed that the second part of the garthering will be all about postcards. First of all buying.

Then writing them down.

If you believe that it was not that much work you need to realise that each card normally gets signed by everybody. Or almost everybody.

So finally each Posctrosser gathers its pile and gets it ready for boarding into the mailbox.

No surprise it took us up till sunset.

But it was worth it, I really enjoyed the time there. And finally the surprise - I managed to meet the Little Mail Carriers' cousin! He is such a celebrity that I was really honoured to shake his hand.

I strongly recommend to any of you who would have this opportunity to participate in one of the upcoming gatherings of Postcrossers!