Helsinki, Finland

Friday, June 28, 2013 Helsinki, Finland. 

The day started out as another beautiful weather day, slightly cool and breezy with a temperature of about 68 degrees. We booked the exclusive Helsinki and Porvoo tour through AAA and it did not disappoint. There were only 4 people along with the guide and bus/van driver. I knew it was going to be great when we stepped into the luxury mini bus. 



Helsinki is the capital of Finland and has about 590,000 inhabitants. It is predominately a modern city because the first buildings were made of wood and over time, fires and the ravages of war destroyed the wooden structures. In Helsinki, like most of the cities and countries we visited, the most common mode of transportation is the bicycle or walking. Though more families own cars here than any of the other places we've visited, bikes still dominate the streets. I also find it interesting and very disturbing to see the way in which these countries were destroyed in WWII. Most all of the historic buildings and sites we've visited on this trip have been rebuilt or restored back to the original appearances. We are so fortunate to live in America. 



First off to Porvoo which is about 30 miles east of Finland and the second oldest town in Finland established in 1346 by King Magnus Eriksson. The old part of the town is extremely charming with quaint wooden buildings and winding cobblestone streets with very narrow alleys. The streets were full of antique shops and other tourist shops. I found it very funny that any of the Russian antiques were very low priced because the Finnish people have no value or interest in Russia or their antiquities. We went looking for a pharmacy and strolled over to a marketplace. Standing on the corner between the 'old and new' Porvoo provided us with a unique dichotomy. The street border we stood on was a bustling Main Street like any other in the Baltic while one block away in the other direction the cobblestone and narrow streets go back to the 12th century. 



Next stop was Temppeliaukio Church, also known as rock church. This church was carved out of solid rock. The dome is massive and is covered on the interior by 15 miles of copper wire. We were not able to enter the church since it is a working church and a funeral was in progress. 



Senate Square was our next stop to view the Government Palace and other buildings surrounding the square. We had a nice walk around the area and naturally stopped somewhere to enjoy a few local beers. 



There are also almost as many summer houses as residents in most of these countries. It seems as though every family has a summer house in the wood or on a shoreline in which to spend their summer weekends.



We've been warned repeatedly about pickpockets on this trip and several of the people we've met on board or on tours have been victims. Today's tour guide indicated these are mafia run (first time we had heard that) throughout Scandinavia and they are after money and credit cards; American passports and exceptionally desirable.