Our arrival in Helsinki was an early one. We have learned from the first day, not to go into town too early as the shops and sights would not be opened just yet.
So after another good workout and a great breakfast onboard, we took the shuttle into downtown Helsinki.
We were dropped off at a random corner by the shuttle and off we went, exploring yet another city. Thank goodness for my iPhone and the GPS on it. The map app has been my best friend, exploring cities and sights, and finding my way around places.
Our first stop brought us to the Temppeliaukio Church, also known as the Rock Church. Completed in the 1930s, the church itself was built into a rock, with a ceiling that allows in tons of nature light.
When outside the church, it looks like a circular plateau of rocks which you can climb up and stand above the entrance. This was definitely something that stood out among all the churches we have visited so far on our trip!
After the church, we wandered through the streets and was attempting to head towards the two other popular churches in Helsinki when we stumbled upon the Finnish Parliament Building. Frankly, the building was hard to miss. The architect designed the building by combining both neoclassicism and modernism. I really quite enjoy the simplicity of the design. Just to give you a perspective of the size of the building, I ran up half way up the stairs to give you an idea. See little me? Strange that it was so dead there, perhaps the Parliament is not in session during the summer?
Now I have been warned by many who have made their way to Europe that I will be seeing more churches than anything else on my trip. They were correct; but I find myself still amazed at each and every church that I come across, and I am just as curious as I was with the first, which in my case would have been Notre Dame?
The Helsinki Cathedral was not at all what I was expecting. When you walk up the main street to the waterfront, you turn towards the city, and two blocks in, this gigantic church with its white facade and green domes rise up before your eyes. The steep steps lifts the church over the city, it looked very isolated.
The exterior was this church was quite the sight, but we were quite disappointed with what we saw after the serious hike up those stairs! the interior seemed either unfinished or just plain. Although having said that, I did manage to capture this neat shot of a chandelier.
We then spent our lunch shopping through street stalls by the water. Lots of neat things were being displayed for the sea of tourists. One of the more interesting stalls I took a picture of. I swear, this would have been the perfect playmate for Buddy, but I guess lugging this thing around for the next few months would not be such a great idea!
Among the stalls were also food vendors. Now I am not much of a foodie, but I did want to make sure on this trip I try everything that was different, or any dish that was popular in the country, city or region that I find myself in. Today, it was seafood.
The enormous plate was filled with fried herring, salmon filet, calamari, salad, and grilled veggies. It was delicious! The salmon was very juicy and the herrings were very satisfying!
The rest of the afternoon was spent just walking around town, and doing some souvenir shopping. I have always wondered when in Gastown in Vancouver, who would buy all these random things with a Canadian flag on them?! As it turns out, its ME!
No comments:
Post a Comment