On June 21st, 2019 we had the pleasure to be in Helsinki for the Summer Solstice. Yep, the sun does not set. The picture below was taken at 3:00AM:
“The Land of the Midnight Sun” can also be seen in Sweden, Norway, Iceland and even in Alaska to name a few places. It is celebrated in one form or another.
We had three full days in Helsinki—a city of more than 600,000 people. We could have easily spent five days. There is plenty to do. It is one of those places where people, unfortunately, “by-pass.”
Flights from the United States can be had. What we did was to puddle-jump from Copenhagen on Finnish Airlines. We found this airline to be one of the best in our sojourn. Large ferries can be taken to and from Sweden.
Through the guide of Rick Steves, we found our favorite place to stay—Hotel Haven. A tad expensive and extremely comfortable. Viking Cruises uses it for one of their signature hotels.
There was a small sign in the bathroom that was quite interesting. It read:
What we really enjoyed about Hotel Haven is their exquisite breakfasts. We loved all the roasted vegetables. An Australian patron turned me on to “Turkish Yogurt” with honey—so delicious. We still talk about having a grand breakfast at Hotel Haven to this day.
The hotel is in close proximity to the “Market Square.” Every early morning vendors set up and every afternoon—they take it all down.
I was almost tempted to try a “Reindeer Hamburger.”
I did get this unbelievable picture of a vendor cooking Salmon on a dark skillet.
Across the street is the famous Presidential Palace where President Trump met Putin in 2018.
The Finish flag flying over the Presidential Palace is white symbolizing “snow” and the blue for “water.”
And just fifty yards further is the famous “Red Church” on the hill. It is actually “Greek Orthodox.” People come there in the evening to catch sunsets.
Around this cape is a fleet of Icebreakers. Finland is the largest producer of Icebreakers in the world. Lately, though, the ice has been very thin due to global warming.
From the “Red Church” you can easily see the “White Church.” It used to be a Catholic cathedral—now Lutheran. There is a large “Helsinki” sign at the top level.
One of the activities we highly recommend is to take a “hop-on-hope off” bus to see the city.
All across the city are interesting buildings designed in the “Art Nouveau” style. Helsinki’s famous central railroad station is definitely a must see.
One of the main attractions is to view is the “Sibelius” monument named after Finland’s famous composer, Jean Sibelius. There are over 600 hollow steel pipes—made in a wave like movement. Some days you can actually hear wind going through the pipes.
The “Red and White” churches are closed over this special holiday. However, the famous “Rock Church” is open. The Temppeliaukio was carved right into rock making an impressive display.
If you want peace and quiet, we recommend visiting the Kamppi Chapel. Talking is NOT allowed. It is a place for meditation.
If you want to jazz it up, there is the Three Smiths statue by Hard Rock café. There are actually pieces missing from the fighting that went on during WWII at this junction.
One of the more famous restaurants is “Keppeli’s” on the Esplanade. This is where many writers used to congregate in the 19th century. Today, Keppeli’s is definitely over-priced, but the bread is actually quite tasty—particularly the dark bread.
Our last day we spent visiting Helsinki’s famous Suomenlinna Fortress. A fifteen-minute ferry is taken by the Market Square. Built by Sweden, taken by the Russians and now under Finland’s control. They have turned most of the area into parks and museums. You can spend an hour or the entire day exploring the fortress and small islands connected by people bridges.
I became enamored visiting the islands military museum.
You may also come across the grave of Field Marshall Augustine Ehrinsvard who died in 1772. He is honored with an impressive grave site for being the main architect for the fortress.
We left a lot undone. We never did get to do a “sauna,” or even visit the impressive museums that circle Helsinki. We were about to cut our visit to Helsinki from our trip—so glad we kept this sojourn on our itinerary.