Day 17 - Helsinki

Today we did a tours by local with Nina. We are big fans of Tours by Local because it’s personal and just us. Nina did not disappoint, especially with the day starting off rainy and windy. I know, you are shocked!

We started at embassy row. You’re really not supposed to take pics of embassies, but whatever.

First up was the Russian embassy. Finland still has diplomatic relations with Russia. This makes sense since they share an 834 mile border and Russia has already invaded them once (that we know about).

Then came Estonia. We’ve been to Tallin. Cool place to visit.

Then the US embassy, which dwarfs everyone else, of course.

There are a lot of monuments around the city and this one was to those lost at sea.

Finns are big on saunas. Allegedly there are 6 million people and 4 million saunas. This one is by the sea and the largest in Helsinki. You can also take a dip in the water, a chill 0 degrees Celsius. I mean, not me, but sure someone else go right ahead. The outside bar was closed for the winter and they repurposed the hot tub as a fire pit.

This street has colorful homes and is used in many Finnish TV shows and films. Owners have to get permission to alter the inside and the outside, forget about it.

Wiki: The Church of the Rock or “Temppeliaukion kirkko” is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighbourhood of Helsinki and opened in 1969. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid granite and is bathed in natural light which enters through the skylight surrounding the center copper dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics. The acoustic quality is created by the rough, virtually unworked rock surfaces.

MT: There is 13.6 miles of copper in the ceiling, held up by 180 beams. Pretty amazing. Also, when it rains, the water runs down the granite inside the church.

And of course, per the sign, no balloons are allowed in church!

Wiki: The Sibelius Monument is a sculpture by Finnish artist Eila Hiltunen titled and was unveiled on September 7, 1967 and is dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. The monument weighs 24 tons and measures 28 ft × 34 ft × 21 ft. Hiltunen's aim was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius. Each pipe has a different marking; no two are alike.

MD: Our tour guide told us that since the artist was female, men objected to her working with metal and were even offended that she used a blow torch in creating the sculpture. Seriously! It was only after her death, at age 80, (unfortunately due to years of improper ventilation in her studio) that she was finally recognized for her artist talent.

MT: I was like whatever, until we walked up to it. The pics don’t do it justice. It is very cool and unique.

The sculpture is a no drone zone - no idea why, but the sign says so!

Then it was on to Finlandia, a concert and conference hall. Nina tried talking us into touring the conference rooms tomorrow. Hard pass, one conference room is like any another. Too many memories of the past.

Martha loved the art in this place, Maggie not so much.

We drove through a lot of neighborhoods and ended up at the Russian Orthodox Church, Uspenski Cathedral.

Wiki: After Helsinki was made into the capital of Finland in 1812, Alexander I decreed in 1814 that 15 percent of the salt import tax were to be collected into a fund for two churches, one Lutheran and one Orthodox. Helsinki's Orthodox Church is considered to have formed in 1827. The construction of Uspenski Cathedral was largely funded by parishioners and private donors. The cathedral was designed by the Russian architect Aleksey Gornostayev (1808–1862). 700,000 bricks were brought over in barges from the Bomarsund Fortress that had been demolished in the Crimean War and were used in construction of the cathedral.

How much do you think that chandelier weighs??? The cord holding it up has to be 200-300 feet long.

Last on the tour was the Helsinki Cathedral. We hit the trifecta of churches today. I lit candles everywhere and prayed for peace.

Wiki: Helsinki Cathedral is a Lutheran Church and is oldest stone building in the city’s center. Completed in 1852 as a tribute to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia (who was also Grand Duke of Finland), it was known as St. Nicholas’ Church until Finland achieved its independence in 1917. Neoclassical in style, the cathedral features a large, plain central dome topping out at 203′, surrounded by four smaller domes, all green and all embellished with rows of gold stars.

When we finished the tour, we rested at the Manhatten Steakhouse.

Our hotel is a Marriott Autograph Collection. If you’re familiar with Autographs, they are a bit eclectic for the Marriott brand. We like our room, it’s a little bigger and on the courtyard. However, it is kind of noisy and we thought it was due to whatever is above our room. This morning Martha was like “Are they rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?” When we left, we looked at the roof line and saw there is absolutely nothing above us. So where the hell is the noise coming from, exactly???? TBD