Helsinki Doorway

Helsinki Architecture

There are many beautiful 19th century neoclassic buildings surrounding the park Esplanadi.

Esplanadi park is beautiful.

The comfy outdoor cafe at Stockmans, the largest department store.

An art deco building near the Rivoli Jardin Hotel.

Nightlife

Twilight also known as The Magic Hour is the perfect time to photograph.

Next to our hotel there was a club with a velvet rope.

Architectural Shots

There is a wealth of architectural wonders in Helsinki. The hand carving on this building is amazing.

Caryatids - Atlantes / Figures as Columns

These decorative supports in the form of a male figure are called altlantes (Atlas) or telemones. Female figure supports as columns are more common and are called Caryatids. Both are derived from Greek architecture, they have been popular since the Renaissance and were often used in the Rococo and Neoclassical periods.

Scandinavia is a region of northern Europe consisting of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Finland and Iceland are included in the broader term: Nordic.

Railway Station, Helsinki

There are 4 of these Art Nouveau guys holding illuminting orbs at the train station.

The railway station was designed by Eliel Saarinen in 1901. Art Nouveau was a style of art and architecture which used organic decorative elements in a romantic way. The romanticizing of the Finnish flora and fauna and their national tales resulted in this ornate architecture.

Eliel Saarinen's son Eero Saarinen designed many icons of Scandinavian design.

Swedish Embassy

Gail's childhood dream to visit Lapland has come true.  Reindeers await us as we get ready to fly up to Kittila on Monday.

Fishmarket Restaurant

The Fishmarket restaurant was fantastic. The large platter with 1/2 lobster was served cold.  There were cockles, 2 very salty oysters, 2 mini octopi, 3 huge mussles with peanut topping (!), a bunch of shrimp, and a giant prawn.  We decided it was the sweetest tasting lobster we had ever had and wondered if it all had been cooked in wine.  The waiter refused to divulge the cook's secret.

The Lutheran cathedral is huge and dominates the skyline.

The interior of the cathedral is WHITE.  Luther did not fear image-worship, but did disapprove of the financial expenditures associated with the splendor of the Church. Luther felt that alms given to the church were more appropriately spent to care for the poor. The almost total lack of color and religious imagery in this cathedral is daunting for a visual artist.  Art can teach.  Visual inspiration can be important in experiencing spirituality.

The Upenski cathedral rises above the skyline of the market in front of the harbor.

The best mime-fake statue I saw would start moving if you put money in his hat.  He would walk and take your picture with his camera.  From the camera he'd pull out a fake instant photo-card and give it to you.

Antheneum, Helsinki, Lapland Exhibition

The front of the Antheneum was wrapped for some kind of renovation. The entrance was still open below the antlers. 

Inside this museum was one of my new favorite paintings: "The Wounded Angel", 

(1903) by the Finnish symbolist painter, Hugo Simberg. It is one of the most recognizable of Simberg's works, and was declared Finland's "national painting" in a vote held by the art museum in 2006.

Twilight Walk Helsinki

In the summer the sun hovers a little below the skyline long into the evening.

Upenski Cathedral, Eastern Orthodox

The brick cathedral is said to be the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe.

The icons are painted in a western style. 

Helsinki, Daughter of the Baltic

It is a major metropolis with no skyscrapers. You can see the sky everywhere, and now in the summer it stays light untill 11:00 pm and then stays dark for only a few hours.  The temperature is perfect, about 73 F during the day.

We took an hour and a half boat tour of the harbour and outlying islands, full of vacation houses and water side saunas. There are two million saunas in Finland.

Waterside Sauna

Hot and cold...imagine heating up inside then plunging into the saltwater.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki

Steven Holl designed this wonderful building. It is huge, with 5 floors of exhibition spaces, all different with arcs of winding ramps leading throughout. Reminds me of the Gughenheim in NYC, with more practical exhibition surfaces.

Green corrugated metal bulletin boards were available for viewers' notes, posted with little black magnets.

Crafters

We are staying in Helsinki's design district. Lots of great local crafts.

Salmon

A guilt free indulgence which never fails to make me happy. We have been eating it smoked every day for breakfast. There is some scientific evidence that the oils elevate the mood. Yum :)

Fish Monger

The orange colored tent provided a glow.

Fazer

The art deco dessert palace served blueberry and white chocolate ice cream.

Ice Cream & Advice

All Finns in Helsinki speak excellent English and we were glad to recieve some advice about a good insect repellent for our trip up to Lapland.

Restaurant in a Former Bank

The hostess remarked,"Who needs banks anymore?" There is a beautiful stained glass window of peacocks.

From Winthrop via Iceland to Helsinki

Orange and blue

Rykjavik Airport

Helsinki is the busiest passenger port in Finland, with  services to Tallinn, Stockholm, Travemünde, Rostock, Gdynia and St. Petersburg.  The -´Skyscrapers' have of course been discussed for a long time by planners and politicians in Helsinki but except for the Hotel Torni (14 stories), built in the early 1920s, they have not materialized, thank God!  The Cathedral is the dominant building of the skyline.