Shopping

 Stockmann is the large department store and Otava is the book store across from our flat.

Outdoor Swimming Pool & Sauna

It was fun to run on a snowy deck and swim some laps outside after a steaming sauna. 

The Allas Sea Pool has one large freshwater pool and another freshwater pool for children.

Both pools are filled with water heated to 27 degrees celsius.

There is also another sea water pool which has been filled with purified sea water which is the temperature of the sea: cold!

Karl Fazer, the favorite place to eat

Bakery

The Esplanadi Park

Swimming and Sauna, Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall

 The oldest swim hall in Helsinki was open and for the cost of 5 euros, I spent the afternoon getting some exercise.  The saunas were great and the place was spotless.  They serve meals on the second floor!

Uspenski Cathedral, Christmas Eve

 We walked up the steep steps to the cathedral and were delighted when people slowly filled the great sacred space.  Priests came out from the iconostasis and began the mass.  It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve.

The Uspenski Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. Its name comes from the Old Church Slavonic word uspenie, which denotes the Dormition (the "falling asleep" or death of Mary). Designed by the Russian architect Aleksey Gornostayev. The cathedral was built after his death in 1862–1868.

 Skywheel Helsinki, the largest observation wheel in Finland, is equipped with a passenger cabin that is a sauna!  It costs 240 euros to sweat while you ride the wheel.

Helsinki architecture is beautiful. The eclectic mixtures of neo-Gothic, neo-Romanesque, neo-Classical and neo-Renaissance architecture continued even during the beginning of the 20th century, with architects using different styles for different projects or even combining elements in the same work.

Creche Nativity, Nordic Design

The love of Christmas and the natural design elements of wood rings can be seen in this store window.  The figurines' shapes are simplified in form and color.

Christmas in Helsinki 2017

Helsinki Cathedral is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, located in the neighborhood of Kruununhaka in the centre of Helsinki.

2017 Christmas Visit: Helsinki Apartment in the Design District

Everything was white.  A poured epoxy floor and minimal decor created a sleek look.

At the SIIDA, The National Museum of Finnish Sami Culture.  Sami are the indigenous people.

The Sami hat was derived from the Russian mariners. The gift store had some interesting contemporary art.  A catalog of contemporary Sami artists had a realistic depiction of Elvis in Lapland sharing a fire with a Sami in full festive dress! 

Below is a political protest sticker using Munch's "The Scream".  Notice the Sami hat and the windmills on the horizon.  Former president of the Sami parliament Lars Anders Baer points out:

The issue is that today’s global climate debate focuses primarily on the symptoms of climate change. From a Sami perspective this is not good enough. Our holistic approach dictates that we all have to look at the underlying causes of climate change – the processes of industrialization and globalization, our lifestyles, our consumption habits, and the continuing large-scale exploitation of natural resources (Baer 2011).

Protest sticker about the use of Saami reindeer herding land being used for wind farms.

Helsinki Public Art by Ernst Billgren

 In a the middle of Helsinki we found this arrangement of art pieces involving a little brick building.

 Ernst Billgren has described the idea behind his work: "In mountainous countries, they have a tradition of building little houses at suitable intervals where tired travellers can find safety and rest for a while. The Kampintori square is like a valley in the large cityscape, and 'Meeting Places' helps people to find their orientation on a human scale. Mountain cabins are cultural ambassadors to nature, and I like to think of 'Meeting Places' as an ambassador of nature in the City of Helsinki."

Reindeers! In the Sami language, there are about 520 words to distiguish the different kinds of reindeers.

We frequently had to stop driving to allow them to cross.

Finland has a lot of lakes!

      Finland's fresh bodies of water cover 33,000 km, accounting for one tenth of Finland’s area.  We are staying in a cabin on Lake Inari, noted in red.  We are way above the arctic circle in Lapland.

There are at least 55,000 lakes that are at least 200 metres wide. If lake is defined to be a body of standing water larger than 500 square metres, then there are 187,888 lakes in Finland.

The wood fired sauna is on the left. There were no visible neighbors.  It was cool, 60 F. weather.

The Rock Church in Helsinki

Temppeliaukio Church is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki. The church was designed by architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and opened in 1969.  Our cab driver commented that he loved going here because it evoked feelings about the 12 apostles meeting in a cave.

The Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral on the left is part of the stately public plaza, Senate Square.  The central monument is of Alexander II, the tzar of Russia 1855-1881.  The monument was built in 1894 to commemorate the establishment of Finland's autonomy within the Russian Empire. Finland achieved independence from Russia in 1917.

commons.wikimedia.org

Finland is one of the few countries where growing genetically modified food is banned.

Flying in to Helsinki airport we saw the patchwork of small family farms.  The beautiful scenery indicates Finnish respect for nature. "Farmers use relatively fewer pesticides than any other EU country."


.http://www.foodfromfinland.com/finnish

Memorable Magic Hours, of 2011

 

Shooting photographs of the lake near the cabin was a regular activity.  The half light at dusk lasted a long time.

Helsinki Airport

It is so great to see a well crafted sculpture.  This laminated plywood and  carved timber wood sculpture is two stories high (8 meters).  It exhibits the Nordic design ethic of natural materials, excellent craftsmanship, rounded forms and warmth. It is titled "Fatmi", which is an air traffic system.  The artist is Martii Aiha.
This wall had beautiful cut out images directing passengers to the next building.

Alta, Norway

The Alta Museum has the most beautiful view of the Alta fjord.  There are long wooden walkways around this World Heritage Site, which allow visitors to view hundreds of 6,000 to 2,000 year old rock art examples.  Red paint was recently added.  The museum, regretfully, did not realize that this could hasten the deterioration of these prehistoric art works.

The person in the boat is holding stylized fish.

An unpainted carving, above, is difficult to see.  Most of the ones at Alta have been painted.