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.

Alta Museum, Winding Paths

Paths lead to the two areas of rock carvings (petroglyphs) on either side of the museum.  The complete walk takes about 2 hours.  The winding fence like image on the rock have been interpreted as a fence for hearding and hunting or as a seperate symbolic cosmic realm where reindeer and spirit gods interact. 

What if a shaman, 6000 years ago, foresaw the winding paths that would be built by the Alta Museum?