Going Berry Nuts

Helsinki, Finland.  And the end of the tour for some.

Beautiful, but oh, so grey!

Our run of wet weather continued, however by the time we had settled into the hotel and geared up for a city orientation walk, the sun was breaking between the clouds.  With a positive outlook for the weather, we disappeared off to walk the outdoor museum, Suomenlinna, once a Naval Fortress (1758) with a big, big history.  Suomenlinna is located over a series of islands in Helsinki Harbour and some residences are still owned by locals – so it’s a nice suburban/open air museum mix.   

We walked the grounds out to the Kings Gate then along the Russian defence line complete with some rather robust artillery in the gun emplacements. 

This poor chap was tied to a canon for punishment.  Yes, it was then fired!
This isn't really what's left of him, but a bronze memorial...but you knew that!

Whilst the Cap’n sought out more things military, GS happily toured the totally captivating toy museum and then learned more about the life and times of the period at the Commandant’s Residence, once home to the fort’s founder, Augustin Ehrensvard.

Aside from a quick visit to the unusual (though interesting architecturally) Church of the Rock, we did little else in Helsinki except pound the pavement and admire amazing buildings both old & new, enjoy trend-setting Finnish arts & design and appreciate flavoursome wafts courtesy of the current fad for street food. 

Down near the wharf, we succumbed to a mixed fish plate – salmon, cod and sardines(?) served with buttered potatoes and mixed vegetables.  Yumalicious!  But enough to feed a small army!  Market stalls, aside from the usual souvenirs, also had fur hats, fantastic woolly scarves & mittens, a wide selection of seasonal berries and wild mushrooms - all at unbelievable prices - it was so hard not to go completely nuts...

Design and arts is BIG in Helsinki and having won the Design Capital 2012 Award, delicious colours, modern design, inspirational architecture and fabulous traditional knitting is featured everywhere.  We could easily have spent a week in this vibrant and stylish city. 

(Note the stylish & comfortable chairs in the Ferry Terminal!)

Oh well, time to bid some of our fellow travellers farewell, welcome newcomers and move on to experience the Baltic coast and see more of Eastern Europe.  Again, led by the delightful Sanni!  Except, we'll just have to have a quick chat about all this long distance push-bike riding...

Another captivating view of Helsinki's Harbour