After walking so much the day before I decided to take it easy today. Ha! Well the best laid plans and all...
This is the entrance to the church.
As you can see in the first photo of the interior of the church there was someone playing the piano. The accoustics were amazing and there are regular concerts held here. I sat here for a while listening to the music and watching the scads of tourists. (they had mostly cleared out before I took these photos) I had to laugh when I saw one woman doing an "instagram" moment for the camera - pretending to pray.
I fancied a coffee so I headed over to the church cafe which was next door.
Just in case you've forgotten!!! This was a sign in the cafe's toilet. It may seem ridiculous but the world is full of different toilets. (oh boy do I know...like the huge open pit I was supposed to hang my butt over in Nepal...needless to say the water works immediately seized up because I had visions of falling backwards into it. Obviously set up by a man!) In Asia there are still a lot of squat toilets (hell for those of us with bad knees) and I guess sometimes people squat on the toilet seat. Still, it always makes me giggle.
After a flat white and a croissant (I think I skipped breakfast or it wasn't much) I headed off towards my next destination. It seemed like I walked forever but it was probably just over an hour.
I passed by the huge Hietaniemi cemetery and saw these Russian Orthodox graves.
My goal was the beach! Hietaranta Beach to be exact. I don't know why I thought it necessary to see this place but I did. I don't know what I expected; it's a beach and Scandinavia isn't exactly known for its wonderful beaches is it.
Then I headed back to Mechelinkatu which was the main street leading to my next destination.
This is the Sibelius Monument in Sebelius Park. This sculpture honours Finland's most famous composer Jean Sibelius. This structure was stunning with so much detail. It was created by artist Eila Hiltunen in 1967 and the formation of its 600 steel pipes evoke a sound wave.
This is the sculputed head of Sibelius.
This photo was taken underneath the sculpture.
And a close up of the pipes. Fantastic!!!
I can tell you right now this was not a day for healthy eating. It was a warm day and I was hot so I got myself a raspberry and licorice ice cream cone (why have the same stuff I can get at home - I jump at the chance to try something I'd never had before). It was delish even though I dropped half of it on the grass much to a magpie's delight.
I then used the park loos which were nearby and I managed to lock myself in. (I should write a post on loos I have locked myself in...) After a bit of panic, I saw the button to unlock the door. Whew! There were buttons for everything. I may have locked myself into a few loos but I haven't had to be rescued...yet!
I headed over to Mannerheimintie (don't worry; I had to consult a map to figure out what street it was) and saw this adorable sculpture before making my way into a park beside Toolonlahti Lake.
It was the sort of place to linger however there just weren't too many benches (what's with that Helsinki?) and people were firmly planted on those. It was so pretty and peaceful.
Further along, I came across a strangely decorated building...not sure what is.
My Airbnb host Ani told me I must visit Oodi, Helsinki's new Central Library. It was opened in December of 2018, six months before my visit.
The design both outside and inside was spectacular.
There were several floors that included conference rooms.
It had a cafe with an outside terrace. As ou can see it was popular. And I didn't need another coffee anyway!
There were lots of places to sit down so it was a nice break. I love visiting libraries in every place I visit. It's fun to look at the books and there's usually a (clean) loo!
I then walked into the centre of town where I got the number 7 tram. Why? I was doing a trial run to make sure I knew where the ferry was. I had a transport pass and the time so figured why not. I saw this close to the terminal so had to go back to have a closer look!!! So it was definitely worth the extra trip!
I thought it was hilarious!
I then headed back to town where I went into the huge Stockmann's department store and headed for the small bistro. Okay I made that sound easy - actually I walked around trying to figure out where and what to eat and then remembered I wanted to visit this store. I had decided previously I wanted something typically Finnish so I opted for a Fisherman's platter.
Smoked salmon, pickled herring, potatoes and I can't remember what the others were. All I know was it was expensive and did not fill me up! I was expecting a bit more.
So I went to a Carl Fazer cafe (famed for its chocolate) and I had this chocolate/raspberry cake. It looks wonderful I know but sadly was on the dry side.
I headed back on the metro and stopped off at the grocery store to get more (much needed) liquor for my balcony time.
Consulting my Fitbit I saw that I had done over 26,000 steps that day. And that was day two!
Early that morning I headed off to the Kamppi metro station. My destination? The Temppeliaukion Kirkko (Rock Church) As I headed up the street I had to snap the lovely buildings on the way and this cute little guy...
Temppeliaukion Kirkko (Rock Church)
This is the entrance to the church.
As you can see in the first photo of the interior of the church there was someone playing the piano. The accoustics were amazing and there are regular concerts held here. I sat here for a while listening to the music and watching the scads of tourists. (they had mostly cleared out before I took these photos) I had to laugh when I saw one woman doing an "instagram" moment for the camera - pretending to pray.
I fancied a coffee so I headed over to the church cafe which was next door.
Just in case you've forgotten!!! This was a sign in the cafe's toilet. It may seem ridiculous but the world is full of different toilets. (oh boy do I know...like the huge open pit I was supposed to hang my butt over in Nepal...needless to say the water works immediately seized up because I had visions of falling backwards into it. Obviously set up by a man!) In Asia there are still a lot of squat toilets (hell for those of us with bad knees) and I guess sometimes people squat on the toilet seat. Still, it always makes me giggle.
After a flat white and a croissant (I think I skipped breakfast or it wasn't much) I headed off towards my next destination. It seemed like I walked forever but it was probably just over an hour.
I passed by the huge Hietaniemi cemetery and saw these Russian Orthodox graves.
My goal was the beach! Hietaranta Beach to be exact. I don't know why I thought it necessary to see this place but I did. I don't know what I expected; it's a beach and Scandinavia isn't exactly known for its wonderful beaches is it.
Sibelius Monument
This is the Sibelius Monument in Sebelius Park. This sculpture honours Finland's most famous composer Jean Sibelius. This structure was stunning with so much detail. It was created by artist Eila Hiltunen in 1967 and the formation of its 600 steel pipes evoke a sound wave.
This is the sculputed head of Sibelius.
This photo was taken underneath the sculpture.
And a close up of the pipes. Fantastic!!!
I can tell you right now this was not a day for healthy eating. It was a warm day and I was hot so I got myself a raspberry and licorice ice cream cone (why have the same stuff I can get at home - I jump at the chance to try something I'd never had before). It was delish even though I dropped half of it on the grass much to a magpie's delight.
I headed over to Mannerheimintie (don't worry; I had to consult a map to figure out what street it was) and saw this adorable sculpture before making my way into a park beside Toolonlahti Lake.
It was the sort of place to linger however there just weren't too many benches (what's with that Helsinki?) and people were firmly planted on those. It was so pretty and peaceful.
Further along, I came across a strangely decorated building...not sure what is.
My Airbnb host Ani told me I must visit Oodi, Helsinki's new Central Library. It was opened in December of 2018, six months before my visit.
The design both outside and inside was spectacular.
There were several floors that included conference rooms.
It had a cafe with an outside terrace. As ou can see it was popular. And I didn't need another coffee anyway!
There were lots of places to sit down so it was a nice break. I love visiting libraries in every place I visit. It's fun to look at the books and there's usually a (clean) loo!
I then walked into the centre of town where I got the number 7 tram. Why? I was doing a trial run to make sure I knew where the ferry was. I had a transport pass and the time so figured why not. I saw this close to the terminal so had to go back to have a closer look!!! So it was definitely worth the extra trip!
I thought it was hilarious!
I then headed back to town where I went into the huge Stockmann's department store and headed for the small bistro. Okay I made that sound easy - actually I walked around trying to figure out where and what to eat and then remembered I wanted to visit this store. I had decided previously I wanted something typically Finnish so I opted for a Fisherman's platter.
Smoked salmon, pickled herring, potatoes and I can't remember what the others were. All I know was it was expensive and did not fill me up! I was expecting a bit more.
So I went to a Carl Fazer cafe (famed for its chocolate) and I had this chocolate/raspberry cake. It looks wonderful I know but sadly was on the dry side.
I headed back on the metro and stopped off at the grocery store to get more (much needed) liquor for my balcony time.
Consulting my Fitbit I saw that I had done over 26,000 steps that day. And that was day two!
Comments