We caught the Catamaran and it took about 100 minutes (50 Euro return for 2) to make the crossing. The boat was very comfortable, had a cafe, duty free shopping and free wifi.
We got lucky with the weather in Helsinki, light breeze, full sun and about 17C. We tossed up between walking and a hop on/hop off bus, and because it was so nice we decided to walk. Andy estimated that we covered about 12 km in total.
So we had a plan to see about a dozen highlights of Helsinki in 6 hours. Andy was worried we might be pushed for time, but really he is a panic merchant, and we had plenty of time at the end!
Helsinki is a very pretty port town and had a bit of a Melbourne feel about it (maybe it was just the green and yellow trams).
Our first port of call was the harbour market (which reminded me of Hobart) where we sampled some reindeer meatballs and some salty fish (we'd call it white bait at home).
The first sight was The Uspenski Cathedral. An ornate hilltop orthodox church with the obligatory (golden) onion shaped domes.
The next sight was the Helsinki Cathedral, a neoclassical cathedral capped with a green dome, sitting high above Senate Square. We climbed the steps and went inside and there was an organ recital going on, but Andy thought we were behind schedule! So we didn't stay long.
The next item on the agenda was the 1952 Olympic stadium, which was about 3 km away. On the way there we passed the botanical gardens, universities and a couple of lakes.
The Olympic stadium was good to see, a part of modern history, but obviously built from a different era, as the capacity looked to be only about 40,000.
From the stadium we walked down a main thoroughfare of Helsinki, where we passed the Opera, Concert Hall, Parliament house, The Museum and some nice parks, where there were picnics, giant chess games frisbees and even a group of young people about to start a game of Klub.
The next sight was the Rock Church, built into the rock on the hill, using rock and rubble with a copper dome. It was very impressive on the inside.
The next sight to find was the Kamppi Chapel, which a timber structure that looks a bit like Noah's Ark. It is called the 'Chapel of Silence', as it is supposed to a place of solitude in a very busy part of town.
From there we wandered through the main part of town, pass the main railway station and onto the Esplanade back towards the harbour. We had a late lunch, Andy had the meatballs and Kristin the white bait, both enjoyed their meals.
We spent another hour or so wandering around until it was time to catch the catamaran back to Tallinn.
We went out for dinner at about 9 30 pm and it was still broad daylight and when we left the restaurant (at the Town hall square) just before 11, it still felt like 5 pm at night!
A unplanned day that worked out really well.
Cheers,
A & K.
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