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Wednesday, June 16, 2011
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Day 6 of Cruise - Helsinki, Finland
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Okay, now you've got the routine. First the history lesson, then the adventure.
The heart of Helsinki is the bustling kauppatori or market square. Also known
as the fish market, it is surrounded by graceful 19th-century buildings - some
of the few remaining in the city after the devastation of WWII.
More pretty Monopoly money.
I bet by now you're wondering where all the adventuresome tours like helicopter
rides and zip lining that I usually do are. Well, they're apparently not around
the Baltic Sea. And to be honest, I wouldn't have been able to do any really
active events because of my back. I was barely able to survive just walking
in the museums, palaces, and cathedrals. The history, spectacular architecture,
cathedrals, and grand museums kept everyone interested. So Lesley and I
selected the "City of Helsinki" tour in Finland.
Note that Lesley has her new blanket right there with her.
Ate a quick breakfast. Joined up with tour group 14. Frieda was our guide.
Helsinki is also called "the Daughter of the Baltic" or "the White City of the
North." We started our tour by passing the shipyard along the coastal road past
Embassy Park and the colorful open-air market before making a stop to visit
Senate Square with the elegant Lutheran Cathedral. On the way we passed Uspenski
Cathedral and saw icebreakers docked for the summer season.
Our first stop was Sibelius Park where we could photograph the monument of
approximately 600 steel pipes, which honor the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
This was a walk my back was not willing to make, so I sent Lesley with my camera
(or was it hers) for close ups. So far I only found the photos I took from the bus.
We visited Temppeliaukio, one of Europe's most unusual modern churches, blasted
into solid rock. It was beautiful and one of the few churches we were allowed
to take photos in.
After the Rock Church, we drove through the city taking in the architecture.
This tour was not super exciting, but our guide, Freida, was nice.
Semi-formal dress was the suggestion for this evening. By this time, I had
decided the differences between casual, smart casual, semi-formal, and formal,
for me, were more a level of comfort rather than style, fabric, or a look.
Put on a fancier necklace and you move up one level of formality. Add a slip
to the dress, and boom, you're more formal. And it doesn't really matter at
the table, because you'll get served anyway, as long as you have a shirt on
and you're not barefoot or wearing shorts. I'm not saying I was tacky, but who would even
notice on me anyway?
I stepped out on our balcony close to midnight and got this fantastic photo of
the moon rising. Yes, that's the moon.
This evening was our third time change, one hour forward.
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