Market square

We are still moving around at the harbour areas but are now approaching the market square on our walk.


Here is a view in towards town and the dome church, that stands as a header on this blog, is clearly visible behind the buildings around the market square area.

Once upon a time there was film called 'Reds' made and these streets were the site where this film with Warren Beatty and Dianne Keaton was actually filmed. Filming inside Russia (the Sovjet Union in those days) was not an option.
I had the dubious pleasure of becoming aquainted with one of the film crew. I was a very young person in those days and of course it was ever so exciting. Thus I can with my hand on my heart tell, that I have been to a private party with Warren Beatty (a non drinker supposedly) and Dianne Keaton. The state of my shallowness in those days can be figured out from the fact that I was rather dissapointed that no press was allowed. Perhaps a good thing. Dear Mr Beatty was anything but sober.

Moving along from that sidestep onto memory lane we take a look towards the other side and see behind the modern office building the Russian Orthodox Uspensky Cathedral.


The Sveaborg ferry is in the foreground.


Our final picture of today is of this old sailing ship which functions as a restaurant these days and behind it is the Helsinki Town House.

Lingering on

We will linger on for just a little while still around these cruisers. In the first shot the regularly to and fro trafficing Sveaborg ferry (the fortress island) is passing by Gabriella. It gives some perspective to the size of these cruisers. Gabriella is still the smaller one of the two.


Ferry, which can be used with the regular public transport pass, returning to the mainland with passengers.


Gabriella has departed and is passing just behind the restaurant Palace Kämp.


There she goes out to sea ploughing through the floating ice.

The cruising boat terminals

Cruises from Helsinki to Stockholm and to Tallinn in Estonia are very popular. On our seaside promenade we have reached the first of the big cruisers, more like luxury boozers really, that are trafficing between Helsinki and Stockholm every few days.


Behind this statue, representing the working people, the first cruiser Silja Serenade has already departed towards Sweden.


Here it's about to pass Viking line's Gabriella, which has it's terminal on the other side of the harbour and is still waiting for departure about half an hour later but also headed for Stockholm.
The white house with the green roof on that little island belongs to the Helsinki sailing club and is a restaurant.

Along the seaside promenade

Helsinki is a city of a substantial amount of cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs of every thinkable variety. Especially during the warm periods the commerce in those street cafes and bars, that are abundant around the central areas, is lively. Us finns love to meet up in such places and sit there watching the world go by.
The above cafe Ursula is alongside the seaside promenade at the bottom of the most beautiful park, the Kaivopuisto, a popular recreation area and a site for many different kinds of outside concerts among other happenings during the summer.



Further along the promenade is this charming island restaurant, The Palace Kämp, which can be reached by a regularly trafficing boat.

Ship building harbour

Yesterday we had a view of the place were it all started. Helsinki is built by the sea and thus there is of course several harbours around. Luxury cruise building has been a big business in Finland. It cannot happen without the proper equipment and machinery. Thus we will today take a look at the docks were this ship building takes place.



I will point out that all these pictures are as I see things. This is therefore Helsinki through my eyes. As in any city there are beautiful areas and those not so beautiful. All are necessary for the functioning of the city.

Where it all started

This is my new blog and as the name suggest it will feature pictures only from Helsinki, Finland's capital city. There'll be a daily dosage of shots but only max three at a time.

We'll start today with just the one shot. It is of Sveaborg. The island were the Helsinki story started. It was originally a medieval fortress built for protection against the russians. The original stone walls and many cannons are still there on the island.



Slowly the small village of Helsinki started to grow on the mainland as the soldiers of the fortress and their families and servants were in need of all sorts of services for their maintenance.
The reason Helsinki became eventually the capital is another story. The original capital was Turku but it practically burned down once in the great fire and rebilding it took so long that a new capital had to be established. At this time Helsinki had already grown to a proper town and so it was decided that it would be the new capital.

Many of Helsinki's buildings show russian influence due to Finland having belonged to Russia before independence was granted in 1917.