Sailed into port around 10am, drizzling and cold. Took a bus to the city train station, checked our rollers for the day, got 24 hour bus/rail/metro passes and ready to head out in the middle of this cold, windy, rainy storm. Oh Boy! The tour books recommend a “Orientation Bus Tour”, since we are off season, we chose a metro line that did basically the same route and oriented ourselves. Since the weather was so bad, (and it was Sunday) we limited ourselves to the three main churches in town. In order: the Lutheran Cathedral, Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, and Temppellaukio Church.
Lutheran Cathedral. Finished in 1852. A Neoclassical nirvana.
Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral. Finished in 1868. Built for the Russian military when Finland belonged to Russia.
Temppeliaukio Church, (Church in the Rock). 1969. Blasted out of solid granite. The roof is a 13 mile long copper ribbon. Below the church is an air-raid shelter for 6,000 people.
With so many bridges in Scandinavia, “locks of love” are found frequently. This one in Helsinki was the most dense.
Alex and my favorite statue. “Bad, Bad Boy”. Umbrellas were for the rain, and the “fountain”. Awesome.
Definitely an Alex Statue! Love it.
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