Upon the Baltic Sea

Page 4

Helsinki, Finland

September 1, 2008

A charming city, beautifully kept up.

The first stop on our Highlights Tour was the Johan (Jean) Sibelius Memorial Park.

The big, organ-like sculpture was supposed to represent his music, but the wind caused a cacophony

which offended some fans, so they blocked it up and made the head sculpture instead.

Next stop, the Temppeliaukio Rock Church.

The architects chose a solid rock upon which to build their church (like St. Peter),

Then they proceeded to blast into the rock and build it primarily under ground.
The dome is made of miles of copper wire.

On to Senate Square, surrounded by government buildings and St. Nicholas Cathedral.

In the square, many stall sold Finnish arts and crafts.

We were then set free to wander around this charming city and discover things on our own, starting with the Esplanadi, a grand boulevard with restaurants, parks and fountains.




This was the Olympic Stadium and to the right is a famous Finnish runner, Paavo Nurmi

At this deco railroad station, we bid farewell to Helsinki.