Helsinki, Finland
Rise and Shine! We woke at 6am this morning to be ready for our landing in Helsinki, Finland. And, as the early bird gets the worm, so does the early riser get the beautiful tour.
We met our guides outside on the cobblestone pier and followed them through the outdoor market and past various churches, government buildings, and statues. It was rush hour out there on the Helsinki streets, but we deftly made our way about as trolley cars rumbled by, bringing folks to work for the day. Students walked to classes, and shop keepers opened their doors. This made for a unique opportunity to people-watch as folks went about getting ready for their day in this capital city.
After finishing up the morning walks, the group divided out into three different directions. Our naturalist Sharon Grainger took some folks on a walking tour of the art nouveau regions of the city, with highlights including a stone church, a train station, and various other architectural places that have survived since the late 1800’s.
Our Photo Specialists also took a group out for some camera practice around the city.
The third group took a small ferry out to the fortress island of Suomenlinna. This historical site, which is now under UNESCO World Heritage protection, has played a defensive role for three different states: namely Sweden, Russia, and Finland. The fortifications of the island were originally built during the mid-1700’s under the command of the Swedish Augustin Ehrensväd. The Swedish intended it to be an impregnable defense against the Russians, but the Russians successfully took it over after a siege in 1808.
For nearly 100 years, Suomenlinna served as a Russian garrison town, surviving a severely rough bombardment from the Anglo-French fleet during the Crimean War in1855. When Finland gained independence in 1917, the island turned into a Finnish garrison, as well as a prison camp and a submarine base during World War II. It was very pleasant to meander around the fortress strongholds and old stone pathways, as well as to see one of the oldest dry docks which is still in use today.
Upon returning from our ventures, we boarded the National Geographic Explorer and filled our afternoon with talks by our Lindblad specialists William Lopez-Forment and Olga Stavrakis and from our National Geographic representatives Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson. It was a great way to enjoy this final afternoon of sailing before our arrival in St. Petersburg tomorrow!
