HELSINKI, FINLAND AND A CHURCH MADE OF ROCK!

Thursday, August 13, 2026
Helsinki, Finland
59F and sunny

Back to Basics:

I need to remember that I am writing this blog so that we remember what the heck we did when and where. It is also required reading for Randy and Brian (and I hope that isn’t torture). Friends and family are invited along for the adventure, and for bedtime reading if they have trouble going to sleep. Keep in mind that I am listening to tour guides, reading, taking notes, and taking photos all at the same time.  I am not always accurate! 

I had to remind myself this morning that cruises like this are very port intense, but if we were on a bus tour we would not only be visiting a city every day, but we would also be unpacking and packing quite frequently. We only had to unpack once for 27 days!  

Helsinki:

Sunshine and even cooler weather greeted us this morning.  We boarded our bus for Helsinki—we did not know that there would be a shuttle ($12 RT/pp) into the city when we were planning our tours.

We always learn a lot from the tour guide as we travel along--Helsinki is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is located on the Gulf of Finland. About 694,000 people live in the municipality. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant center for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Most Finns speak Finnish, Swedish, and English.

Layla pointed out the Swedish, Russian, and newer Finnish architecture. Like the other countries we visited, their history is tied to Russia, the Soviet Union, and Germany. Sweden occupied the area for 600 years before the Russians.  Freedom is the key word.  Helsinki was established in the 1800s, so it is a newer city.

A couple of interesting tidbits Layla shared:

• Sauna is the only Finnish word in the English language. Finns have a deep rooted sauna culture.
• Finns used walking poles for a very long time, and the rest of Europe laughed at that practice. Now many people use walking poles and we can attest to that!
• Helsinki is also a ship building port—mainly building Arctic vessels and cruise ships.
• It is the smallest Nordic country
• Finland is Europe’s most forested country, with over 75% of its land covered by boreal forests dominated by Scots pine, Norway spruce, and birch. The forests are a defining feature of the country’s landscape and economy.
• Winter is from mid-October to May much of the time—I really could not get a handle on how much snow. But in winter, there are 5 hours of daylight and they use day lamps to help cope mentally with the darkness [note for Coleen!]
• There are over 100,000 shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea with 10,000 documented—according to Tour Guide Layla.
• Finland recently won the 2026 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey!
• The 1952 Olympic Games were held in Helsinki

Our first stop was Temppeliaukio Lutheran Church, a unique modern church carved directly into solid bedrock. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the skylight surrounding the center copper dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics. A very interesting concept.

Temppeliaukio Church entrance

The altar at Temppeliaukio Lutheran Church

Organ

Close up of bedrock--granite

From there we headed to Sibelius Park, dedicated to Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. It is an abstract welded cluster of acid-resistant stainless steel pipes in an undulating pattern, each installed on granite natural to the terrain. The purpose of the modern design is to symbolically evoke Sibelius’ music using public art.  It is a sound sculpture—the pipe cluster can generate sounds due to wind, rain, and echoing voices.  Visitors can experience the art immersion by standing within the cavity.  I really appreciated the thought behind this piece.

Tribute to Jean Sibelius

I am an art appreciator, but I did not care for

the sculpture of Sibelius' head on the right

Another view 

Our last stop was an open air market with high quality Finnish products and fresh food.  I found something especially sweet for my dear grand nephew Archie for Christmas.  We found woolen goods, knives, furs, wooden kitchen tools, jams and jellies, wooden toys, and more.  The Finns are proud of their handicrafts. 

Food vendors in yellow tents

Craft and souvenir vendors in white tents

Strawberries for 8 euros per "box"

Soft wolf fur for sale-

did not check the price

Top row: salmon soup, deep fried vendace, fish n chips,

nordic meatballs, mixed fish. Bottom row: reindeer hotdog,

vendace meal, sea salmon, lapland reindeer, 

mixed reindeer. On the end: salmon paella

We had a good stop in Helsinki—even though it was cool, the sun warmed us.  We had plenty of time in the market.  I wanted to see Santa Claus! 

We get an extra hour of sleep tonight!! TK enjoys resetting our two alarm clocks so often.

By the way, every city we have visited has been incredibly clean. 

TK’s Takes:  He skipped the Rock Church and went to a bakery instead. He said they had the best coffee (he bought a pound) and cinnamon rolls.  He also noted that Finns smoke thin cigarettes. Right away he noticed the geese in the park -- we figured out they were barnacle geese

Barnacle Geese

(not my photo)