If you are following me, you probably saw my previous post about Estonia.So, after we've spent great time in Estonia, Tallinn, we went to Finland, Helsinki by cruise ship. I think Finn people visit Tallinn so often just for shopping because I saw that people carrying big shopping bags with full of food, drinks in the cruise ship. You know why they do that ? Because Finland is extremely expensive when you comparing to Estonia.
Helsinki
Let me give you some general information about the city. Helsinki is the capital city of Finland. The country is located in Northern part of Europe. The population of Helsinki is about 600.000, 700.000. Finnish capital of Helsinki is a charming city to explore as one of the most sparsely populated cities in Europe. The locals friendly and welcoming and surrendered by sea on three sides and boasting a blend of wonderful architecture. It's easy to see why Helsinki is often regarded as one of the most livable cities in the world.
Helsinki Cathedral
This is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral. It was built between 1830 and 1852 with some later additions. The crypt was renovated in the late 20th century and Its used for exhibitions concerts and a small cafe.
Senate Square
The focal point of Helsinki is Senate Square, founded by majestic neoclassical buildings. The square dominated by the city's most impressive landmark the lutheran cathedral pristine white with green and gold domes.
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Suomenlinna Island
I would like to talk about a place that I enjoyed most in Helsinki. It’s Suomenlinna island. Suomenlinna is Helsinki’s most important sight. It takes fifteen minutes by ferry from downtown Helsinki.
Suomenlinna is island guarding Helsinki's harbor served as a strategic fortress for three countries: Sweden, Russia and Finland. It's now a popular park with a fascinating story. The fortress was built by the Swedes with French financial support in the mid 1700s to counter Russia's rise to power. Russia's Peter the great had just built his new capital St. Petersburg nearby on the Baltic and he was eyeing the West.
We were lucky because we've found somebody who could accommodate us in Finland. As always, we've found on Couchsurfing( It's a hospitality service which provides you free accommodation on the internet) Otherwise we had to pay for hotel. She was totally helpful person. We went for a walk together and we've found some party in somewhere in Helsinki. It was for free and quite fun. We had a great time there. We wanted to visit also another cities but transportation was so expensive there.
I consider myself as a lucky person because I never thought that I could go to Finland in my life due to my financial condition. when I was volunteer worker for European Voluntary Service in Slovenia. I had opportunity to travel all around the Europe. If I had to traveled from my country which is Turkey. I had to pay for visa and also flight tickets much more expensive. So, It's good that European Voluntary service exist.
Thanks for reading my post , please let me know If you've ever been in Finland before or just comment in below what you think about this fascinating country.
