HELSINKI	2016

Saturday 3 September 2016

The Finnair flight to Helsinki departs right on time at 11.55. The flight goes smoothly and at 15.15 Eastern European Summer Time we arrive at Vantaa, Helsinki Airport. Within 10 minutes we can pick up our suitcases and we walk to the train station. The train ride to the city center takes about half an hour. From there we take the tram 6 (same ticket) to the apartment, which we booked through Airbnb. It has started raining cats and dogs by now. The owner has arranged for the key to be picked up at the counter of the K-Market supermarket around the corner. We get the key away without much formalities.
The apartment is on the 5th floor of an older apartment building. A tiny elevator gets us up there. The apartment is modest in size, but reasonably equipped. We get ourselves set up and then go grocery shopping at K-market around the corner. Then it's time to go to the restaurant. The apartment is located in the Helsinki Design District and the neighborhood is full of shops selling Finnish design. Through the pouring rain, we walk armed with umbrellas to Gastrobar Emo. You would expect something modest, but it certainly is not. We have two choices: five-course chef's menu for € 53 or 3 course surprise menu € 42. We go for the former. In addition, some glasses of wine, water and coffee together makes 180 euros. It tastes very good. The portions are modest in size and usually the fish is lukewarm. It starts with salmon with fresh herbs and beet salad, followed by Jacob scallops with Parma ham and fennel. Then "Black Taglionlini" (squid ink pasta) with cod, beef and garlic. The main course is lamb chops with beer marinated potatoes, oyster sauce and cauliflower. The dessert is cream cheese, chocolate, mango and caramelised walnuts.

Back at the apartment we watch some TV and then go  to bed tired.

Weather: 16⁰C, rain

zondag 4 september 2016

We get up around 8am and have breakfast in our apartment. Then I go out to the R-kiosk to get a SIM card for internet (DNA-telekom) and 6-day tickets for public transport in Helsinki. For only € 5.65 you get 1GB of data, which is valid for one month. The public transport pass for the City of Helsinki HSL will cost € 12 a day. For six days is € 42. Then we go to the Senate Square for a private guided tour by Happy Helsinki. We meet our guide Emil in front of the Lutheran cathedral. He is very enthusiastic and talks nineteen to the dozen. First about the history of the country and then on the architecture of the Senate Square. All that we see here was built in the 19th century under Russian rule (1809-1917). Most of it is neoclassical. To our left is the Senate building, where the senate of the Finnish Grand Duchy met under Russian control. Now it is the office of the Prime Minister. Almost mirror image is the academy building of the Helsinki University on the other side. In the middle stands the statue of Czar Alexander II. Popular because he sought more freedom for peasants and also for Finland. The cathedral from 1852 is Lutheran and as many grand buildings in the city centre, designed by the originally Prussian architect Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840). From outside the cathedral is impressive above the square beyond an enormous staircase. Inside very sober. We walk around the cathedral  and arrive at the States Room, where the four classes (nobility, church, citizens and farmers) came together as a sort of parliament according to Swedish model. There opposite the building stands the statue of Johan Snellmann (1806-1881) and the building of the Finnish central bank. Snelmann was important for the Finnish national consciousness: "we're not Swedish, Russian, we do not want to be. So let's be Finnish." He did a lot for upgrading and capturing the Finnish language, which was only a spoken language until then. All written and official texts hitherto were in Swedish. Snelann managed to get Finnish accepted as an official language alongside Swedish. Swedish was not only the language of the Swedish-speaking minority in the coastal areas, but also was the language of the elite. He also got Finland its own currency, the Markka repalacing the Russian Ruble.




We continue towards the ancient trading port where now classic ships are moored. In the distance we see the great icebreakers with names like "Bear" and "Courage". Courage refers to the Finnish bravery in resisting the Soviet troops when they invaded in 1939 and (part of) to conquer part of Finland. The Finns held up well, but had to make concessions. We walk to the Orthodox cathedral, Uspenski. We go inside. There is a service in progress. The liturgy is in Finnish. The Orthodox Church in Finland is independent and is not covered by the Russian patriarch. At best by the one of Constantinople. We walk the Katajanokka district, where many Art Nouveau buildings can be found. We look at the house where Tove Janson lived, the creator of the children's book character Moomin. The house opposite was the inspiration for the Moonin's cottage in her books.
We walk on to the former prison, now converted into a hotel (Katanajokka). Two cells were made into one room. Signs at some cells indicate which famous prisoner was detained here, including Rysti the wartime President of Finland who was imprisonded here on the insistence of the Soviet Union because of its responsibility for the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 to recapture Karelia. Only his former cell has kept its bars. Then we come to the market at the harborfront. In the harbor, recently a floating sea swimming pool with sauna and cafe has been installed, which is quite popular. Behind it is a large Ferris wheel, which is sponsored by Finnair. On the market we take a break. The market has fruit, fish and lots of tourist junk.
We arrive at the Havis Amanda statue of Ville Valgren from 1906. It represents Helsinki that has emerged from the sea. We continue on the tree-lined Esplanadi to the statue of Runeberg, the lyricist of the Finnish national anthem "Our Country". The original text from 1846 is in Swedish. Later it was translated into Finnish. He stands more or less in front of the hotel Kämp, the most luxurious hotel in the city. Justin Bieber stayed here recently.
Further afield, at the end of the Esplanadi we find the Swedish theater, where plays have been performed in Swedish for centuries. Then we pass the old (wooden) church from 1826. In fact, it was a temporary church until the Cathedral could be put into use. The Helsinki people got so attached to the building that it remained in service. We also pass the statue of Lönnroth, the writer who compiled the Kalevala. That is the great epic work of the Finnish mythology and traditions. He put it together on the basis of oral history which he collected by interviewing old peasants. He did not invent the content, but it is certainly not an original document, but a choice of the compiler.
Then we walk to the Kampi chapel. It is an oasis of silence in the middle of a lively square with shopping malls, where once the bus station used to be. The chapel is not religious in nature, but a quiet space where you can reflect, pray or meditate. It is made entiely fo Finnish wood and designed by Kimmo Lintula, Niko Sirola and Mikko Summanen of arkitektbyrå K2S. Last stop on our walking tour is the rock church of 1969. The plan for a church was already made in 1936, but the Winter War against the the Soviet Union in 1939 got in the way. The rock was bombed by the Soviets and the crater was used after the war as the basis for the church, which was completed in 1969. It is a special building that sits in the crater with a beautiful dome roof on top of it. The church is widely used and is now overrun by tourists. Soon entry will be requested for groups. We say goodbye to Emil and take the tram to the apartment.
Around 3pm we take the tram to the Ateneum museum opposite Central Station. This is a kind of national gallery with all the great names of Finnish art, mostly from the 19th century. Especially Akseli Gallen-Kallela's work depicting the Kalevala myth is impressive. Also Edelfeld, Simberg and Rissanen are well represented. There is also work of foreign contemporaries such as Gauguin, Munch and Van Gogh.

After visiting the museum we look around at the beautiful Central Station in Helsinki, designed by Eliel Saarinen in a national romantic style in 1919. It is characterized by high clock tower and lanterns left and right of the entrance in the form of two pairs of high male figures that hold the lamps in their hands. Inside the height of the spaces and the arched passageways to the left and the ticket hall Burger King the right of the entrance hall are prominent features. The (not so practical) folding doors into the station and towards the tracks are original. Impractical because they are closed, open outward and have to be opened manually.
From the station we walk to the Torni hotel in Art Deco style in 1931, with a bar on the 12th floor. During the construction it was the tallest building in Finland and remained so until 1976, when an office tower was built in Espoo. In 1987 it was also caught up in Helsinki itself. During the war it was a lookout post for incoming bombers. After the war it hosted the Allied Control Commission, which monitored compliance with the Moscow ceasefire. Later it was home to the Helsinki branch of the KGB. The tower cocktail bar offers a beautiful view of the city. Here we drink a cocktail and enjoy the view of the city. After that we eat a pizza at Dennis in the Kamppi district.


Weather: sunny, 18 degrees.

Monday 5 September 2016

We have breakfast in our apartment. Then we go by tram 3 to the center. From stop Studenhus we walk to Café Fazer on a side street of the chic shopping Alexander Street. Fazer is a classic in Helsinki. Cake and chocolate are the specialties. There is a buffet breakfast, a café with a cake buffet and a shop with chocolates, chocolates and the like, we take two delicious cake pieces and capucino each. After coffee we walk the Aleksanderinkatu (Alexandergatan) and go into the Stockmann department store. This is the Finnish equivalent of Harvey Nicholls or Neiman Marcus. A large department store with luxury brands. We both buy some clothes and then go back to the apartment leave our buys behind. We then take the tram back to the city and we walk along the Mannerheimintie in a Northern direction. We pass the post office where we buy a post card and stamps and follow the road past the equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim (1867-1951), president (1944-46) and folk hero of Finland. His statue is front of the modern building of the Kiasma Museum of Modern Art. Opposite the Kiasma is the parliament, the Eduskunta or Riksdag covered in scaffolding. A little further we see the Music Building (Musiikkitalo). The lobby with grand staircase and artwork is very nice. The building was designed by three Finnish architects and opened in 2011. It is home to the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. We want to buy tickets for a concert this week, but unfortunately both concerts are sold out. We continue and pass the Finlandian Building by Alvor Aalto. This multifunctional building was designed in 1971 for conventions and concerts. But the mediocre acoustics music did not fill the desire for a worthy successor to the hall of the university, where Sibelius conducted his own compositions. That was damaged during the Second World War. Such a music hall exists now next door. The Finlandiahal has six meeting rooms with capacities ranging from 1 700 to 130. The most striking feature of the building is the tower with a sloping roof. Aalto thought the height would provide good acoustics, but it did not. Aalto used a lot of marble in this design. We walk around the building and continue our way along the lake. The walkway leads to the Finnish Opera building. Here, the Finnish National Opera and the Finnish National Ballet have their home. Both companies are the only ones of their kind in Finland. The Opera House, built in 1993, does not look very opera-like in its outward appearance; it is quite simple. The opera season has not started yet, so again no show for us.
After the opera we have lunch in the Chico restaurant. We take a salad. After lunch we walk to the Olympic stadium. The Olympic park hold the statue of Lasse Viren, the Olympic gold medalist on the 5 and 10km in 1972 and 1976. A little further on is the statue of Paavo Nurmi, who won 9 times Olympic gold in Antwerp (1920), Paris (1924) and Amsterdam ( 1928). We had planned to climb to the Olympic Stadium tower for the beautiful view, but the stadium is being renovated from 2016 to 2019 and we can not enter the grounds. We walk to the Sibelius Monument. By pure chance we run into our guide of yesterday  (Emil), who is cohosting a bike tour of Happy Helskinki. The Sibelius Monument honors the greatest Finnish composer of all time. Most famous  is he for his work Finlandia, which stimulated the national consciousness. The monument was unveiled in 1967, 10 years after Sibelius'  death and was designed by Eila Hiltunen. The monument resembles an organ, while Sibelius composed almost nothing for the organ. To accommodate critics Hilunen added a picture of Sibelius face to the artwork. We take bus 24 back into town and change to line 6 to our apartment.

In the afternoon we take the tram to the western port area and the Ruhoalahti district. This is a redeveloped port and industrial area. We walk along the High Tech Center, where among others F-Secure is based, the supplier of our virus scanner. We continue to Kapeeli, the former cable factory of Nokia. The building dates back to 1954. In 1967 it merged with Nokia cable factory, which was active until then in forestry. In the late 1980's Nokia decided to discontinue the cable production here and started to rent out the premises to artists. Nokia then decided in consultation with the municipality to demolish the building to make way for schools, a hotel and a conference hall. A revolt among tenants prevented this scenario. A management company was founded in 1991 and all artistic tenantswere allowed to stay in. The complex was to  be called Kapeeli and nicknamed 5 hectares of culture. It is rather disappointing to us. It is not very inviting and rather focussed to an incrowd. Many closed doors. The photo museum is closed on Mondays. We walk around and then take the tram, metro and tram back to the apartment.
At night we eat at restaurant Juuri. We take the 4 course menu for 52 euros with a wine pairing of 35 euros. Dinner starts with an assortment of so called Säppas, a Finnish version of tapas. Then comes a poached egg with leek and some thing else. Then Trout in two ways and chantarelle. Finally, the dessert with strawberry mousse and ice cream. All delicious.

Weather: Cloudy with sunny periods. 15-19⁰.

Tuesday 6 September 2016

We take the tram to the city center and get out at Studenthuset / Ylioppilastalo. We walk along the Esplanade to the market at the harbor. At the presidential palace  preparations are made for a royal visit from Norway. The red carpet is out and an honor guard is being formed. From the quay leaves the ferry to Suomenlinna (Sveaborg). That is a fortification on groups of  six islands off the coast. The fortress was built in the 18th century by Sweden on a design by naval architect Augustin Ehrensvärd. In 1808 the Russians conquered Finland, but the fortress was  transferred to the Russians later. The Russians reinforced the fortress and extended it. During the Crimean War, the fortress was damaged by British and French shelling. After the war it was restored. After the independence of Finland in 1917, the name Sveaborg (Sweden Castle) was changed to Suomenlinna (Finnish Castle). In 1973 the Finnish Defence passed the complex on to Finnish Heritage conservation. There are currently 900 people living on the islands and there is a naval school, a library, museums, workshops and various cafés and restaurants. We are obviously a bit early (around 9:30), because most buildings only open after 11am. We walk following the blue route across the islands, passing the former fortress buildings ending at the King's Gate on the south side. We pass the church, the library and the visitor center, and café. We're cross a bridge connecting Iso Mustasaari (large black island) with Susisaari (wolves island). Here we see many former barracks and housing for commanders and other officers. The most southern part of Kustanmieka (Gustav's sword) has many bastions, artillery batteries and powder houses. Then we walk back to the main pier again. The castle is well maintained and from the ramparts we have a nice view of the Bay of Finland and the City of Helsinki in the distance. We sail back to the port of Helsinki overlooking the Lutheran cathedral which you can see from afar.
In the afternoon we visit the St Georg Pool (Skt Georg Simmhallen / Yrjonkadun Uimahalli). This pool of 1926 in Art Deco style is beautifully preserved. We buy tickets for the 2nd floor. We get  a cabin (sectioned with curtains) cabin with bed and can use the Finnish sauna, the infrared sauna and steam room. Of course, we can also take a swim in the pool. And all of that completely naked. Recently you may a use swimsuit in the pool (not in the saunas), but nobody does that. There are separate opening days for men and for women. For 14 euros, we can stay here for 2 hours. On the upper gallery are small seating areas overlooking the pool and bathers, where you will be served by a lady serving drinks and snacks.
After sauna and swimming pool, we have a beer on a terrace on the esplanade and then go back to the apartment. We eat in the evening at the Nepalese restaurant Annapurna. There is a remarkable number of Nepalese restaurants in Helsinki. We no less thanr seven in three days! For us it is the first time, and it tastes fine. The food is  similar to Indian.

Weather: 19⁰C and sunny

Wednesday 7 September 2016

We have coffee at Gran Delicato on Fredriksgatan and then take the bus to Avis. We get a Skoda Rapid as a rental car. We drive out of town to Porvoo (Borgå) about 50 km east of Helsinki. It's a nice trip to a small town on a river, close to the Bay of Finland. The old town center consists of narrow cobbled streets lined by wooden houses, painted yellow, blue or red . At the top of the hill stands the old church from the 18th century. A stone building with a separate bell tower. The church is very much on the program of tour groups, especially those of cruise ships. Groups come and go. Inside the church someone plays classical piano and after a while accompanied by a bel canto singer, bringing Chinese tourists into a state of high excitement. We walk through the old town and then along the banks of the river. Then we go back into town and visit the former family home of the poet Runeberg, who made the text of the Finnish national anthem (in Swedish). He had a large family with six children, most of whom were also artists. One of the sons made the statue of Alexander II, on the Senate Square in Helsinki. The saloons are decorated to look as they were at the time that the Runebergs lived here.
We walk to the market square and passing the statue of Runeberg. At the market we eat lunch at Rafael Steakhouse & Bar at the Grand cultural center. Choice of three dishes costing around 10 euros. Good deal. Most restaurants in Finland have a lunch menu for around 10 euros.
After lunch we drive to Järvenpää. A bit inland on a lake. The town is a drag, but here is, just outside the town the home of Finland's most famous composer Jean Sibelius, who lived here until 1957 when he died  at 91. His famous symphonic piece "Finlandia" contributed greatly to the national sentiment of the Finns. After moving from Helsinki to Järvenpää he stopped this genre. After 1926, he published nothing at all, really too critical of his own work. We visit the house called Ainola. Only the ground floor is open to visitors. The daughters of the composer sold the house in 1974 to the state, after the death of their mother Aino Sibelius in the state in which they left it.
In the garden is Sibelius buried with his beloved  Aino.
We take a look at the nearby lake Tuusolujärvi, one of the thousands that Finland has. Then we drive to Esbo (Espoo) to visit the home of Axeli Gallen-Kallela. This Finnish painter lived from 1865 to 1931 and is best known for his portrayal of the mythical scenes from the Kalevala, the Finnish traditional stories and myths collected by Elias Lönroth. Unfortunately, the museum is closed this week because of a change of exhibition. We have a drink in the cafeteria and then drive to Avis in Helsinki.
After having returned the car we drink a beer in the gay bar around the corner, the Cavelier before we walk to our apartment.
At night we eat at Café Bar No. 9, an artsy no-frills eatery, where many young people gather for a tasty but inexpensive meal, at least to Finnish standards. The Lonely Planet promises an affordable meal that does not come off a rotating skewer. And that's exactly right. It is noisy around the formica tables.

We walk back to Gran Delicato for coffee and then to our apartment

Weather: sunny 21⁰C

Thursday 8 September 2016

After coffee at Gran Delicato in Frederiksgatan we take the tram to the center. We still have time left opens to the museum, so we take a coffee at Starbucks, which has a branch in the Akademiska Bokhandeln on the Esplanade. The only branch that we have seen so far in Finland. After the coffee is a few minutes walk to the Kiasma museum of Modern Art. The building, designed by the American architect Steven Holl, is a work of art. The lighting in the building is unique and constantly changing. On the other hand, there are also dark rooms without windows. There are five floors. On the 2nd floor is a changing exhibition, at this time from the Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa. The third floor shows works from it the museum's own collection. The 4th floor is not accessible due to the build up of a new exhibition by Mona Hatoum (GB), which will start on 7 October. The top floor houses the library and workshops for staff.  Some surprising artwork is on show here.  One thing even more appealing then the next. Apparently Thursdays are the for primary school classes to go to the museum, because groups of small children come and go. Luckily they were raised well and behave quietly. All in all, we have seen all of the museum in a relatively short time. It was never more than an hour, while the size of the building suggests more.
We then go to the Market Hall at Hietalahden tori (Sandvikens torg). It is no longer a real market hall. 90% of the stalls are restaurants. A few stalls  sell delicacies. We eat here at at an Italian joint. The hall is beautifully restored. During the summer months there is there is a flea market on the parking lot in  front.

In the afternoon we go to the district Arabia to see the Arabiakeskus (Arabia Centre). The old ceramics factory Arabia - a world famous ceramics brand - has been converted into a retail, residential and cultural center. We come for Arabia design museum, but that is unfortunately closed for renovations until November. To comfort us, we throw ourselves at the outlet store of Arabia (ceramics), Fiskars (garden tools and utensils), Iitala (glassware) and Finlayson (home textiles). We purchase some of course. Then we take the tram back to the center and go to the roof garden of the Soko hotel next the station. The hotel was built for the 1952 Olympics and in the lobby that is clearly visible judging by  the style and furnishings. We take the elevator to the 10th floor and get a wonderful view of the station and Mannerheimintie. On the roof we drink a glass of wine. After the drink we go to the apartment and later we eat again at the Nepalese restaurant nearby.

Weather: sunny 22⁰

Friday 9 September 2016

After breakfast and packing our suitcases we go for coffee at Gran Delicata which has now become customary for us. After coffee we walk to a viewpoint in the park around the observatory. From a hill at the edge of the park overlooking the harbor of Helsinki and the Olympia Terminal where ferries Silja Line depart for Sweden. The Silja line's Symphony is just coming  in. Across the dock we see a ship of its competitor Viking Line. After we take pictures and videos and take the tram to the center. We drink coffee at Starbucks and even take a second look at the Stockmann department store. Then it's time to go back to the apartment. We take line 3. We enjoy some sun on our balcony and at 12 o'clock we leave the apartment for the last time.
We get the tram to the central station, where we take the I-train to the airport in Vantaa.
We have plenty of time. We have our boarding cards and baggage tags  printed, we read with a scanner the baggage tag and boarding card and we drop the bags on the conveyor belt.
We have lunch at the airport after the security check and wait for our Finnair flight home. The flight is uneventful and we arrive on time at the airport. Our bagage takes about 15 minutes to arrive on the belt, but we can still catch the fast train directly to Rotterdam. In Rotterdam we call an Uber cab, which brings us  back home

	Other Travel