Helsinki

Helsinki is a beautiful city with wide streets and majestic buildings.     

It has had a checkered history being repeatedly controlled by Sweden and Russia depending on whom had the stronger army at the time .Finland’s people were not consulted. There is a fortress on an island called Suemenlinna , which was thought to be impenetrable,  but the city always folded before it could really be tested. Locals love this island and the open spaces in the city, and on the small local islands.

Boats fill the harbour now as their owners prepare for winter.

At the harbour there is a narrow section where the warehouses traders  stores would have been held till they were shipped out or sold. These are now coffee shops and bars.

At the harbour, there has always been markets. Some are outside but there is a traditional market hall that still sells produce, but now, it also sells traditional foods and has small food stalls.

Trams, buses trains…

People in Helsinki can travel by ferry to Sweden, Estonia or Germany. If you wish, forget owning a car and travel by public transport, but not trams if there is snow. Unfortunately the snow is heaped at the roadside so cars move over,  and then block the tram tracks. As there are tunnels from one form of transport to another, you don’t even have to go out in the cold.

Pauline and John did some exploring without us today.   They discovered this for morning tea. Yum!!!!!!!

Tomorrow we are homeward bound. Nine hours to Bangkok ,then a would you believe eleven hours at the airport, followed by a nine and half hours flight to Sydney.