HELSINKI, FINLAND

                                               We are in Helsinki, Finland, today

Background Info:

        With a population of 615,000, Helsinki is located in southern Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea, and is the capital and largest city of the country.  The metropolitan population is over 1.3 million of the 5.5 million people living in Finland.  Helsinki is only 190 miles to the west of Saint Petersburg, Russia, our next port.  It is interesting to note that the entire southern coast of Finland has thousands of small islands along it.  Helsinki is Finland’s major political, educational, financial, cultural, and research centers.  70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled here.  Like most Scandinavian countries, it is very expensive to live here.  There is a 14% VAT (value added tax) on food and most food is expensive anyway as it has to be imported.  The average salary here is $4000 (in dollars) per month.  The unemployment rate is 9 1/2 % but 20% among the younger people. 

        From the late 12^th century until 1809, Finland was part of Sweden.  Finland declared its independence during the Russian Revolution and is now a republic.  Finland’s largest industries are electronics, machinery/vehicles, forestry, and chemicals.  There is also a ship building yard in Finland that built RCL cruise ships Oasis & Allure.  Mega ships with 5500 passengers.  It is one of the world’s leading wood producers.  Over 4 million tourists come here each year, many of which arrive on cruise ships.  In my research I found it particularly interesting that Finland is regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus).

        Helsinki’s climate is, like most of the ports on this cruise, affected by the sea or ocean.  The average summertime high temp is in upper 60’s while the average winter low temp is around 20F.  The weather in northern Finland is much more harsh.     

  

                                                  Sailing into port of Helsinki

    View from top of our ship as we were docking.  We are walking distance to heart of Helsinki old town

                         Pool side lunch today featured some nice muscles and Swedish meatballs.

                                               Now a hotel but used to be a prison

 I have taken a lot of photos to show you the "Art Nouveau" style of architecture in the old part of Helsinki

                                             Part of the fleet of Finland's ice breakers

                                       Top part of Russian Orthodox Church built in 1868

                                                                 Same church

Open air market in "Center Square", very near where our ship is docked

                                    Presidential Palace undergoing reovations on Center Square

                                                                       Market

                    Our tour guide for "Walking Tour of Helsinki.  We walked our butts off!!

                                                                  City Hall

                                                         Government Palace

                                                                Lutheran Church

                                                               National Library

University

                                                                 Espanad Park

                                                Elvis is alive and living in Helsinki!!!

Building is from 1800's but now a restaurant

                                                               Espanad Park

                                              Monument to a Swedish poet (in Finland???)

 In background is the Central Railway Station

                       It was just starting to rain when we stopped here for coffee/tea and blueberry pie.

Stockman's is the largest department store in Finland

                                               another view of the Central Railway Station

Music Center

                                                             Parliament House

                                Looks to be a church but is actually the Finish National Museum

                                                        Finlandia House

                                       "Rock Church" opened in 1969 and built into the rock

                                                           church ceiling

                                                        Some expensive apartments