 |
| Helsinki's old market hall comes to life - the aromas tantalizing! |
The old market hall was slowly coming to life and we admired an
extensive array of fruits and vegetables, fish, hams and sausage.
It was hard to pass by the delectable open-faced sandwiches, pastries and breads.
The coffee shop already had patrons inside and early shoppers walked between the stalls that were housed behind an attractive carved wooden frontage.
It was hard to pass by the delectable open-faced sandwiches, pastries and breads.
 |
| Porvoo cobbles and timbers |
The coffee shop already had patrons inside and early shoppers walked between the stalls that were housed behind an attractive carved wooden frontage.
Around the main square we studied the street names that were printed in
Finnish, Swedish and Russian. The
Finnish language has its roots in Hungarian, Turkish and Estonian and bears
absolutely no resemblance to other Scandinavian languages and yet everyone
speaks excellent English.
An hour’s drive from Helsinki we arrived in Porvoo, an old historic town
with cobbled streets and ancient timber buildings.
Established in 1346 the town is situated in a
pastoral setting, its medieval church on the hillside overlooking the
river.
The church hosted the wedding of one of Finland’s famous sons - Formula One champion, Mika Hakkinen.
 |
| Porvoo's main street offers lots of shopping options |
The church hosted the wedding of one of Finland’s famous sons - Formula One champion, Mika Hakkinen.
Returning to Helsinki we drove through the suburbs, passing neat and flourishing allotments.
Some had simple wooden cottages which are a popular refuge in the summer
months.
However the City cuts off the
water supply as winter approaches and Finland enters its deep freeze - most of
the waterways around the mainland and islands freeze and icebreakers are pressed into service to keep the shipping lanes open for the ferry service to St.
Petersburg, Tallinn and Stockholm.
Helsinki’s Temppeliaukio Rock Church is a one of a kind. Carved into the bedrock, a copper cupola crowns the curved rock walls making the space acoustically perfect.
 |
| More opportunities for Christmas decorations! |
Helsinki’s Temppeliaukio Rock Church is a one of a kind. Carved into the bedrock, a copper cupola crowns the curved rock walls making the space acoustically perfect.
 |
| Temppeliaukio Rock Church is a one of a kind |
 |
| Heavenly voices enhanced by perfect accoustics |
A choir was performing when we visited the Church.
Their perfect English refrain a testament to the Finnish educational system we thought. Until we were advised the group was a visiting choir from Canada.
True Rock Stars, yes!
No comments:
Post a Comment