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Helsinki: NY Times Profile! Tips & Ideas!!


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From the New York Times Travel Section last Sunday, they have this headline: "36 Hours in Helsinki" with this sub-head: "Every corner of this cool Nordic city is heating up, with a renewed waterfront, renovated museums and revived industrial spaces."

 

Here are more highlights from this profile: "The Finnish capital has quietly continued its pursuit of excellence in design, contemporary arts and urban planning. Construction cranes are active across the city, but the long-term vision has already started paying dividends. Meanwhile, local talent is fueling a blossoming coffee scene and injecting fun back into the Nordic kitchen."

 

This writer includes many options for the arts, food, drink, etc., scene in Helsinki. If you are planning to be a cruise ship visitor here in the future, it might be worth checking out this NY Times feature.

 

Below are a few of my pictures from our visit to Helsinki in 2008. Helsinki does not have the centuries of Royal heritage and architecture that you will see in Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Stockholm. We also did a tour outside of town to the country home for the famed Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen at Hvittrask with its buildings made of natural stones and logs from the surrounding area. He was the father of the famed American architect who designed the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Dulles and JFK TWA terminals, CBS Black Rock building, etc. In Helsinki, our tour also passed the Saarinen designed train station, Olympic Stadium, used for the 1952 Olympic Games and the statue of the "Flying Finn", runner Paavo Nurmi, and visited the park with the stainless steel monument for composer Jean Sibelius, a patriot whose most famous orchestral piece was appropriately named Finlandia. The market area is a must-see for great "walking-around" sights and options.

 

Full story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/07/07/travel/what-to-do-36-hours-helsinki-finland.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftravel&action=click&contentCollection=travel&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 200,569 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

 

Helsinki’s City Hall in the main downtown overlooking the market area:

 

1A-Helsinki-CityHall.jpg

 

 

Helsinki’s main market is right on the water with lots of goods and foods for sale:

 

1A-Helsinki-Mark-Dwt.jpg

 

 

This Helsinki park has a stainless steel sculpture dedicated to famed composer Sibelius who is best-known for his symphonic work. The monument was unveiled in 1967 and sparked a debate about this abstract art. It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. It weighs 24 tons and measures 8.5 × 10.5 × 6.5 meters. This Sibelius Park has a nice, wooded setting next to the water. It is about a mile and a half from the main downtown. Sorry, not as handy to the main Market/downtown area. It is also near the stadium setting for the XV Olympics for when it was staged there in Helsinki in 1952. The Olympics were supposed to be there in 1940, but that got moved back due to World War II.:

 

HelsinkiParkWiderView_zps4af139ec.jpg

 

 

Helsinki’s Church of Rock, or Temppeliaukion Kirkko, is carved out of solid stone with a unique contemporary design. This Lutheran church was opened in September 1969. For economic reasons, its suggested plan was scaled back and the interior space reduced to about one-quarter of the original, pre-WWII plan. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the glazed dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue with its excellent acoustics. The acoustic quality is created by the rough, virtually unworked rock surfaces. The Temppeliaukio church is one of the most popular tourist attractions in this city with half a million people visiting annually.:

 

1A-Helsinki-RockChurch.jpg

 

 

Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki’s traditional Eastern Orthodox Church, is placed on a solid stone base overlooking the main market. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and designed by a Russian architect, it was built 1862–1868. On the back of the cathedral, there is a plaque commemorating Russian Emperor Alexander II, who was the sovereign of the Grand Duchy of Finland during the cathedral's construction. It is claimed to be the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe, has has several valuable icons and attracts over a half million tourists yearly. Admission to the Cathedral is free of charge and it is closed on Mondays.:

 

1A-Helsinki-ChurchRock.jpg

 

 

Overlooking and dominating Helsinki's Senate Square, this is the Helsinki Cathedral, originally called the Church of St. Nicholas. This Lutheran Church was commenced in 1830 and completed in 1852. Its dome is a key local landmark. A statue of Russian Emperor Alexander II, erected in 1894, is located in the center of the square. After Finland's independence in 1917, demands were made regarding the removal of the statue, but that never happened. Senate Square is one of the main tourist attractions of Helsinki.:

 

1A-Helsinki-Sen.jpg

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Thank you for the information and photos. I can't wait to check this city out

 

Appreciate your nice follow-up and comments. Good luck for your upcoming visit to Helsinki. Below is some more "eye-candy" from Helsinki. Keep doing your research and planning for sailing in the Baltics with so many very good options and potentials.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 149,909 views for this posting.

 

 

In Helsinki’s main downtown, this is the shopping area next to the main market:

 

1A-Helsinki-DowntownBldgs.jpg

 

 

Helsinki’s rail station was designed by famed architect Eliel Saarinen who has American connection through his later work here and his famed son, Eero, who did the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Dulles airport terminal, CBS building in NYC, TWA terminal at JFK airport, etc.:

 

1A-HelsinkiRailStation.jpg

 

 

Helsinki’s market area has lots of food and craft stands:

 

HelsMarketFood.jpg

 

 

Here is the Saarinen country home outside of Helsinki.:

 

SaarinenHome1.jpg

 

 

Trolley running in front of Senate Building:

 

HelsTrolley.jpg

 

 

Helsinki Cathedral dome up close & in detail:

 

HelsDomeClose.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Sunday Times today, they had this headline: How to spend a weekend in Helsinki with these highlights: The capital of Finland is a city for walking, with unexpected architectural finds (and saunas) round every corner. You will not find a Red Square or Arc de Triomphe; no Parthenon or Brandenburg Gate. Although it is affirmed by the architects’ website Arcspace as a “city of architecture”, this is not a shouty capital. The cuisine was one of Helsinki’s unexpected delights. To get a feel for traditional Finnish food, the Old Market Hall, built in 1888, is the place. Close to the open-air market on the waterfront, where fish is on sale straight from the boats, the beautiful building has countless wooden stalls selling traditional and contemporary Finnish provender.

 

Lots of ideas and options to consider in this profile. Full story at:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/travel/how-to-spend-a-weekend-inhelsinki-finland-qdgvvst6m

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Finished June 2017 sailing on the Silver Spirit from Portugal to France along the scenic Atlantic Coast, plus great pre- and post-cruise experiences. Now at 23,011 views. Many interesting pictures and details on history, food, culture, etc., from my live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

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  • 1 month later...

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Independent earlier this month, they had this headline:Helsinki City Guide: Where to Eat, Drink, Shop and Stay with these highlights: Finland celebrated 100 years of independence from Russia in 2017, but it’s only recently that its capital has begun to carve out an identity as a weekend destination to rival other top European cities. Come for the eclectic architecture – from the sparkling white Lutheran cathedral to the icy marble of Finlandia Hall – and stay for late nights at the sauna and the city’s thriving club scene, where Finns gather to drink and chat long after the sun has set over the Baltic Sea.

 

For dining, they suggest: "Finland has a reputation for being expensive, and while the city now offers a plethora of fine dining options, sometimes it’s handy to know where to get the best cheap bites. Fafa’s is that place – a chic falafel bar serving stuffed pitta breads from €8.90 at multiple locations around the city. Helsinki has five Michelin-starred restaurants including Grön, which adapts traditional Scandinavian dishes, jazzing them up with plant-based innovations. The chef’s menu costs €49 for four courses and showcases local fruits and vegetables, including wild mushrooms, nettles, flowers and dried berries."

 

Full story at:

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/helsinki-things-to-do-finland-city-guide-scandinavia-best-hotels-restaurants-bars-a8533136.html

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 36,068 views. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

 

Here is the colorful graphic used with the article from this UK newspaper.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see this picture larger/better!)

Screen%20Shot%202018-09-24%20at%209.55.58%20AM_zps5jfy3wsv.png

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