We are now in Helsinki, Finland. But while we are still in Finland, we have gone from the rural far north of Finland to the capital and far south of Finland. Helsinki is the capital and most populous city of Finland. It’s located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering on the Baltic Sea. The city proper has a population of about 650,000 but with the metropolitan area, it’s about 1.5 million people. Helsinki is by far the main urban area of Finland as well as the center for Finland’s politics, education, finance, research, and culture. Helsinki is quite close to Tallinn, Estonia, Stockholm, Sweden, and Saint Petersburg, Russia and it has close historical ties to all three cities. It was also the venue for the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Helsinki was established as a trading town by King Gustav I of Sweden in 1550, which he intended to rival the city of Tallinn, Estonia. Russian Emperor Alexander I moved the Finnish capital from Turku to Helsinki in 1812, to reduce the Swedish influence in Finland and bring the capital closer to Saint Petersburg. It’s been called the “Daughter of the Baltic” and Helsinki is on the tip of a peninsula and 315 islands. Yes, 315 islands! So in our three days or so in Helsinki, we worked hard to see all that we could but I will just be giving a real overview of what we saw in Helsinki.

You can see a glimpse of Market Square in the first photo. It is the central square of Helsinki and was my favorite area of town. It borders on the sea and has ferry service to other islands. Places like the Presidential Palace and Helsinki City Hall are located adjacent to Market Square. This area has bars, restaurants, stores, transportation, and is a hub of activity and fun. We spent quite a bit of time in this area and enjoyed all of that time.

Helsinki Cathedral is in the back of the first photo and in the second photo. It’s just a block off of Market Square. The cathedral is a Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral. The church was originally built from 1830 to 1852. It was a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. It was known as St. Nicholas’ Church until Finland’s independence in 1917. It’s a major city landmark.

The Sibelius Monument is in the third photo. I’m including it because our local guide made such a big deal of it. It’s a sculpture by Finnish artist Eila Hiltunen and dedicated to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The monument was dedicated in 1967. It consists of a series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. The purpose of the artist was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius but many argue that Sibelius created little music for organs. We were there in the rain with very large crowds, mostly Chinese tourists, to see this monument. Personally, I don’t get it.

Helsinki Central Station is in the fourth photo and I get that. It’s the main station for commuter rail and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki. Several hundred thousand people use the train station daily. The train station was designed and inaugurated in 1919 and it’s still a beautiful station today. It’s also as busy as a bee-hive inside. It reminded me a bit of Grand Central Station in New York.

Esplanade Park is in the last photo and I really enjoyed it. We were there in spring and it was beautiful. This park is like Helsinki’s central park. It’s runs right into Market Square and the harbor. I would say that both tourists and locals make good use of this park. The park has sculptures, artists playing and singing and selling their wares. The side streets are loaded with shops, restaurants, and bars. The park has a stage for concerts and fashion shows. It was a great place to soak up Helsinki.