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December 17, 2014

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Easy to navigate, compact Helsinki offers travelers plenty of adventures by sea and land

THE colors of green and blue dominated the landscape of Helsinki. The capital city of Finland boasted a long coastline of amazing scenery and forests within reach.

Market Square (Kaupparori) was a nice starting point to explore Helsinki. This open-air market on the east shore beside the Port of Helsinki is within walking distance of Senate Square, where the white Helsinki Cathedral (Helsingin Tuomiokirkko) stood, the Uspeski Cathedral (Uspeskin Katedraali) and the Central Railway Station of Helsinki.

On a bright autumn day, the square was full of orange tents selling Finnish food. One tent belonged to a young man who would make you a cup of coffee and engage in friendly conversation. Large pieces of salmon were being cooked at some stalls while snacks like fried fish and berries were sold at others. For 12 euros (US$14.95), the Finnair Skywheel Ferris wheel provided nice views of the port area, which stood beside an old ketch.

To the east of Market Square there was the ferry to Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site built on islands off the coast of Helsinki in the 19th century, when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. It served as a naval base in the Russo-Swedish war, but then surrendered to the Russians in the Finnish War. It remained a Russian naval base until 1918. During World War II it was a Finnish military base.

The military complex was built on six islands with four open to tourists. I passed through the King’s Gate and walked through dark corridors inside the stony fortress and then went on to the dry dock. Back in the 1760s, Swedish Coastal Fleet ships were built there. The dock was still in use, and a broken wooden ship was waiting to be repaired.

The guns on the top of the Kustaanmiekka island still faced west, reminding people of its war past. The cold stones, however, blended so perfectly with the landscape on the islands that the place provided an enchanting getaway from city life.

Grass on the roofs of former warehouses had partly turned yellow. People sat on it, enjoying the sunshine. Giant fungi grew on the trunk of a tree, and a pheasant trotted around.

Finns come here for festivals and to relax. History, culture and everyday life combines in Suomenlinna. There are 800 residents on the islands. The fortifications and garrison buildings have been restored to create homes, workspaces, schools, museums, cafés, restaurants and even an open prison for those who committed petty crimes. The prisoners are in charge of the maintenance of Suomenlinna, but you wouldn’t recognize them when passing them by. We were told that no prisoner had ever escaped from Suomenlinna though they had plenty of chances. Why would they?

When I was in Finland, I always wondered how many boats per capita there were. As I walked along the coast of Helsinki, I saw docks everywhere with yachts, sailboats, speedboats, and large ice breakers berthed. The coastline was dotted with the silhouettes of sails and boats. On River Kemi (Kemijoki) in Lapland, there were people fishing or idling in their boats. During my friend Lili’s short visit to Aland, she sailed to the archipelagos in the Bothnia. The old sailboat belonged to a friend of Lili’s landlord’s, and was passed along to him from his grandfather. It was so old that it had no GPS, and it required three strong adults to sail. The owner once sailed the boat to Stockholm with only one chart drawn on old kraft paper.

For some Finns, owning a boat is more important than owning a house or a car. Boats are affordable, and you can always borrow money from banks. Maintenance, however, can be rather costly, as all boats must be moved to warehouses on land before the bitter winter freezes the Gulf of Finland. This could cost thousands of euros every year.

Olli, our guide to Nuuksio National Park (Nuuksion Kansallispuisto), had a sailboat he would take out to sea when the weather was fine. He picked us up from the hotel near Central Railway Station in the morning. Nuuksio National Park was 25 kilometers from Helsinki on the outskirts of Espoo. On the way, we passed the old Nokia headquarters, which now had Microsoft’s logo on the buildings. Olli said the place made him sad.

Nuuksio, on the other hand, was a place of pure nature and joy.

It was amazing that one should find such a natural paradise so close to a major city. Nuuksio had a typical Finnish landscape. Forty-three lakes scattered among conifer and birch forests. Black soil was covered by bushes, leaves and moss.

During the summer, locals love going to the lakes. Wild berries ripen in July and August. Autumn is the season for mushrooms although some are poisonous so only pick them if a guide is with you.

Soon we reached a picnic spot by one lake, which was like a mirror, reflecting the trees and clouds. Olli made a fire with conifer and birch wood prepared in the shelter. He cooked the mushrooms we had picked along the trail with butter and made us coffee. We, like the Finns, enjoyed mushrooms with coffee, cinnamon rolls and the beautiful scenery.

Places worth visiting:

• Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna is only accessible by water. The crossing takes approximately 15-20 minutes. Ferries depart from opposite the Presidential Palace at the eastern end of Market Square. The return ferries depart from the main quay on Iso Mustasaari. The ferry operates all year and all HSL tickets are valid. Or you can buy ferry tickets from the vending machine.

Water buses only run from May to September. They run from the cruise quay at Market Square to the Suomenlinna Center quay and stop at King’s Gate. HSL tickets are not valid for the water bus.

 

• Nuuksio National Park

Nuuksio National Park is situated in the north of Ring III Road (Kehä III), between the main roads No. 1 to Turku, and No. 120. Car parks are located in Haukkalampi (main information point, east), Högbacka (north) Kattila (north), Siikaniemi (south) and near Elohovi (west).

You may also take bus No. 85A from Espoo Center, which is easily reached by train. In summer the bus route goes to Kattila in Nuuksio and in the winter the terminal point is in Nuuksionpää.

Please be aware of wildlife

Wild animals live in the forests, but they tend to avoid people. But be wary of snakes under the rocks and in the bushes when picking berries or mushrooms.




 

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