Helsinki

June 24, Helsinki

We are now on the sea again after a cloudy, sometime rainy, morning in Helsinki.  This Finnish city is even younger than St. Petersburg, dating from the 1830s forward.  For some of its time, it has been ruled by Russia.  It is a lovely city with friendly people.  We wandered the city streets, visited a large  market with crafts and beautiful local produce and seafood, and went into 3 very different churches – an ornate Finnish Orthodox, an austere but beautiful Lutheran church and a newer church built into a rock hillside (interior walls were rock with skylights and a dome on top).  The city was alive with traffic and cyclists and pedestrians – a modern city but a beautiful one.

Tonight is a gala night on board so it is time to don our fancy clothes and head out for dinner with our friends.  Food is good and too available – hard to resist!

Seafood display in Helsinki market

Shon enjoying smoked salmon and a beer on our balcony aboard our ship.