#44: Temppeliaukio Church

Let’s start with the old:  Suomenlinna.  Meaning “Castle of Finland”, Suomenlinna was built by the Swedes in the mid-18th century to protect their kingdom from those pesky Russians.  While Finland is a fairly obscure place today, Suomenlinna was well known at the time as being the strongest fortress in Europe.  Our tour guide told us that the equivalent would be the Titanic – unsinkable.  But just like the Titanic, Suomenlinna went down.  Finland was part of the Swedish kingdom until 1808 when Sweden lost Suomenlinna and the rest of Finland to the Russians during the Finnish War.  Today, the island fortress in the harbour is a popular weekend picnic spot for locals and a must-see tourist attraction.

Now let’s move onto the newer.  The biggest thing I was excited to see, however, was one of the items on my list of 103 Things:  Temppeliaukion kirkko, also known as the Rock Church.

It is known as the rock church because it was built into a giant rock.  That’s right. In the 1960’s, the Finns excavated a giant rock and put a church it in.  A giant dome tops the structure and lets in plenty of natural light.  Only Nordic people – with their amazing sense of design and style – would think of building a church which breaks all the molds (especially in the 1960’s…)

Of course, I was on cloud nine the entire time, though I always am when I cross one of the 103 Things off my list.  Charlotte seemed to really like it too!

For even more amazing Finnish design and style, we did a bit of window shopping at Marimekko – the quintessential Finnish design store which specializes in women’s apparel and home furnishings.

We also went to Stockmann, Finland’s main department store, but spent more time in the food hall looking at chocolate then we did at fancy Finnish clothes.  Ooops.

With design and style also comes art.  The Kiasma is Helsinki’s Museum of Contemporary Art.  It was relatively small, but absolutely fantastic.

Did I mention it was a bit provocative too?

Oh my.

We also hit up the outdoor markets on the waterfront, which had amazing produce, sweets, and other foods, as well as all sorts of locally made crafts.  Glorious.

I’ve blogged about the city.  I’ve blogged about the sights.  All that’s missing now is the food… but of course, that gets a whole blog entry to itself.

Helsinki

Despite my big trip being centred around Russia and Mongolia, the place I was most excited to see was Helsinki.  I don’t know exactly why, but I’ve had a fascination with the Nordic countries ever since I was young.  I think it maybe has something to do with the free healthcare, safe cars, designer furniture, and all of the other statistics which rank Finland and the other Nordics at the top of nearly every quality of life, freedom, health, environmental, democracy, anti-corruption, etc. survey imaginable.  Arriving into Helsinki Airport was a sign of the amazingness to come.  Within about 10 minutes of landing, I was off the plane, passport stamped, bag collected, through customs, out the door, and waiting for a bus.  Ten minutes.  Ten.  10.  I think I’d faint from shock if that happened at Sydney Airport.

Those thinking Finland may immediately think about Nokia or reindeer or… well, probably not much else.  Honestly, how many people know anything about Finland other than that it exists and that it’s probably somewhere near Sweden?  Finland isn’t big on the world stage if you’re not paying attention.  While France, Italy, Spain, the UK, and other big European powers are like the popular kids in school – everybody knows them – Finland is the quiet kid sitting at the back of class.  You would barely know he’s there if you didn’t see him on the map once in a while.  Once you talk to him, however, you realize that oh my god he’s the coolest one in the room.  And he’s also really attractive…

Especially during autumn when the leaves were changing all sorts of colours.

Helsinki was a city of contrasts, and a beautiful one at that.  Gorgeous old buildings could be found everywhere, and each and every one of them was well-maintained, just to match the clean, litter-free streets.

It wasn’t all old and glorious - there were plenty of new construction cranes dotting the skyline showing the growth that the city and country are experiencing.  Helsinki is consistently ranked one of the ten best cities in the world to live in, so it only makes sense that more and more buildings are popping up to accommodate those seeking the good life.  When they can, the old and new were mixed together, creating some very unique architecture.

Old and new weren’t just in the architecture.  All around town were signs of traditional Finnish culture, folklore, and more.

And then there was the new influence from outside cultures, and a good sense of humour to go with it.  Exhibit A:  we went to the biggest gay club in Helsinki and got Hello Kitty stamps at the door.

More and more, Helsinki is becoming a major hub for air traffic, especially as Finnair expands with direct flights to more and more international cities.  It’s location on the great circle route for many flights between Asia and Europe also helps.  My friend Charlotte, back in London after a few years of living in Australia, jumped over to Helsinki to meet me for the weekend – just because it is really close and easy to get there.  And with more and more international exposure comes more and more international influence to complement traditional Finnish culture.  This could easily be seen in the food.  Where else can you get a chicken burrito and Corona or a cider and bowl of salmon soup at the same restaurant?  Only in Helsinki…

The Finnish people too are a reflection of the country in which they live.  They are hospitable, going out of their way to ensure visitors feel welcome and at home.  I had the pleasure of meeting up with several locals when I was there, including Fredrik from CouchSurfing.  Fredrik and his mate Jari took me and Charlotte – complete strangers – out for a night on the town.

The hospitality was everywhere.  Exhibit B:  different English pamphlets for Brits/Aussies and Americans/Canadians.  How thoughtful!  I could read both fluently.  Does this mean I’m bilingual?

And they are progressive.  Exhibit C:  Jesus and Johnny Cash.  Even the most diehard country music  fan from Bumfuck, Texas would take offense to anything which distorts Jesus’ image.  The Finns don’t give a shit.  Let’s have some fun with it!

And finally, the Finns, despite their old history with Russia, are truly Nordic, which I love.  Exhibit D:

I know I have a majority of the world’s cities still to explore, but even after seeing them all, I have a feeling that Helsinki will always be ranked near the top of my list.  It’s definitely on the list again for a second, longer visit… and third visit…

#42: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral!

As mentioned in my last post, Tallinn’s old city is gorgeous with its cobblestone streets, medieval passageways, and colourful buildings.  The entrance into the old city was a throwback to medieval times when a long wall and series of towers guarded the city.

Once inside, however, the look and feel became strictly modern Western European.  Well-maintained buildings housed fancy boutiques, cute restaurants, and more than a few souvenir shops.

For me, the jewel of the old city was the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a gorgeous Russian Orthodox Church built in the late 1800’s.  As a Russian building, it was once viewed negatively by Estonians and, with many other churches under Soviet rule, was left to decline.  After independence, however, the church was restored and is now somewhat of a symbol of the city.  And what a pretty symbol it is!

Pictures weren’t allowed inside the building, unfortunately, but I snapped a few of the outside and am pleased to have crossed this site off my list of 103 Things.

Aside from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, I also visited St Olav’s Church.

While the architecture itself wasn’t as grandiose as the Nevsky, the best part of this church was its tower.  A narrow, winding 258 steps led up to the top where sweeping views of the city could be found.  When I arrived in the morning, the skies were gray and dreary, but somewhere between step 1 and step 258, the sun did me a favour and poked out.

I wandered around more of the old city, hitting up the medieval street of Katariina Kaik, following the old city walls, and finding my way to Raekoja Plats, the central square.

I also visited the hilariously named Kiek in de Kok (ok, it’s only hilarious if you’re English-speaking and immature like me, but come on… kick in the cock!)  The name actually means something along the lines of “peep into the kitchen” because of the ability of occupants in the tower to look down into homes and other buildings.  The tower was one of many surrounding Tallinn and contained cannons and other artillery to protect the city.  Nowadays, it contains a museum about the city.  Of course, I was instantly drawn to the maps portion of the museum and learned that Estonia once belonged to the Swedish Empire.

Atop a one of the city’s hills, my big walking tour wound down at one of the best viewpoints over the whole city.

It was from this point that I could really see the old versus the new represented in the buildings in the background.

Tallinn was a surprising and enchanting city, and while I was sad to leave, I was excited to get back across the gulf and check out what Helsinki had on offer.

Tallinn

The first stop on my 34,000 kilometre journey was Tallinn, Estonia.  After landing in Helsinki, I made my way to the ferry terminal for the two hour journey across the Gulf of Finland.

I stood outside on deck waiting for a glimpse of the shoreline as we approached, and what I got was completely unexpected.

A gorgeous little city!  I had envisioned Estonia as very Eastern European – a gray and dull former Soviet country - but it was anything but that.  Yes, areas of town were full of remnants of that boring gray architecture, but as a whole, the city was a good mix of old and new, especially in the main tourist areas.  The old city, with its cobblestone streets, medieval passageways, and colourful buildings, reminded me of Western Europe in every sense.  Outside of that, some of the newer parts of town were equally as vibrant.  I think the beautiful fall foliage added to it, as that’s not something I’ve seen in ages.

For a bit of a history lesson, I hit up the excellent Museum of Occupations, outlining the long history of Nazi and Soviet rule.  In school, we learned all about the World Wars and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, but lessons were always taught on a grand scale.  It was interesting to zoom in and learn about one country’s plight to overcome decades of oppression.  The Soviets relocated many Russians into Estonia over the course of their occupation, and their continued presence has created a schism in the cultural fabric of the country.

During the occupations, many Estonians fled on these tiny little boats to try to make it to Sweden.

My next stop was, appropriately enough, Freedom Square and the Monument to Independence.  I was pleased to learn, from the inscription on the monument, that Jews had fought alongside Estonians to help gain their independence.

From there, I met up with my Couchsurfing host, Martin.  Martin gave me a walking tour of the city – taking me to places I would not have otherwise known to go to.  As we got down to the waterfront, the blending of old and new became very apparent in the architecture, with new developments built directly above old, historic brick buildings.

For a bit of a cultural exchange, I introduced Martin and his flatmate to the Tim Tam and taught them how to do a Tim Tam Slam.

In exchange, Martin introduced me to Kohuke, an Estonian sweet made from cheese curds.  It was good, but I definitely couldn’t down them like I could other sweets.

I also sampled some Estonian chocolate, but was fairly disappointed.

The next day, I explored Kadriorg Park and the surrounding areas.  The park itself has some beautifully maintained gardens, and is also home to two of the city’s main art museums:  the Kadriorg Art Museum, which contains older art, and KUMU, which focuses on newer art.  The Kadriorg Art Museum is located in the old Kadriorg Palace which has beautiful architecture and a good collection of old paintings (including the below painting of medieval Tallinn), woodwork, porcelain, and more.

The KUMU was more my speed with art from the 18^th century onward, including some very new pieces.  One of my favourites was this painting of a swan hunt, though I would much prefer them to be hunting seagulls or pigeons.

There was also this room full of creepy busts.  Can you find the one bust of a bird head among the humans?

Nearby, I also had a bit of a gay moment when I visited Lauluväljak, the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds.  From a historical standpoint, the site is important as it was where Estonians gathered in 1988 to being the Singing Revolution, which eventually led to their independence from the Soviet Union.  The site was also featured in a documentary on Eurovision, where the Australian commentators interviewed past Estonian winners there.  Of course, I had to go check it out.

Overall, my 25 hours in Tallinn was fantastic, and I wish I could have stayed longer and seen more.  There’s always another trip…