Our fourth port call brought Debbie and I to Helsinki, Finland. Out of all the port calls, this was our briefest visit. We only had 5 hours to explore Finland's capital and largest city, and so we were off! We stepped off one large boat onto a smaller one as we toured the greater harbor area.
There are several interconnected islands in Finland that make up the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress that dates back to the 18th century. This particular island exhibited cannons that were used to fortify the stronghold of this section of the fortress.
Our boat finally pulled into Helsinki's waterfront, and the first thing we saw was the white Lutheran Cathedral that sat prominently over the city.
However, the charm of European architecture was evident at first glance, and beautified the harbor with one fell swoop.
The market square's "indoor market" was a striped beacon for day trippers that flocked there for a sundry of flea market commerce and vendor eateries. 300 yards from this bustling hub was another one just as busy - the market square's outdoor market.
The waterfront was littered with all sorts of boat rides and boat tours like the one below.
A couple blocks from the maket square was this intriguing building. At one time it may have been a former central train station, but now served as a mall for specialty boutiques and restaurants.
The Russian Orthodox Uspenski Temppeliaukio Church was another architectural delight!
The central park was several blocks from the waterfront. I didn't catch the name on the statue above, but the one below was Eino Leino, Finland's most celebrated and cited poet of the 20th century.
And then, it was time to board our ship and set our course for our last port call in Stockholm, Sweden. Here's the last sighting of Finland as we pulled away from the harbor....
