Poor Helsinki.... you knew it was doomed when it was to follow St Petersburg. We were docked a fair distance from the city and in an industrial area. There was a makeshift terminal with a few souvenir shops setting up.
We had a short TJ tour today which was probably long enough as there is not a lot to see in Helsinki. Our highlights tour included a trip to see the Sibelius Monument, which is a sculpture dedicated to Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius.
The Temppelicaukio Church (Rock Church) is a unique church that has been carved out of solid rock. It has been built in a circular shape with a ceiling made of copper and the walls are just stacked rocks. The acoustics are excellent inside so the church is also used for musical concerts.
We then went into the old part of the city where we visited Senate Square to see the Helsinki Cathedral and the other significant buildings that surround it. It was here that we escaped from our tour and wandered down by the water front around all the market stalls, selling both crafts and food. We did walk a little further along to find another Russian Orthodox Cathedral which we always like to visit. As I am Greek orthodox I also like to like to light a candle while I am in there...
Just below the church there was a bridge, and it seems a lot of cities have what is known as the Bridge of Love and here you will find masses of padlocks, some engraved and others just written on with texta names of lovers for good luck.....
We managed to fill in a little extra time walking around the streets, but we soon gave in to the weariness and caught the shuttle back to the ship.
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