Tuesday 4 September – Canals, cathedrals and canvasses

On a much cooler morning, we headed off, passing through a small park lined with beautiful flower gardens, to Senate Square to again meet up with Jenny and Steve.  Then a gentle walk to Market Square to board a flat-bottomed cruise boat for a 2-hour cruise across the harbour, past Suomenlinna Island and through the canals that wind between and through the many islands.  We passed beautiful holiday homes (at least one of which was accessed by a moored seaplane), past the Helsinki Zoo, past the many small beaches that the Finns flock to in the hot weather (30 degrees is not uncommon in summer and it does not get dark until about 11pm – then light again at 3am!).  It is hard to reconcile this with the reality that this entire stretch of water freezes over during winter with up to one metre thickness of ice.  We passed three moored ice-breakers, standing by ready for action in just a few months.  Without these mighty vessels keeping the sea lanes open the Finns would suffer shortages of food and other goods.

Back on dry land, we walked up to the Uspenski Cathedral.  Built between 1862 and 1868, it is the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe and has thirteen “onion” domes.  As to be expected, its interior is covered with icons and frescoes. From there we headed back to Market Square for lunch, passing a bridge with "love locks", viewing a couple of old sailing ships in the harbour and pausing to sit on a turtle, then made our way again to Senate Square and climbed the many steps to the Helsinki Cathedral, a huge white building overlooking the square.  The cathedral, originally dedicated to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, was constructed over twenty-two years from 1830 to 1852.  Being a Lutheran church it is austere inside with no icons or statues, however it has a huge organ, built in 1967 with 57 stops.

We left the cathedral and headed for the Ateneum, the Finnish National Art Museum which features, almost exclusively, works by Finnish artists, although we did spot a Van Gogh, a Cesanne, a Degas, a Munch and a couple of Gauguins.

Our last stop for the day was the Kamppi Chapel, a massive wooden building right in the heart of the city but constructed specifically to exclude any noise.  It is a quiet place for people to withdraw for a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Although a church, no services are held there but counselling and support are available if needed.  We were able to sit for a few minutes, in complete silence, as others came and went quietly, before making our way back to our apartment.