Posted in Finland, Helsinki, Helsinki sites, tagged travel, Helsinki, Finland, Senate Square Helsinki, Baltic Sea, Save the Baltic Sea, seals, conservation on June 16, 2017| 2 Comments »
On Helsinki Day 40 seals, almost 7 feet tall, were placed in Senate Square to highlight the need to protect the Baltic Sea.
At the end of summer the seals will leave to square and take up residence around the city. In the meantime, they look wonderful in Senate Square…be sure to drop in to take a look if you are in Helsinki.
I think it is an excellent reminder to look after all our seas and oceans.
Posted in Finland, Helsinki, Seasons, tagged Esplanadi, Finland, Helsinki, snow, Toolonlahti, winter on February 23, 2017| 4 Comments »
I love the early morning light in winter in Helsinki…time for a walk to Esplanadi.
The harbour was waking up slowly.
There was still some snow at Toolonlahti.
Spring is not far away, but I love the winter landscape.
Posted in Finland, Helsinki, Seasons, tagged Finland, Helsinki, photography, seasons, snow, travel on November 3, 2016| 6 Comments »
The first snow of the season has fallen on Helsinki. It gives everything a magical appearance.
..no doubt there will be much more over the next few months.
Posted in Finland, tagged Finland, medieval Finland, Porvoo, summer on September 9, 2016| 7 Comments »
Porvoo is one of only 6 medieval towns in Finland. It is first mentioned in texts from the 14th century. At one time it was the second largest town in Finland.
It is connected to the Gulf of Finland via the Porvoo a River, and this is how we arrived in town. We took a leisurely cruise on the Runeberg from Helsinki, 50 kilometres away.
Sailing into town on a gorgeous summer day was a delight.
The red coloured wooden buildings along the river were originally painted red in honour of Gustav III, king of Sweden.
Lovely restaurants line the river. We enjoyed a delicious salmon lunch at one of the waterside cafes.
The whole town is a living museum. Gorgeous wooden buildings line the cobblestone streets and laneways. The architecture is stunning.
There are some lovely shops selling all sorts of great things…and great restaurants and cafes.
The centre of the town is the pretty stone and brick cathedral. It has been burnt down several times, but is looking good today after the last restoration.
There is much to see in Porvoo. We enjoyed our day. We caught the bus back to Helsinki.
The disappearing town looked great nestled among the trees.
Posted in Finland, tagged Finland, Helsinki harbour, historical Finland, Porvoo on August 24, 2016| 12 Comments »
Helsinki harbour is beautiful, perfect for a boat trip to Porvoo on the Runeberg.
We sailed out on a gorgeous morning, a little hazy, but great anyway.
We glided past Suomenlinna.
…past King’s Gate.
…and along the coast.
We arrived at the entrance to Porvoo.
Porvoo will be the subject of the next post…it is a wonderful historical town.
Posted in Finland, tagged Finland, Finnish car rally, Jari-Matti Latvala, Jyvaskyla, photography, Rally Finland, travel, World Rally Championships on August 17, 2015| 4 Comments »
Rally Finland happens in the very pretty town Jyvaskyla. It is the most iconic rally in the world rally circuit. My friends Jodie and Allan are rally fans and were there for the event.
Finland has produced some of the world’s best rally drivers, Marcus Gronholm, Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Makinen, Hannu Mikkola, Timo Salonen, Ari Vatanen and Simo Lampinen.
Here is Jodie with Finnish rally legend Simo Lampinen.
…and Marcus Gronholm.
The rally is run in the forest just outside Jyvaskyla.
There is lots of behind the scenes work done.
There is an Australian connection with Scott Pedder. Jodie and Alan were thrilled to meet him.
Jari-Matti Latvala won his third Rally Finland Championship this year.
The Australian round of the World Rally Championship will be run at Coffs Harbour from 10 – 13 September. I’m sure Jodie and Alan will be there.
http://www.rallyaustralia.com.au
Posted in Finland, tagged Christmas, dog sledding, Finland, Finnish Lapland, northern lights, photography, Rovaniemi, Saariselka, Santa Claus, snowy Christmas, travel on December 20, 2014| 11 Comments »
Last December we were in Finnish Lapland having a snowy Christmas. We went first to Rovaniemi and then on to Saariselka. It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas.
We met Santa, went dog sledding, looked for northern lights in reindeer sleds, listened to old tales around the fire in the darkness, rode skidoos, tried cross country skiing (with little success), ate some great food, made a snowman and enjoyed the stunning frozen landscape.
I hope to return one day.
Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS wherever you are.
