Helsinki, Finland
After a long sail from the Swedish archipelago, we found ourselves along the southern coast of Finland today, the final Scandinavian stop of our journey. Finland’s coast is littered with treacherous rocks and skerries making our approach rather circuitous and deliberate. The wait was worth it however as we glided into the inner harbor of Helsinki by passing through the narrow passage surrounded by the historic and massive fortress of Suomenlinna, which Sweden put into place while they still controlled this former trade city.
We learn that Finland is a relatively new country with a long history. Its people were some of the first to inhabit this area and their heritage is unlike almost all other Europeans. They belong instead to an ancestral group that share their heritage with their close neighbors the Estonians and the Hungarians much farther south. These nomadic people hunted and settled here in northwestern Russia sometime early on after the last ice age, but never gained enough power or wealth to compete with the countries that sprang up around them as history progressed. Until 1917 they had been ruled by alternating waves of Swedish and Russian monarchies, but seized upon the opportunity for independence with demise of the last ruling family in Russia. Even so, Finland had to walk a perilous tightrope of diplomacy and submissive politics, sometimes with grave consequences, through the early 20th century and well into the Cold War.
The signs of Helsinki’s mixed influences are evident throughout the city. Aside from Suomenlinna, the city’s second icon is the enormous Lutheran cathedral, the official church of Sweden but adorned with the architecture of a Russian Orthodox Church. All over the city, elements of Sweden and Russia can be seen; from the royal lions and Swedish street signs, to Russian architecture and the emblematic eagles of Peter the Great.
We tried to take it all in as we strolled through the city while pondering the difficult crux in which Finland presided for so long. The rain grew steadier as the hours passed, yet we still found enjoyment with each of our activities, whether shopping at the weekend market, visiting the sea fortress by boat or maybe just watching the pedestrian traffic from one of the cozy cafes on the esplanade.
After a long sail from the Swedish archipelago, we found ourselves along the southern coast of Finland today, the final Scandinavian stop of our journey. Finland’s coast is littered with treacherous rocks and skerries making our approach rather circuitous and deliberate. The wait was worth it however as we glided into the inner harbor of Helsinki by passing through the narrow passage surrounded by the historic and massive fortress of Suomenlinna, which Sweden put into place while they still controlled this former trade city.
We learn that Finland is a relatively new country with a long history. Its people were some of the first to inhabit this area and their heritage is unlike almost all other Europeans. They belong instead to an ancestral group that share their heritage with their close neighbors the Estonians and the Hungarians much farther south. These nomadic people hunted and settled here in northwestern Russia sometime early on after the last ice age, but never gained enough power or wealth to compete with the countries that sprang up around them as history progressed. Until 1917 they had been ruled by alternating waves of Swedish and Russian monarchies, but seized upon the opportunity for independence with demise of the last ruling family in Russia. Even so, Finland had to walk a perilous tightrope of diplomacy and submissive politics, sometimes with grave consequences, through the early 20th century and well into the Cold War.
The signs of Helsinki’s mixed influences are evident throughout the city. Aside from Suomenlinna, the city’s second icon is the enormous Lutheran cathedral, the official church of Sweden but adorned with the architecture of a Russian Orthodox Church. All over the city, elements of Sweden and Russia can be seen; from the royal lions and Swedish street signs, to Russian architecture and the emblematic eagles of Peter the Great.
We tried to take it all in as we strolled through the city while pondering the difficult crux in which Finland presided for so long. The rain grew steadier as the hours passed, yet we still found enjoyment with each of our activities, whether shopping at the weekend market, visiting the sea fortress by boat or maybe just watching the pedestrian traffic from one of the cozy cafes on the esplanade.
