Monday 14 July 2008

14/07/08 - A guided tour of Helsinki.



After our morning swim and collection of the long-line, which to everyone's disapointment, Marea's pessimistic bet won - even her guess was way over the mark. Still, two fish is better than none!! It was then time to pack, wake Pat up from his sleep, and head for the big smoke of Helsinki.

After finding Magnus and Cina's house, and getting the first of many loads of washing on the go - we were off on a tour of the city thanks to our guides Magnus and Cina.

First stop was the Finnish University of Technology to appreciate the famous Finnish architect Aalto. Without the help of our guides we probably would have guessed that this university would have been built in the 1990s. But Aalto was a man well ahead of his time when he designed this university in the 1950's. His use of red brick, copper and marble really has stood the test of time and is seen all around Helsinki.

Following a quick visit to the Sibelius Park and the organ shaped monument for the music composer - the next stop was the Temppeliaukio Church (the Church in the Rock). As the English translation hints - this is a church that has been built into the rock. Building the church seemed quite simple. Dig a big hole, then put a roof over the hole - BRILLIANT!! The rocky wall, and a 22km long coiled piece of Copper on the inside of the roof made for a very cool and unique church.

Onwards past parliament, into the centre of town where we were introduced to another fine Finnish food - the meat pie!!!!!! Otherwise known as Lihapiirakka, this isn't quite like the meat pie of home, but the mix of mince and bread is a very tasty substitute.

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