FINLAND: SUOMENLINNA IN HELSINKI ~ Beautiful places of Barcelona and Catalonia

viernes, 10 de abril de 2015

FINLAND: SUOMENLINNA IN HELSINKI

I arrived to Kauppatori half an hour before the departure of the boat to Suomenlinna, so I spent this time taking some pictures of this square and the buildings beside it:

The City Hall
The Prime Minister Palace
The Orthodox Cathedral

After visiting the elegant Senate Square I went to Kauppatori, the market square, just a few meters away. This large square is bounded on the south by the Baltic Sea and, on the North, by several elegant buildings. Among them are the Palace of the Prime Minister of Finland and the City Hall. While I was waiting for the ferry departure to Suomenlinna I amused myself taking some pictures to these buildings and enjoying the nice afternoon.

Orthodox Cathedral in Helsinki from Kauppatori, the place from which the boats to Suomenlinna leave

On the right, the Palace of the Prime Minister of Finland beside Kauppatori

Palace of the Prime Minister of Finland in Helsinki

Palace of the Prime Minister of Finland beside Kauppatori in Helsinki

Palace of the Prime Minister of Finland in Helsinki

Kauppatori or Market Square in Helsinki. On the left of this picture the Esplanadi Park begins

City Hall of Helsinki

Selfie in Kauppatori, the Market Square in Helsinki

The last picture in Kauppatori before boarding the ferry to Suomenlinna

The ferry ride from Helsinki to Suomenlinna was very pleasant in spite of the cold air of the Baltic Sea. The views of Helsinki with its referent, the Lutheran Cathedral, from the ferry were nice. I got Suomenlinna a little before 6pm and I wanted to catch the ferry back leaving at 7pm because the next was at 7:45pm, too late. I only had about an hour, just to go to the Kingsgate (a kilometer and a half away) and back almost without stopping.

Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki

Pier of Suomenlinna from which you can see on the left the Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki

Visitor Centre in Suomenlinna beside the main quay

I walked fast passing beside the church, next to a museum and next to the Great Courtyard. In this first stretch of path there were buildings and parks. After crossing a couple of bridges I only saw the walls with guns and a large green area. Almost nobody. I just saw 4 or 5 people in one hour.

Church in Suomennlina

Suomenlinna is a fortress on a set of islands linked by bridges like the one of this picture

Suomenlinna is like a huge park with paths and bridges perfect to walk or to spend a weekend morning with children

Another bridge connecting two islands of Suomenlinna Fortress

Going to King's Gate in Suomenlinna

Green area inside the Suomenlinna fortress in Finland

Due to lack of time and cold I just stopped briefly to do some pictures. I was walking through the Kingsgate area about 5 minutes without stopping and then I returned to the pier. Then I would realize that I did not see actually the door even though I was near, but I would not have had time to look. The ferry ride back was short and I enjoyed the views of Helsinki from the ferry at sunset.

Gun in Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) in Helsinki

Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) in Helsinki near the King's Gate. My walk of almost 2 km in this fortress ended here

I thought that beyond this wall of Suomenlinna was the King's Gate but I didn't time to get closer to it

Suomenlinna (Sveaborg in Swedish) in Helsinki before coming back to Helsinki

Sunset in Helsinki from the ferry coming back from Suomenlinna

I think that Suomenlinna is an ideal place to spend a sunny summer day. It is a huge green space, like a huge park. There is a kilometer and a half from the pier to Kingsgate. There is actually a pier next to the Kingsgate where the ferries stop only in summer.

This was our trip route in Finland and Estonia:

Day 1 - Helsinki