FINLAND: TURKU

We arrived late to Turku the previous night and we had to get up early because we had to leave the car rental in Helsinki before 5 pm (closing time at the office). And before we had to drive through the center of Helsinki to get to our hotel near the Orthodox cathedral and leave our luggage. So we had to leave Turku at aproximately 1pm to arrive on time to Helsinki after driving the 150 kilometers between the two cities.

As we didn't have much time we only visited the castle and the cathedral, the two most important monuments of the former capital of Finland. If we had had more time, we would had visited the old town around the market square too.

Castle of Turku

The visit to the castle is interesting and quite complete, with a large number of refurbished rooms. Therefore I advise you to book at least two or three hours for this visit.

Castle of Turku in Finland, one of the symbols of this town

Courtyard inside the castle of Turku

Main staircase of the castle of Turku, the former capital of Finland

Small chapel inside the castle of Turku

King's Hall inside the castle of Turku

Another room I visited in the castle of Turku where the Kings had a throne

Courtyard of the newer part of the castle of Turku

Renaissance bailey of the castle of Turku

Entrance to the castle of Turku through the renaissance bailey

Cathedral of Turku

Cathedral of Turku in Finland

Apse of the Cathedral of Turku, the other symbol of this town of Finland

Inside the cathedral of Turku

Ceiling of the main nave of the cathedral of Turku

The main organ of the cathedral of Turku

Next you can see the other places as well as Turku we visited in Finland and Estonia:

Day 1 - Helsinki

• Aleksanterinkatu Street
• Senaatintori
• Lutheran Cathedral
• Esplanadi Park
• Kappeli Cafe

Day 2 - Helsinki and Tampere

• Sibelius Monument
• Olympic Stadium

Day 3 - Lapland

• Ounasvaara Resort
• Santa Claus Village
• Searching for Northern Ligths (Aurora Borealis)

Day 4 - Lapland

• Country Cross Ski in Ounasvaara Ski resort

Day 5 - Lapland

• Snowshoes in Ounasvaara Ski Resort
• Searching for Northern Ligths (Aurora Borealis)

Day 6 - Lapland

• Rovaniemi
• Arkikum Museum

Day 7 - Rauma

• Yyteri Beach
• Rauma

Day 8 - Turku and Helsinki

• Castle and Cathedral of Turku
• Senaatintori and Kauppatori (Senate Square and Market Square) in Helsinki
• Suomenlinna (Sveavorg) in Helsinki

Day 9 - Tallinn in Estonia

• Saint Olav Church. Views from the bell-tower
• Pikk Street
• Tower's Square

• Town walls, Tower's Square and Viru Gate
• Aleksander Nevski Cathedral
• Saint Mary Cathedral
• Kohtu and Patkuli Platform
• Saint Nicholas Church
• Town Hall and Town Hall's Square

• Olde Hansa Restaurant
• Saint Catherine Passage

Day 10 - Helsinki

• Buying souvenirs near Senaatintori (Senate Square)

Finally, other countries and cities I have already visited are:

• Barcelona

• Berlin
• Saint Petersburg
• New York and Washington
• London
• Paris

• Dublin in Ireland

• Istanbul and Cappadocia

• Rome and The Vatican
• Florence in Tuscany
• Venice

• Lisboa in Portugal

• Dubrovnik, beaches and coast of Croatia
• Neum, Pocitelj and Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina

• The Greek Islands and Athens

• Madrid

• Gibraltar
• Andorra

• Helsinki and Lapland in Finland

• Tallinn in Estonia

• Tortuguero, Caribe, Arenal, Monteverde and San José in Costa Rica

• Marrakech in Morocco

FINLAND: RAUMA

The train arrived from Rovaniemi to Tampere at 5.45 am. We had to pick up the car at the office of Europcar inside the station, but at that time it was closed. We took breakfast until the office was opened

Yyteri Beach near Pori

Our first stop was in Yyteri beach near the city of Pori. It is one of the most important centers of summer holidays in Finland. We parked our white Volkswagen Polo in the parking of the spa and we walked to the beach by a wooden walkway.

Before hitting the sand we crossed a small forest with some very typical Nordic cottages.

Wooden path for going from the parking to Yyteri beach

Typical Finnish landscape beside Yyteri beach

The long sandy beach of Yyteri was deserted. We were breathing the clean, fresh air for a while and enjoying the sea views.

Yyteri Long sandy beach

Yyteri beach near Pori in Finland

From Yyteri we drove to Rauma to stroll around its old wooden and colourful houses. The old town of Rauma, called Vanha Rauma, is World Heritage by UNESCO as the houses of this old Nordic wooden town have hardly changed since its construction.

We entered the old town of Rauma crossing a small wooden bridge over a canal surrounding the old town. This wooden bridge was between the church and a very typical wooden house of Rauma painted in yellow which we would see many times as we walked around the old town.

Church of the Holy Cross in Rauma beside the Old Town

Wooden bridge in Rauma

Then we walked through a street which took us to the central square, called Market Square, where the town hall and the best known restaurants and cafes are.

Like all the streets of the old town, the street that led us to the Market Square was cobbled and extremely clean. Generally all the old town looks like an open-air museum where everything is really tidy and quiet. The main square is quite large with a space reserved for the market.

We walked through this cobbled street in the Old Town of Rauma from the previous wooden bridge to the Market Square

Old Town Hall of Rauma. Today it serves as a museum

Cafe Sali beside the Market Square of Rauma

Finnish flag on the building of the Café Sali

Market Square in the old town of Rauma

This is the place for stalls in the Market Square of Rauma

One of the wooden houses in the old town of Rauma

We enjoyed our meal in the restaurant Ravintola Goto for just over 10 euros: a pasta salad and a chicken dish very tender as a main dish.

Ravintola Goto restaurant in Rauma

After lunch we kept walking through the streets we had not seen yet, including the narrowest street, called Kitukrann. We kept seeing houses painted in blue, yellow and red, really clean with wooden walls without any visible damage.

Cobbled and incredibly clean street in Rauma

More colorful wooden houses in Rauma

Kitukrann street in Rauma

Kitukränn, often cited as the narrowest street in Finland, runs between the streets Kuninkaankatu and Kauppakatu

I saw this red wooden house of Rauma previously in an information booklet

Walking through the streets of Vanha Rauma in the afternoon

Hauenguano Square is located at the junction of the two main streets of Old Rauma: Kauppakatu and Kuninkaankatu

By mid-afternoon we went to Cafe Sali where we were almost to the evening talking to Finnish people. I liked the decor of the cafe where there is even a piano. At night we drove to Turku where we arrived around 11pm, our next and final destination in Finland before returning to Helsinki.

On the left the Cafe Sali building by the Market Square in Rauma

Decoration of Café Sali in Rauma where you can see even a piano

Capuccino in Cafe Sali, located beside the Market Square of Rauma

This was our trip route in Finland and Estonia:

Day 1 - Helsinki

• Aleksanterinkatu Street
• Senaatintori
• Lutheran Cathedral
• Esplanadi Park
• Kappeli Cafe

Day 2 - Helsinki and Tampere

• Sibelius Monument
• Olympic Stadium

Day 3 - Lapland

• Ounasvaara Resort
• Santa Claus Village
• Searching for Northern Ligths (Aurora Borealis)

Day 4 - Lapland

• Country Cross Ski in Ounasvaara Ski resort

Day 5 - Lapland

• Snowshoes in Ounasvaara Ski Resort
• Searching for Northern Ligths (Aurora Borealis)

Day 6 - Lapland

• Rovaniemi
• Arkikum Museum

Day 7 - Rauma

• Yyteri Beach
• Rauma

Day 8 - Turku and Helsinki

• Castle and Cathedral of Turku
• Senaatintori and Kauppatori (Senate Square and Market Square) in Helsinki
• Suomenlinna (Sveavorg) in Helsinki

Day 9 - Tallinn in Estonia

• Saint Olav Church. Views from the bell-tower
• Pikk Street
• Tower's Square

• Town walls, Tower's Square and Viru Gate
• Aleksander Nevski Cathedral
• Saint Mary Cathedral
• Kohtu and Patkuli Platform
• Saint Nicholas Church
• Town Hall and Town Hall's Square

• Olde Hansa Restaurant
• Saint Catherine Passage

Day 10 - Helsinki

• Buying souvenirs near Senaatintori (Senate Square)

Finally, other countries and cities I have already visited are:

• Barcelona

• Berlin
• Saint Petersburg
• New York and Washington
• London
• Paris

• Dublin in Ireland

• Istanbul and Cappadocia

• Rome and The Vatican
• Florence in Tuscany
• Venice

• Lisboa in Portugal

• Dubrovnik, beaches and coast of Croatia
• Neum, Pocitelj and Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina

• The Greek Islands and Athens

• Madrid

• Gibraltar
• Andorra

• Helsinki and Lapland in Finland

• Tallinn in Estonia

• Tortuguero, Caribe, Arenal, Monteverde and San José in Costa Rica

• Marrakech in Morocco

COMO FOTOGRAFIAR AURORAS BOREALES

Uno de mis objetivos para ir a Finlandia era poder observar Auroras Boreales. En el caso de poder ver una Aurora Boreal debe ser un espectáculo natural único. Digo debe ser porque yo desgraciadamente no pude ver ninguna en las dos noches que lo intenté. Solo estuve 3 noches en Laponia y la otra hizo mal tiempo.

Si te gusta la fotografía y algún día tienes la suerte de poder fotografiar Auroras Boreales, a continuación tienes los consejos que seguí yo y algunas de las fotos que hice, lamentablemente sin Auroras Boreales.

Consejos para fotografiar Auroras Boreales:

Época, entorno y climatología

• La mejor época es de noviembre a marzo.

• Por la noche entre las 10 pm y las 1 am. Si a las 2 am no ha habido Auroras Boreales, es muy poco probable que haya alguna esa noche.

• Mirar al norte, con el horizonte despejado de casas u otros edificios, lejos de fuentes luminosas y en noches despejadas sin nubes, a poder ser de luna nueva.

Equipo:

• Cámara reflex digital.

• Objetivo gran angular (10-24 mm) o que tenga un angular al menos de 18 mm y a poder ser luminoso (f/2.8).

• Modo manual.

• Trípode (si no fuera suficientemente estable, colgar algo del centro).

• Disparador a distancia.

• Tarjeta de memoria de alta capacidad para poder disparar en RAW.

• Baterías de repuesto (con el frío intenso duran mucho menos. Guardarlas en un bolsillo cerca del cuerpo).

Configuración de la Cámara:

• Desactivar el flash, los ajustes automáticos y el estabilizador de imagen (sobre el trípode no aporta nada y gasta batería).

• Disparar en formato RAW + JPEG para poder optimizar la exposición o el balance de blancos a posteriori con un ordenador sin pérdida de calidad.

• Modo de enfoque manual y ajustado al infinito. Desconectar el autoenfoque.

• Apertura f/2.8 o f/3.5.

• Composición: escala y contexto. Incluir el suelo como referencia y algún primer plano (árbol, casa) que dé idea del tamaño.

• ISO entre 100 y 400.

• Tiempo de exposición inicial entre 4 y 12 segundos. Si este tiempo es mayor la aurora podría salir borrosa porque se mueve por el cielo. A partir de aquí, probar entre 10 y 20 segundos.

• Cámara absolutamente quieta: trípode, disparador remoto, demora de disparo, bloqueo previo del espejo.

• Refugiar la cámara del viento.

• Activar opción de reducción de ruido (filtro de ruido) para largas exposiciones y alto ISO.

• Ante la duda dispara, porque a veces, cuando no son muy intensas, la vista no está acostumbrada y pueden confundirse con nubes.

• Llevarla en una bolsa de plástico para evitar el vaho al entrar en espacios de temperatura normal y lejos de objetos cálidos.

Primera noche de búsqueda de Auroras Boreales en Laponia

Cielo nocturno de Laponia en Finlandia cerca de Rovaniemi donde intenté ver y fotografiar Auroras Boreales

Esta luz verdosa en el cielo a la izquierda es lo más parecido a una Aurora Boreal que vi en Laponia

Cielo nocturno mirando al norte junto al río Kemijoki congelado

Con el disparador a distancia pude hacerme una foto con el cielo estrellado de fondo

Banda de nubes atravesando el cielo estrellado nocturno en Laponia. En la parte inferior el río Kemijoki congelado proporciona una referencia 

Segunda noche de búsqueda de Auroras Boreales en Laponia

Estela de un avión en el cielo de Laponia sobre el río Kemijoki

A las 11:30 pm aún había claridad en el oeste. El árbol de la izquierda constituye una referencia de escala

Esta fue nuestra ruta por Finlandia y Estonia además de los días que pasamos en Laponia:

Day 1 - Helsinki

• Aleksanterinkatu Street
• Senaatintori
• Lutheran Cathedral
• Esplanadi Park
• Kappeli Cafe

Day 2 - Helsinki y Tampere

• Monumento a Sibelius
• Olympic Stadium

Day 3 - Lapland

• Ounasvaara Resort
• Santa Claus Village
• Búsqueda de Auroras Boreales

Day 4 - Lapland

• Country Cross Ski en Ounasvaara Ski resort

Day 5 - Lapland

• Raquestas de Nieve en Ounasvaara Ski Resort
• Búsqueda de Auroras Boreales

Day 6 - Lapland

• Rovaniemi
• Arkikum Museum

Day 7 - Rauma

• Yyteri Beach
• Rauma

Day 8 - Turku and Helsinki

• Castillo y catedral de Turku
• Senaatintori and Kauppatori (Plaza del Senado y Plaza del Mercado) en Helsinki
• Fortaleza Suomenlinna (Sveavorg) en Helsinki

Day 9 - Tallinn in Estonia

• Iglesia de Saint Olav Church. Vistas desde el campanario
• Pikk Street
• Tower's Square

• Plaza de las Torres y Puerta de Viru
• Catedral de Aleksander Nevski
• Catedral de Saint Mary
• Miradores Kohtu y Patkuli
• Iglesia de Saint Nicholas
• Ayuntamiento y Plaza del Ayuntamiento

• Restaurante Olde Hansa
• Pasaje Saint Catherine

Day 10 - Helsinki

• Comprando souvenirs cerca de Senaatintori (Plaza del Senado)

Finalmente otros paises y ciudades que he visitado son:

• Barcelona

• Berlin
• Saint Petersburg
• New York y Washington
• London
• Paris

• Dublin en Irlanda

• Istanbul y Cappadocia

• Roma y El Vaticano
• Florencia en La Toscana
• Venecia

• Lisboa en Portugal

• Dubrovnik, Playas y la costa de  Croacia
• Neum, Pocitelj y Mostar en Bosnia Herzegovina

• Islas Griegas y Atenas

• Brujas, Gante y Bruseals en Bélgica 

• Madrid

• Gibraltar
• Andorra

• Helsinki y Laponia en Finlandia

• Tallinn en Estonia

• Tortuguero, Caribe, Arenal, Monteverde y San José en Costa Rica

• Marrakech en Marruecos