Helsinki Finland Part Two: History, Hiroshima And A Heavenly Sunset Under Finnish Skies.

My day in Helsinki continued with a very scenic ferry ride through the harbor to the historic Fortress of Finland or Suomenlinna.

It was a beautiful  mostly sunny day with puffy cumulus clouds floating in the blue sky.  A perfect day to be on the Baltic Sea. We passed large cruise ships and the ferry that brought us here from Stockholm.  The view was spectacular as we left the harbor with the Tuomiokirkko and Upenski cathedrals in the distance.It was a short ride to the Fortress, constructed when Sweden had control over Finland to guard the harbor and to establish Swedish power in the region. Here is a link to some more photographs from our ride to the fortress. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/helsinki-finland-ferry-ride-august-6-2015

We docked near the museum and made this our first stop. I learned a lot at the museum about not only the history of the fortress but also the lives and culture of the soldiers who were stationed here and also about the  folks who inhabit the island today.

We were again pressed for time and made a quick exploration  of some of the buildings, tunnels and other fortifications.  

We than walked along the cliffs, many having cannons on them when a unusual mist rolled in off the sea. We were heading to our ferry when we heard the loud horn from a large cruise ship passing in the mist. We boarded our ferry for our ride into town. 

When we got into town my sister wanted to take a quick look at the magnificent Upenski  cathedral sitting on a hill to the south of downtown. We walked to the church and, unfortunately it was not open so we made our way back to the trolley for the ride back to our hotel. Here is a link to a few more photographs of the cathedral. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/helsinki-finland-upenski-or-russian-cathedral-august-6-2015

We had changed our plans, upon learning the Tallin Estonia was only a two  hour ferry ride away, we decided to make the trip and see another country. We had our last dinner together as a group . I  was almost ready to call it a day, it was a long one, but decided to take a short walk. I was treated to a spectacular sunset. The colors of the clouds reflecting on a lake near the Opera house was just awe inspiring. 

I watched the colors change as the sun slowly set. It was amazing to watch and even more so sharing it was folks of a different culture. And this amazing night continued as I walked into a protest of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Hundreds of glowing candles were sent adrift on the lake as the sun set. A truly amazing end to an long and wonderful day in Helsinki. Here are some more photographs of  sunset . https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/helsinki-finland-sunset-august-6-2015

“As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own.” –Margaret Mead