Above - steps to Toompea Castle
Next we stopped at Kadriorg Palace, founded by Peter I in 1718. It is one of the most beautiful examples of baroque architecture in Northern Europe.
One of many tile heaters on display:
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Next we went to a small music hall where we enjoyed a concert by a violinist and a pianist. They played selections by Jean Sibelius, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Finnish classical music. He is known for his symphonies, tone poems, and other works that blend Romantic and early modern musical styles with Finnish national identity. I noted the names of the pieces so I could add them to my Spotify list.
The city of Helsinki is very manageable, as it's much smaller than Stockholm.
We left at 12:30, so I had an early lunch which included mussels.
We took the bus through the city. A typical building in Helsinki is shown on the left, and the central train station is on the right.
We walked around the tented marketplace. Some nice items, but I didn't buy!
Then we went to the Rock Church, named as such since it's built with large boulders. Much of the church felt like it was underground.
Next we went to Sibelius Park, which had a sculpture and a monument dedicated to Jean Sibelius, the great Finnish composer.
The Sibelius Monument:
The Finns are supposed to be one of the happiest peoples. Could it be the saunas? There are many, many public saunas. They are big coffee drinkers, too, sometimes drinking 7 cups a day. To a Finn, every moment is a coffee break!
We continued on through the city.
Traffic stopping for ducks is not all that rare in the States, but it was a moment for us on the bus, when a long line of tufted ducks crossed a busy road, and all the traffic stopped.
