Helsinki, Finland

For some reason, I keep convincing myself that I’m too good for jetlag.  I’m also in a competition with nobody to visit as many countries as possible.  These two factors inspired my decision to book my flight via Helsinki and to spend my 10-hour layover exploring a new city. 

I arrived in Finland without any sleep on the flight (what else is new…) and my first stop was to the FinnAir executive lounge for a quick breakfast and some city research.  

I can't plan a day of sightseeing without first consulting Wikipedia

Once my planning was complete, I went through passport control and was shocked to see the border control agent writing down the dates of all my previous stamps to ensure that I never spend more than 90 days in the Eurozone region.  He also started questioning me about why I had traveled to so many random countries.  Even though I knew I was perfectly fine, I actually started getting a little nervous.  After discussing my past travels for about 5 minutes, he reluctantly let me through.

As I traveled into the city center, I started wondering why I was the subject of so much questioning at passport control.  Of all potential cities to “sneak” into Europe, would Helsinki really be a popular target?  Sure, the people are beautiful and the welfare state is generous, but I prefer a climate that is actually habitable for more than 3 months a year!

Once I arrived in the city center, orienting myself took longer than normal because I couldn’t find the street signs!  Eventually, I noticed these tiny white panels affixed to the side of buildings, which weren’t much bigger than a business card…Could you imagine trying to drive around and read a sign for Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu (yes, that’s actually a street name), which is set 2 meters back from the road?? 

That white thing next to the window is a street sign

Not surprising for Europe, the majority of sites to see happened to be churches, so I started with the most unusual-sounding one, Temple Church, which was carved into a rock formation.  Prior to entering, I witnessed a surprising conversation between a beggar and a security guard.  He approached her and stated that begging is not allowed so she would have to leave.  For me, Europe is synonymous with beggars, but the high Nordic taxes must have some benefit.

Here's the outside of Temple Church...the beggar is sitting right next to the rubbish can

When I entered, I was surprised to hear a children’s choir singing a hymn in English.  Obviously, it was for me :) …But really, I was shocked at how adept these people are at languages.  Score one for Finland. 

Here's the inside of the church.  Obviously not very well attended :-(

From Temple Church, I ventured to the Greek Orthodox church, which may be the most recognizable landmark in Helsinki (if there is such a thing as a ‘recognizable landmark’ in Helsinki).  Perched up on a hill, it is really a site to behold.  Since it was a Sunday, I was fortunate to experience yet another service.  This one was completely different than the last one – more social and free-flowing.  The building interior was small, but lofty.  No photos were allowed, so I will just remember the experience. 

This is what the outside of the Orthodox church looks like

Here's a view of the church from a nearby pier

On the way back to the city center, I stopped at the Helsinki Cathedral because it seemed like an important building.  Or, perhaps, people just like to get extra exercise on the way to their weekly services:

If I wasn't so tired, I would have sprinted up these stairs

The inside was very understated and it reminded me a little of the old protestant churches in New England.  One big difference is that each row of seats has its own door.  I wonder if they keep the hinges squeaky to prevent people from leaving early?

Do they lock people inside if they are bad? 

As I continued walking through the city, I also stumbled upon this unusual piece of architecture downtown: 

Mini Ikea store? 

It turned out to be another chapel (Fins must be very religious!).  Here's what the inside looks like: 

I'll just call this the Ikea chapel since I don't know the real name

By the time 4pm hit, I felt like I could easily fall asleep on a park bench somewhere.  I would imagine that this action in Finland may send me straight to prison, so instead, I decided to head back to the airport a little early so I could relax in the lounge until it was time for my flight. 

Although my visit to Helsinki was short, I saw more churches than I normally do in an entire month.  If I go back again, I’d probably use the city as an embarkation point for boat trips to Tallinn or St Petersburg.  Still, I'm glad I went and the best part of the stopover is that I can finally cross another country off my list!