As our sharp readers have noticed, we love South-East Asia, but also, with no relation, we love Northern Europe.

April 17, 2014. We catch an early morning flight from Paris to Helsinki, a city of 1.3 million residents, and the capital of a country of 5.4 million inhabitants.

Finland. The home of Santa Claus, reindeers, northern lights, Lapland…., but also Nokia, Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, … In just a few days, one can only catch a glimpse of the country. We will only visit Helsinki and Porvoo, a small town located about 50 km from Helsinki and famous for its old quarter (see our next post).

Our plane flies over the Baltic Sea, and then over the thousands of small islands scattered along the coasts of Finland. Inland, it is a landscape of boundless forests, mostly flat. It is the taiga, which is made of conifers and evergreen trees capable of withstanding the cold temperatures: pine trees, spruce trees, larch trees, birch trees, etc. As our plane makes its descent toward Helsinki, small colored houses come into sight. They have red, yellow, or green facades, with white windows frames.

The city of Helsinki is quite different from the other Northern European cities which we have visited (see our posts on Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Malmoe). Buildings are low-rise, in a simple and plain architectural style. Double windows everywhere remind us that winters are harsh here (after all, the Arctic Circle is just 800 km away). Windows almost never have outside shutters. Streets are laid out straight, with few turns. In the center of town, the large avenues are paved with cobblestones and bordered by historical buildings which are also in a plain and unpretentious style.

On this Thursday morning, the sky is grey and the Baltic wind is chilly. Luckily the weather will turn around and it will actually be quite nice over the entire weekend.

Check-in at the Hotel Haven: a nice, small luxury hotel, with friendly service and great location. At the front desk, we cannot help but dip both our hands into the huge jar filled with Easter chocolates and candies.

THE SENATE SQUARE AND TUOMIORKIRKKO

It is a short walk from our hotel to the Senate Square in the center of Helsinki. This very large plaza was designed by the architect Carl Ludvig Engel around 1825 under the supervision of Tsar Alexander 2^nd of Russia. And indeed it does feel like a Russian city. The square is laid out at the feet of the majestic Lutheran cathedral (Tuomiokirkko). At the center of the square, a statue of Alexander 2nd, Tsar of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland. The Russian influence in Helsinki is conspicuous.

USPENSKIN KATEDRAALI

We continue our walk and head for the other major cathedral in Helsinki, this one being Orthodox. The Uspenskin cathedral is located on a small peninsula (Katajanokka) near the center of the city and was built on a hill, giving it a great viewpoint over the city. It is a beautiful building made of small red stones, with verdigris roofs and delicate golden tops. Here as well the Russian influence is obvious.

Walking down the hill, we turn right and continue along the pier. By chance we find a cozy café to have lunch and get warm. Barista Pasi Kokko is both a café and a store, decorated in a vintage style, and housed in a red-brick building which probably used to be a warehouse. Soft electro music, antiques and second-hand furniture, couches with colored pillows, young customers sitting with their MacBooks and iPads. The atmosphere here is cozy and friendly. We enjoy a delicious lunch of ham-and-cheese sandwiches, green tea, and rhubarb cheese-cake (look up our photos on our Instagram account!).

PYHAN KOLNAISUUDEN KIRKKO

Feeling good after such a pleasant lunch, we resume our walk and for quite a while we wander around the streets of the center district. Not far from the Tuomiokirkko Lutheran cathedral, there is the nice little Orthodox church of Pyhän Kolminaisuuden Kirkko. The yellow color of the church building sets it apart from the white color of the cathedral.

We cross the University campus, and then stroll haphazardly around the city. A nice opportunity for us to discover interesting building facades, all in a very Nordic architectural style, and quite a few which recall the Swedish past of Helsinki.

Swedish is actually the second official language of Finland, along with Finnish. Everything is translated in both languages in this country which, from the Middle Age until the beginning of the 19^th century, was a province of Sweden. Later, Finland was under the rule of Russia from 1809 to 1917. Finland has been a sovereign country since 1917.

We find this nice little store which features Nordic-designed objects and furniture. This store reminds me of the excellent Planet Deco blog which I have mentioned in my previous posts about Northern Europe cities.

THE BUILDINGS IN THE NATIONAL ROMANTICISM STYLE

We now head for the train station to admire some buildings designed under an architectural style named ‘’national romanticism’’ which describes the Finnish school of architecture close to Art Nouveau. Art experts estimate that Finnish national romanticism is not as elaborate as Art Nouveau. From our humble point of view, we find the Finnish style to be just as complex! The train station is a perfect example. The imposing building, made of red granite, with its huge couples of statues on each side of the entrance, conveys a totalitarian aspect. The statue faces look intense and severe. The high tower recalls the Empire State Building of New York.

Just nearby, the National Theatre is built in the same style.

We make our way toward the shopping district and we find the famous Stockmann department store, an Helsinki landmark. This is a very imposing building made of red brick and constructed in the 1930’s. The store carries just everything you need. Happy shopping!

We stop for an afternoon snack at the Design Forum Shop. A bit disappointing, actually. Service is cold and unfriendly, objects displayed are ordinary. Perhaps we stopped by at the wrong time.

To wrap up this great afternoon, we walk up to the Observatory hill. Best of time to be there! The sun is still shining, yet from a low position in the sky, giving a great, warm, lateral light. Perfect timing to take pictures. From the top of the hill, we are thankful for a great viewpoint of the cathedrals, and of the Baltic islands in the Helsinki harbor which I will talk about in my next post.

A great day of sightseeing in Helsinki. A bit tired, we will settle for a quiet diner at the bar of Hotel Haven.