Day 5: Helsinki+Suomenlinna

Last summer for our ECYS Central European tour, our soloist played Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto. During every one of our performances, I was nearly moved to tears by the beauty of Sibelius' work, and soon, he became one of my favorite composers! Little did I know that Jean Sibelius was Finnish and was born near Helsinki!! We visited the monument, and it was awe-inspiring-- the various pipes represent the pipes of an organ, and each pipe has a unique texture that was created by the welding of metal.

In front of the Sibelius monument! 

His head!

Then, we headed for the BEAUTIFUL Helsinki Cathedral! 

I love the contrast between the marble, pearly white of the Cathedral and the vividness of the blue sky.

Sanni took me to the market square in front of the ferry harbor, and it was bustling with people! Delicious and tantalizing scents wafted around in the air, all appealing to my nose! I tried some free samples of reindeer meat, and while hesitant at first to try them, the taste pleasantly surprised me. The texture is very similar to beef, but the taste is a bit stronger. The multitude of spices used to cook the meat all added to the multidimensionality of the reindeer.

Then we got on a ferry to go to Suomenlinna, which is an ancient island fortress about 20 km off the coast of Helsinki. It was used in the 17th century, which is amazing considering how well preserved the fortress is. We spent hours at Suomenlinna, exploring every corner of the island. Another fun attraction on the island was the Lelomuseo, which translates to "toy museum." Sanni works at the Lulemuseo, so we decided to take a tour around the museum, analyzing all the different dolls and toys from various time eras, decades, and even centuries.

The beautiful Suomenlinna! It means Finnish castle. 

This is a photo I took while walking back to the car. I am so glad I captured the richness of the buildings' colors.