Helsinki Sculpture Tour Part 1

I figured since Christian is here to do sculpture I would do a post or maybe two on some of the larger sculptures around the city. This morning we went to the Fazer cafe (a famous chocolate and pastry company in Finland) for their brunch.  I was a little disappointed that there was not a chocolate fountain in which to ladle melted chocolate all over the crepes, croissants and other goodies in the buffet but I guess the Finnish do have a bit more self control than us Americans.  It was quite a nice ambiance with Christmas decorations up and a light snow outside.  On our way home I decided to take pictures of some of the sculptures I pass on my way to and from the city.  You can interpret the works as you wish or go to this website to learn more. www.taidemuseo.fi/english/veisto/karttasivu.html

"The Three Smiths" is located at one of the hubs in the shopping district across from the famous department store Stockmann.  Created in 1932 by Felix Nylund the three men standing naked around an anvil in negative degree weather is a sobering experience and makes you appreciate your long underwear even more!  

 

 

 

"Maternal Love" by Emil Cedercreutz, 1928.  This sculpture is located at a cross roads on the major bus/tram route to the train station. Its a little blurry because I was on the bus when the picture was taken.

"Tanner's Gate" by Kari Juva, 1985.  This sculpture is right next to the bus stop near Christian's school.  

"The Fazer Rooster" by Björn Weckström, 1991.  This scultpture is just outside of the Fazer cafe (see the Zer on the left) on Kluuvikatu in the shopping district.  I thought it was a bronze whale vertebrae but apparently it is supposed to be a stylized version of the Fazer rooster donated to the city to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary.

Suomenlinna

Yesterday Christian I went back to the island of Suomenlinna to watch the boats being prepared for dry dock through the winter.  This is from their website and explains the process. 

The Viapori docks at Susisaari island in Suomenlinna form Finland’s oldest operational dock area, and one of the oldest facilities of its kind still operating anywhere in the world. The docks were originally built (1750's) as protection for the Finnish coastal navy during the Swedish empire period, and nowadays they are used for docking and repairing traditional sailing ships and boats. Most of the 25 traditional timber sailing ships in Finland spend the winter at Suomenlinna. The dock area operations are managed by the Viaporin telakka ry association, founded in 1987.

During the Docking Week from 18 to 24 October there is plenty to see at the dock basin nearly every day. On Tuesday 19 October the inner basin of the dock will be flooded and the vessels will glide into the basin in a pre-arranged order. On Thursday 21 October, the gate of the inner basin will be closed, and the ships must be grouped in docking order. Water will then be pumped out until the water level is close to the docking depth of the first vessel. The actual docking will begin on the morning of Friday 22 October: the basin will be emptied and the ships laid to rest on platforms with the aid of divers. Visitors may watch the docking from a belvedere or from the end of the inner basin.

So this is what the docks looked like when we visited on October 8, 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is taken from the same spot on October 20, 2010.  Pretty Amazing!

 You can find at more at their website:
http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/visitors_guide/places_of_interest/sights/the_docks/

Senate Square

This is Senate Square in front of the Lutheran Cathedral just a block north from the main harbor.  For the past month there has been a traveling exhibit United Buddy Bears, that promotes world peace and tolerance between peoples.   Each bear was decorated by an artist from the countries that took part in the project.  The U.S. bear was of course dressed like the statue of liberty.

From the top of the stairs in front of the Cathedral.

Jogurtti - Yogurt

Europeans do yogurt and most dairy products very well! I have become completely addicted to having yogurt and cereal at least once a day! It is so delicious, creamy and smooth.  Plus it comes in 1 liter containers so you can pour it right on your cereal! 

Kengät - Boots!

Hers

So Christian and I have both bought a pair of boots!  I purchased mine about two weeks ago because it had been raining about 3-4 days out of each week and I was sick of walking in wet sneakers.  A lot of people where wellies or small mid-calf boots made by Nokia! (Yes Nokia was a rubber manufacturer before they turned to electronics)  So I found a pair I liked, they are Viking brand, not sure if it is any relation to the Viking ferry company that runs back and forth from Helsinki to Tallin and Stockholm but at any rate I haven't gotten to wear them! It has not rained a single day in two weeks and has been absolutely sunny and gorgeous, not that I am complaining but I would like to go puddle jumping before it gets too cold.  Christian on the other hand took his for a test spin last night when went to go get pizza.  His are made by Jalas a heavy workman's shoe company that specializes in boots for fire fighters.  Christian is quiet pleased with the purchase.  They are aluminum toed, water repellent leather, and insulated for winter, so he can wear them in the foundry and just about everywhere else too. 

His

Maaseutu - Countryside

In Finland it is the custom to escape from midsummer (June 21st the summer solstice) through August to a summer home located usually on a lake or the sea.  This was near the town of Porvoo about 70k (43 miles) from Helsinki. It was a rainy day and the air was clean and crisp and smelled of fresh apples from the trees nearby.    

Easy Transport

Here are some pictures of the walking and biking paths I was talking about.  This is in the middle of one of the main east west roads that cuts across the city. And when you get to the highway there are specific pedestrian and bike over passes and under passes!  

Herkkusieni - Mushroom

There are several markets in Helsinki each offering something a little different;  Hietaniemen tori is a flee market with spray painted grids over the cobble stones delineating the boundaries of each seller  Kauppatori - the main market is a mix of produce stands, souvenir tents, coffee shops and bakery stands along the central harbor  and Hakaniemen tori is mostly a local produce market where I chanced on a wonderful surprise!!!! I was hoping to find fresh vegetables at half the price of those in the supermarket and was a little disappointed to find similiar quantities for 5 Euros.  Seeing that my Finnish is not quite good enough to haggle I roamed aimlessly around until I spotted these huge bins of mushrooms marked kantrelli.  I wondered if they could be Chantrelles but for 1 liter for 4 euros I thought they couldn't possibly be the delicacy that foodies rave about in the states but are ridiculously priced.  But curiousity got the best of me and so I bought some.   Having only had chantrelles on two occasions that I can remember once in Montana from a friend whose hobby was mushroom picking and another at the upscale restaraunt Salt in Baltimore I remembered that they were quiet tasty almost mouthwatering tasty.  I have cooked three meals with my liter of mushrooms and each has been awesome!!!  I only wish there was crabmeat around here and I could combine my two favorite foods cooked in butter!!!!  I will try to take some better pictures of things and add them to the post. 

Laiva - Boat

So we have been here not even a week and I feel quite comfortable getting around the city.  We have bought travel cards and can come and go as we please without having to pay the 2,50 Euro charge every time we want to take a tram or bus.  Tomorrow we are going to try and find used bikes, which will be great because there are bike lanes and trails everywhere!!! The public transit system is really integrated into the city planning and is not an after thought which really makes getting around easy. Now if only the language was as simple!!!     

Höpöhöpö - Nonsense!

That so far is my favorite Finnish word.  So we have been in Finland for 3 (kolme) days and are settling in nicely.  Our accommodations are efficient but comfortable and are not too far outside of the city. Yesterday we had a great lunch at the Finnish Art Museum but got drenched on our way there.  Needless to say we spent the rest of the day in wet socks and pants. Last night we visited the US Embassy for a party which was pretty swanky and went on a tour of the city this morning.  We saw this sculpture in Sibelius park by artist Eila Hiltunen. The weather has been cold enough for me to have to wear my winter coat! And it has rained on and off since we have been here. Today I skipped the second half of Christian's orientation to come back and use the Internet.