Today we’re in Helsinki, Finland. I’ve been bragging about what wonderful weather we’ve been having, but not today! Thankfully we didn't have an excursion planned because it was raining hard when we sailed into Helsinki Harbor and a good portion of the morning. Ronnie was happy because he got to run his 3 miles on the dry deck. I spent time in the Horizons Lounge. It’s higher on the ship and I get much better internet there than in our room. By noon it had dried off and was pretty and sunny, so after lunch we decided to take the shuttle and just see what there was to see in the area since we had to leave to catch the last shuttle back to the ship by 4 p.m. today.
With a high of 69 degrees, even Ronnie was comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. When the bus dropped us off, we decided not to wander too far since our time was somewhat limited. It’s just as well because it was super windy! I was glad I didn’t spend time on my hair this morning. Nevertheless, we got to see a little bit of what Helsinki is like in the summer. I've been to Helsinki only once before and that was in the dead of winter. It was dark, dreary and depressing then, so I’m glad I have a better impression of it now.
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| drop off point, Helsinki Market Square |
busy Market Square
Helsinki Cathedral
sea gulls beg for food at Market Square
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| what the sign says! |
eating out in Market Square
fresh veggies
what would you like?
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| outdoor dining |
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| reindeermix - sold out |
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| Finns eat vendace like we eat fries |
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| Finland's version of fast food |
The capital of Finland since 1812, Helsinki is surrounded by water on 3 sides. All 3 of its ports freeze in the winter but thanks to huge icebreakers they can still operate. Helsinki Harbor handles most of the nations maritime trade with imports of cars, petroleum products and consumer goods. It exports machinery, metal products, paper and wood. Some foods the Finns are well known for are fried Baltic herring, salmon soup with rye bread, Artic char (similar to salmon but maybe milder) and reindeer fillet. A lot of shipbuilding is done here including the largest luxury cruise liners.
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| Insignia shuttle |
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| crafts made from reindeer leather |
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Perhaps you can see some of this from the photos I snapped as we walked through Helsinki Square, an outdoor eating area on the water’s edge. As you can see, it was quite crowded. Today is Saturday so it appeared that many of those ordering and eating food were locals, but there were plenty of cruise passengers as well. We’ll sail earlier today and be in another port in Finland tomorrow. We do have an excursion planned so hopefully we will have sunny skies again tomorrow.
Barb: I hope your weather improves tomorrow. These are lovely pictures. The berries look big and beautiful! And was that a squash or a cucumber next to them? Sorry, I was looking on my phone. The cathedral looks a bit forbidding. It actually reminds me of Bishop's Palace with that deep red brick/stone. I think I would've tried the meatball or the mixed fish plate. They appear to fry things...wonder what oil they use? I always wonder about these harbor towns if they are seeing more flooding or water incursion as sea levels rise in the oceans and seas. I hope you got yourself some reindeer muck lucks or mittens. I imagine it is a lot like deerskin leather here. Oh, is the Vendace cooked whole or are those fillets? I know they can be 7-8" long. I have heard it is good, a white fish. Do they make bread there? I don't know if wheat is grown there.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments. Barb, you have a wonderfully inquiring mind with more questions than I can answer. ha! The veggies next to the berries looked like huge snap peas. I do know they were eating the fried vendace whole (head included). Not sure what the sauce was but they were eating them like we eat french fries and catsup! I agree that the reindeer leather is probably very similar. They eat reindeer like we would (or not) eat venison. I've seen reindeer hotdogs on the street in Denver. I didn't see any homemade breads in the market but surely they do. I think they are more into barley and oats than wheat.
ReplyDeleteI think the beans are fava beans.
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