Baltic Cruise: Helsinki, Finland: Aug 31, 2004

Our Baltic Cruise was so long and so incredible that my scrapbook is literally 10 inches thick. I have broken it down by the cities we visited and I have posted just a few pages from each city.

We arrived in Helsinki to chilly conditions. We looked out our balcony & couldn't help but notice this pile of snow. Was it recent or had it lain there all summer??? Either way...that proves that we were too close to the Artic Circle for comfort!

The main street leading through town down to Kauppatori Market Square is called the Esplanade. It is a wide street with a park in the middle full of statues and fountains. As we walked we couldn't help but notice this car. We thought the cars in London were small...this car was ridiculously tiny!

I'm sitting on the steps of The Lutheran Cathedral. About 80% of Finns belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. This cathedral is the most photographed tourist attraction in Finland. The Cathedral sits on top of a pyramid of stairs... it was quite a workout climbing up to get inside. Mark and I couldn't help but wonder how the handicapped people get inside???

We decided to take a harbor cruise to see the city from the water. This was not our brightest move as it was absolutely freezing! (Remember the snow I mentioned earlier?) Anyway, it was interesting and we got to see giant "Ice Breakers". Finland is the only port city that freezes over in the winter. Due to their dependence on the harbor for supplies these ice breakers must go through the archipelago crushing the ice so that ships may enter with deliveries.