Helsinki Shore Excursion

Helsinki Shore Excursion – On the Way to Senate Square

From the shuttle bus drop off point, we first headed to the Rautatieasema Central Station. The architecture is imposing but hard to capture in a picture due to all the traffic signs and tram electric wires. Next we walked past the Aleksis Kivi Statue, through the Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden and over to the Helsinki Cathedral at Senate Square. The gray skies made the white marble church look unimpressive. This church is Lutheran, so the interior matched the blandness of the weather outside.

Next we walked to the Market Square in the harbor and then to the Uspenski Cathedral. Although the church was open according to my research, signage on the church indicated two different possible times later in the day that it would be open. So far we weren’t very impressed with Helsinki.

3 Blacksmiths, Helsinki

Helsinki Shore Excursion – Esplanadi Boulevard

Next we strolled through the Old Market Hall and down the Esplanadi Boulevard to the 3 Blacksmiths Monument. Then we headed to the Hotel Torni Rooftop Bar. I was interested in this bar because I had seen that their washroom had large corner windows with no blinds and an incredible view. Unfortunately the hotel reception informed us that they had a staffing problem and were currently searching to find someone who could open and operate the bar. Another strike against us.

Helsinki Rock Church

Helsinki Shore Excursion – the Rock Church

At this point we decided to try an Uber and head to the Rock Church. We did have some luck here, as the church was 15 minutes from closing for an hour, but we were able to get in. We found the Rock Church to be uninspiring and also expensive to enter. Later that day, we chatted with another cruise passenger who thought the engineering of the Rock Church made it a remarkable destination.

Sibelius Monument

Helsinki Shore Excursion – Sibelius Monument

After the the Rock Church, we had to wait a long time to catch a cab. The Helsinki City Marathon was being run and while we never saw any runners, the event was affecting transportation around the city adversely. The moment our cab reached the drop of at the Sibelius Monument, I booked another Uber, which was pleasantly going to be there in 5 minutes. We rushed up to the monument, snapped a few pictures and hopped right into our cab. In my opinion, 5 minutes was more than enough time to spend at this strange assemblage of metal tubes.

Gronqvist House Neo-Renaissance

Helsinki Shore Excursion – Repeating Our Route

From the Sibelius Monument we returned to the Hotel Torni to check out the Rooftop Bar again. The bar still wasn’t open, but they expected it to open soon. At this point we were about ready to give up on Helsinki. We retraced our route down the Esplanadi Boulevard and decided to have coffee and pastry while we contemplated our next steps. That was the point when our luck changed. The sun came out and we decided to give everything a second chance.

Helsinki Shore Excursion – Uspenski Cathedral & Helsinki Cathedral

On our second visit to Uspenski Cathedral, it was bathed in sunshine and they opened to the public just as we arrived. We loved the inside of this Eastern Orthodox (Greek Orthodox) cathedral. The sunshine was creating shafts of light that enhanced the atmosphere and we found it hard to leave.

After that, we went back to Senate Square for the second time. The Helsinki Cathedral was a bright white against a beautiful blue sky backdrop in the sunshine. The cathedral looked amazing now and it felt like a gift to see it this way, in stark contrast to its gloomy appearance earlier in the day.

Palestinians and Israelis

In Senate Square, Israelis and Palestinians were gathered together in a show of solidarity. I took a picture of them all facing a person speaking to the group, but it made an unusual photo. The Israelis we closest to the stage and facing it. The Palestinians were all farther back with a slight gap. The pictures made it look like the Palestinians were making a gesture of peace toward the Israelis but that the Israelis had decided to all turn their backs to the Palestinians. The picture portrays the opposite of what was really going on.

Hotel Torni Public Bathroom

Hotel Torni Rooftop Bar

With our change in luck, we decided to walk the length of the Esplanadi Boulevard a third time and give the Hotel Torni Rooftop Bar a third and final chance. This time our lucky streak continued and we ended up taking pictures of one of the world’s most interesting bathrooms. Due to our perseverance, the weather and to luck, our Helsinki Shore Excursion ended up being great and we happily headed back to the ship on the shuttle.

Helsinki Walking Tour