Final Day in Helsinki

We had a relatively late start today, and it was nice to just dab about for a couple of hours - that is the beauty of being in an apartment, you have the space. Today we are booked on a bus tour with our Helsinki Card, which is a bus tour around the city pointing out major landmarks, and driving through a range of interesting suburbs. We got to see the Olympic stadium that was built in 1938 and 1939 for the Olympic Games that were to be held in Helsinki in 1940, but with the outbreak of war they were cancelled, and Helsinki did not host the summer games until 1952. The first games post-WW2 were held in London. We stopped at the Sibelius Monument, which is located at the Sibelius Park in the district of Töölö. It was created by Eila Hiltunen and is dedicated to Finnish co poser Jean Sibelius. We also drove through the suburbs of Kaivopuisto, Punavuori, Etu-Töölö and Taka Töölö, and ended the tour near Senate Square. Senate Square and its surroundings make up the oldest part of central Helsinki. Landmarks and famous buildings surrounding the square are the Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, and one of the main buildings of the University of Helsinki.

After the completion of the tour we decided to back track past some of the buildings and statues we had passed by too quickly. We then went to the Sori Taproom and Eatery for lunch.Read more