Second Helsinki Layover: Suomenlinna

I landed in a dark and cold Helsinki in the wee hours of the morning on October 2nd. After disembarking, I went through the now familiar routine: immigration and customs, bag storage, and then onto the train.

Once in Helsinki, I made my way eastwards towards the pier for the Suomenlinna ferry. I arrived at the pier at 8.30am to find that the first ferry on Sundays was at 9.00am. The nearby street market wasn’t yet in full swing. I approached one vendor who happened to already be open, purchased a slice of rye with smoked salmon, and waited for the ferry.

The ferry arrived promptly just before 9.00am, and I boarded it along with around eight other people. The ferry ride took about 15 minutes, during which I stood on the open air deck and enjoyed the refreshing crisp morning air. En route, the ferry offered great views of the Helsinki skyline and a smattering of small islands. Suomenlinna Fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It comprises of eight islands, five of which are connected by bridges. Suomenlinna, also known as Sveaborg, has been occupied by three countries: Sweden began constructing the fortifications in 1748 to protect itself against Russia. Russia gained control of the site in 1808 and expanded it. When Finland became independent following World War I, they gained control of the site. It became a UNESCO listed site in 1991. The islands are inhabited.

The ferry deposited us at a jetty in front of a large pink building with a clock tower. This building houses the tourist information office. However, nothing was open because it was Sunday. I was a tad disappointed because I wanted to pick up a map and brochure so that I would at least know what I was looking at. Nevertheless, I figured out from the maps on the signboards that there is a recommended walking route of just under 2km each way leading past museums, cafes, and eventually to a feature in the fortress wall called King's Gate. On the signboards, the walking route was highlighted in blue. I started out in the most obvious direction and walked past some wooden houses. I saw shops, cafes, and even a hostel. I think the hostel was open, but nothing else was. Just past the houses was a church which was initially built as an orthodox church by the Russians, but it was turned into a Lutheran church when the Finns took over.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/suomenlinna…

After the church, though, I got confused by the signposts because each of them pointed to multiple landmarks in different directions. I got disoriented twice and landed up in residential areas, both times I beat a quick retreat as I didn't want to disturb anyone. After the second time I walked in the wrong direction, I went back to the signboards and thought a little more critically about what I was doing. The walking route was in blue on the map, and I looked at the signposts and saw that most directional signs were in brown but some were painted blue. Duh. I was supposed to follow the blue directional signs.

The blue walking route takes visitors to two of the islands. I had already seen the first two sights, and so I set out in the direction of the other sights once I figured out I was supposed to follow the blue signs. Not long after, I saw the first of the fortress walls. The trees were starting to show their fall colors and it was pretty and atmospheric. Following the blue route, I soon crossed the bridge to the second island. The first major sight I saw was a pretty courtyard with a unique tomb featuring a representation of the deceased's armor. Soon after, I encountered the main fortress itself. Within the fortress walls, there were small hillocks. Rooms had been built into some of the hillocks, but the doors were all locked and I couldn't figure out what they had been used for. In some ways, the interior of the fortress resembled a hobbit village. There were also cannons and lookout posts. Finally, I reached the end point pf the blue route, which is King's Gate. Unfortunately, I could only walk underneath an arch; the rest of the King's Gate, including stone steps that went downwards past the arch, was cordoned off. I imagine it would have looked quite grand from the other direction since this presumably was where dignitaries were greeted. Just then, a saw a huge ferry the size of a cruise ship. Presumably it was a ferry from Tallinn (Estonia) across the Baltic. It looked as if it was heading for the channel between the island I was on and one of the other islands in the chain. My jaw dropped as it came closer and closer, and then it sailed between the two islands. I could not believe that this narrow strait was deep enough for a ship that size. I regained my composure and waved at the passengers on the ferry. Many of them waved back.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fortress-of…

By this time, I had spent almost two hours exploring. I decided to make my way back to the jetty. As I was walking back, I saw large groups of people heading towards me. I guess the later ferries had many more passengers. But, none of the cafes or shops were open. I got to the jetty just as the ferry was docking, and I made my way back to Helsinki.

When I got back to the pier, I saw that the street market was in full swing, and that a large crowd of people were browsing through the shops and restaurants. I wandered around the street stalls as well as some boats that had set up shop. The majority were selling various forms of fresh and preserved seafood. I then walked through the Old Market Hall and looked at the food items on offer, which were pretty much the same as the open air market. Finally, I went back to the pier, purchased a meal of salmon, potatoes, and vegetables, and ate heartily. Once sated, I made my way back to the train station and to the airport

https://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Uusim…Read more