If It Is Monday, This Must Be Helsinki

We took the shuttle bus in to town and explored with the map as our guide. A large modern Lutheran Church was built into a hole excavated from an outcropping of rock atop a hill.

A beautiful piano sonata was being performed; too bad not the organ. Oops, no cameras; I didn't see the sign.

The grand esplanade, one end of which abuts the market at the head of the inner harbor.

 There we saw this beautiful schooner with an old fashioned anchor on each bow, each weighing almost 900 pounds.

Shopping became the rage with Lene scoring a fur hat, suitable for Nanook of the North; except we will be south next winter so the chinchilla pelts will have to wait. We also got a bar of Salmiakki, a local delicacy: think chocolate covered licorice. The sweetness of the milk chocolate mixes with the salty/sourness of the liquid center. Don't laugh. Salted caramel is a big hit now so maybe the Finns really have something here. My personal taste test result: Meh.

Three other behemoth cruisers were in port today.

We were docked next to a boat storage yard with several boats not launched yet for this season. Hmmm, like at the Harlem YC. You can see  two large marinas behind seawalls across the way

.We could have seen more of Helsinki in our five hours here if we had taken a tour.