June 2017

 

Helsinki (population 640,000) was a stop in our Baltic Cruise itinerary, and the cruise port our ship used was in the West Harbor area. To get to the city center, we could have used the tram or the ferry or the bikes. We reserved the bikes online, and there was a bike station within a 5-minute walk from the cruise terminal exit. It cost 5 Euros for a day pass, and each ride up to 30 minutes was free.

Just by following the coastline, we could get to the Market Square area in 20-25 minutes. Right up the hill from the Square is Uspenski Cathedral, an onion-domed Russian Orthodox church you see in the pictures above. We returned our bikes at the bike station in the area and walked up to the church.

We got the bikes again and went to the Lutheran Cathedral in Senate Square. There was an outdoor stage getting set up for some kind of festival, and lots of people started pouring into this square. It turned out to be the Helsinki Samba Carnaval, the biggest samba event in Finland.

 

Much smaller but more memorable was what they call the Rock Church, Temppeliaukion Kirkko, a Lutheran church built into a solid rock. We struggled to find a bike station near this place and had to walk 10 minutes to find one. But all the trouble was worth it once we walked into the church. Even with a constant stream of people walking in and out, we managed to find a seat and sat down. For a few minutes, I was in a meditative state blocking out all the distractions.

We walked back to the bike station where we left our bikes, but all the bikes were taken. We had to search for another bike station and, eventually, we found two bikes. We rode along a park and reached the water, then turned north to get to this Sibelius Monument. which looks like organ pipes.

There was a restaurant by the water in this park, and we had our lunch there.

We returned to the Market Square and looked around the outdoor market stalls. We had a snack time at the public sea pool and restaurant complex next door. If we had more time, we would’ve tried the outdoor pool. Maybe next time.

We also wanted to check out the design district, but there was not enough time. We got back on the bikes and pedaled back toward the cruise terminal. This was a rather curious sport people were playing at the park along the water.

More Information about Helsinki: LINK

June 2017

Our second time in Copenhagen(population: 770,000) was a day stop on a Baltic cruise. The ship was docked at Ocean Quay Cruise Terminal, and there was a tourist information center right in the area. They handed out an excellent free city map, the best I’ve ever seen anywhere around the world, that showed all the streets, points of interest, public transportation stations/stops and even bike share stations! We were able to buy the City Pass for 24 hours(about $12) which gave us an unlimited access to all the public transportation. This was worthwhile if you needed to make more than 3 trips on buses and the metro.

From the cruise terminal, we took the city bus that connected us to the central area of Copenhagen at Norreport. Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, thus, we considered using the city bike share program, but it did not seem as cost-efficient as the buses.

We decided to visit Christiana Free Town, a self-governing city within the city, that is on Christianshavn island.  We managed to get on the bus #9A from the Central Station and took a mini-tour of the island before getting off at the entrance to the Town.

As expected the vibe was the hippie, and it was very slowly waking up when we got there around 10:30 AM. Murals were everywhere, and people were friendly.

We checked out some of the galleries and shops, and we had our lunch at a restaurant in one of the gallery buildings.

After leaving this Town, we went to Nyhaven, an iconic waterfront area filled with restaurants and cafes. We walked around checking out some of the famous buildings. We did run into lots of other passengers from our ship in this area.

We barely made it back to our ship in time using the same bus from Norreport, but we did get back.

Our first trip to Copenhagen

June 2017

We got to visit Tallinn(population 450,000), the capital of Estonia(pop. 1,3 million) when our ship stopped there during the Baltic cruise. I did not know much about this charming city until this trip, but it is one of the up and coming tech centers of Europe and a  Unesco World Heritage Site.

From the cruise port, we walked about a mile to get to the Old Town. Once you get to the city wall, it becomes uphill to reach the center, but the walk was not difficult.

Walking up to the Toompea Hill was another climb, but the hike was not too stiff. You get the view of the whole town, shown below, under your feet once you are up there. An onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church Nevsky Cathedral and Toompea Castle, which now houses the parliament, dominate the hilltop along with the oldest church in Tallinn, the Lutheran St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Our lunch was at a restaurant called Väike-rataskaevu​, a sister restaurant right around the corner from the popular Rataskarvu 16. Excellent food, eclectic & relaxing environment, friendly service. etc. Not expensive.

After lunch, we walked around town slowly. There was an outdoor market set up right in the center square, but we did not find bargains there.

On the way back, we found a window display at Maiasmokk Cafe so inviting & took many pictures. I don’t know where they are, though. I also liked this door of an unnamed building.

• Tallinn Guide
• Visit Tallinn Official Site