helsinki

after two amazing days in russia, it was on to the next destination. unfortunately, we didn't have what i thought was a much needed "at sea" day in between russia and the next destination, so helsinki already had a few things it was up against before we had even arrived.

the group we were traveling with had organized a tour for helsinki, which was lucky since at the midway point on the cruise i was seriously lacking the motivation to even glance at my lonely planet europe or my mom's book on baltic cruising which couldn't have offered advice more plainly. so we put our helsinki experience in the hands of an expert.

admittedly one of the few monuments i actually recognized as belonging to helsinki.

our tour guide, pablo, took us around to all the "must sees" of the city, which pretty much consisted of a silver monument that looked like several whistles melted together, two churches, and a bunch of lakes. not that i'm complaining, as i'm not really sure my brain could handle anything all too exciting this particular day.

inside the rock church.

the copper ceiling.

another church.

another inside of a church.

we did learn quite a bit about the city and what it's like to live there, which was interesting considering a move to helsinki is likely not in the cards for me (knock on wood). the people who live there seem genuinely happy and it's a very trusting community with very little crime. there were a few sites to see, and we managed to fit most of what would have made my list in just one day.

so, in other words helsinki: check!