2 week "break" in Finland - Part 2 Turku and Helsinki


10th to 12th June - Turku and Helsinki


We're keen to get back to our boat but we reckon we'd be mad to dash off without seeing a bit more of Finland. We might get back here by boat sometime, maybe next summer, so it's an opportunity to do a bit of a recce.


There must be thousands of miles of road just like this in Finland - we accepted a lift with Howard's employer so it's a view from the car not from a bus

Turku Castle - it's medieval - in fact the largest surviving medieval building in Finland and one of the oldest buildings still in use - as a Museum of course (Finland's most visited museum) but I'm afraid we weren't in a museum mood so I can't tell you more.

Green roof? Copper?

Wooden houses we saw were built on stone bases but perhaps this is how it used to be done

We gravitate towards the waterfront and the nautical exhibits

Prop envy sets in

Mine on its trolley

Bigger mine, bigger trolley

Elvis is in town - or rather a few Elvises though only one of the crooners we heard was in costume

This guitarist was singing like Elvis but he didn't look very Elvisy - in contrast the chef is posing like a King

Howard is not very interested in fake Elvises

Flower power

Clearly a good place for Baltic Traders - Daddy, Mummy and baby Baltic Trader.

Not some hideous intsrument of torture, not for dunking witches, it's an ancient beacon.
They'd light a fire in the bucket and then hoist it high.

We liked the fountain and the gaffer

Close up of the fountain

...and the gaffer

Howard was curious about this device mounted between the masts of Sigyn (built 1887)
Close up - any ideas?

Here's the answer.


Not such a pretty gaffer - not when you consider that that is the bow!

That is Turku Cathedral in the background - also one of the oldest medieval blah blah blah
The ferry in the foreground is displaying 2 black balls which  means 'not under command' and we hadn't seen this on a ferry before. Perhaps someone has stolen the diamond between the balls for 'restricted in ability to manoevre'? 

Looks under command

We managed to visit this floating drinking spot a couple of times - nice!


Something to get in a sweat about?

Last thing before we set off by train to Helsinki next day is a lunchtime drink in a Cafe we wished we had discovered sooner. It was half the price of the bar on the boat - called The Daily News. I tried a white drink I'd seen lots of people drinking. I couldn't believe that many people were drinking lemonade and sure enough, no - it's a gin based drink flavoured with grapefruit. Delicious! Imaginatively named "Gin Long Drink".


Gin Long Drink and Beer Long Drink at the Daily News Cafe

Onwards to Helsinki

Helsinki is much grander - although I think dignity is lost here

Cathedral - dazzling when the sun came out



As usual we found our way to the interesting boats
These monsters are ice breakers, waiting out the summer to work in the winter keeping traffic moving in the Baltic

Hang on - that's not a boat....


We wandered around the various waterfronts and checked out a couple of marinas ready for the day we turn up in our own boat - then it was time to turn in ready for an early start to catch tram, train, flight, train, another train and finally a cab back to Bonify in the Netherlands


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