Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Need some time to relax? Kaivopuisto is a park in the south of Helsinki, behind the modern harbor. From the rocks in the park you have good views on the islands in front of the mainland. There is a small observatory and you can find different restaurants. But mostly the people get here for a walk, for a picknick or to play and do sports.
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The most beautiful church of Helsinki, Finland, can be found at the Senaatintori square. It is the cathedral called Helsingin tuomiokirkko which is also the icon of the city. When you reach the square you will stand in front of huge steps and have to ascent to the church, a marvelous white church in neoclassical style with green cupolas and the twelve apostles on the roof.
Continue reading “Elevated cathedral”
You can’t miss the giant ferris wheel located at the harbor of Helsinki, Finland. It was opened in 2014, is 40 meters tall and the round trip with excellent views of the harbor area and the Senaatintori square takes around three minutes (with a total time of twelve minutes per visit). Two of the cabins have special features: one has a glass floor for the brave and one is sauna for those who like it hot.
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Right next to the harbor of Helsinki you can find the beautiful Orthodox Uspenskin katedraali on a hill. It is built from 700,000 red bricks which gives the church a unique look and its roof contains thirteen cupolas. The cathedral was consecrated in 1868 and is the largest Orthodox church in the northwestern Europe. And it has all the richness you would expect from an Orthodox Christian church.
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A special and well-known monument at Helsinki, Finland, is the Sibelius-monumentti. Like a fascinating arrangement of organ pipes it is standing on a rock in the Sibeliuksen puisto park, waiting to be looked at from all sights and even from underneath. Whom the work titled Passio Musicae is dedicated to can only be understood when you look to the side and find the face of Jean Sibelius.
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I chose the Hotel Arthur mainly because it was a rather cheap hotel in contrast to others nearby and because of the fact that it is located close to the main railway station of Helsinki, Finland. When I arrived I was nevertheless quite surprised: it is rather old-fashioned, partially in a bad state and the elevator comes from a different century. And it is operated by the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). If you need something more beautiful book somewhere else, if you just need a cheap bed for the night this is your place.
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The airport of Helsinki (HEL) is located 18 kilometers north of the city center at a region called Vantaa. It was opened in 1951 for the Olympic summer games and has today three runways transporting more than 4 million passengers a year. Next to the two terminals you can find a large amount of parking lots and the typical car rental companies.
Continue reading “Lentoasema”
When you’re travelling by train to Köln you might want to have a good hotel close to the railway station. I was struggling with that different times until I checked-in at the Savoy. It is located on the rear side of the main station and you need to exit towards the Breslauer Platz. From there it is only a short walk to the hotel entrance which makes life really easy.
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There is a simple rule that is most often true: wherever a federal horticultural show is held in Germany, you’ll later find a funicular. Such a Bundesgartenschau is not only an event for tourists, it is also always used to change the area it is organized at, to reactivate fallow land that is most often hard to reach. And therefore very often funiculars are built to make the area better accessible for visitors of the Bundesgartenschau. And people love it.
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If you’re visiting Köln, Germany, and you’re into art – have a look at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in the city center. It is a beautiful and classy art museum that presents sacred and profane art and opens up new perspectives on ancient artworks. If religious art is nothing for you, you can enjoy wonderful impressionist and neoimpressionist works from the Fondation Corboud as well.
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