Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The amusement park of Helsinki is called Linnanmäki and has been opened in 1950 by a foundation (the Children’s Day Foundation) that collects money for child welfare work. So with every rollercoaster ride you do, you’re doing something good! Linnanmäki consists of around fifty rides, including eight rollercoasters, a panoramic free-fall tower and lots of restaurants.
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I’ve visited many zoological gardens around the world but Korkeasaari is one of the best! The zoo of Helsinki is located on an island and that doubles the fun: you could take the bridge for sure, but best let the adventure start already at the harbor with a nice boat trip towards the island. On your way you can also observe the fleet of icebreaker ships anchoring near the city center.
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The city of Helsinki has an own art collection which consists of 9,000 works. A lot of them are on display in public places, a concept I really like. The rest of them can be found at the Helsinki Art Museum (or short: HAM). Part of the presented works is a permanent exhibition of paintings by Tove Jansson whom we all mostly know as the creator of the Moomins. As she was born and died in Helsinki, the HAM takes care of her legacy.
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The Temppeliaukion kirkko of Helsinki is a special church with a wonderful atmosphere: it is built partially into the rocks of the capital city. The church was opened in 1969 and is cut into the granite, but it has a glass roof that floods the church with light. While sitting inside you still see that you’re inside a rock as the walls are not covered.
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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.
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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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When you visit Helsinki you should consider buying a HelsinkiCard from your hotel. It is available for one to three days and gives you free access to public transport and all major sights. It is nothing for people sleeping long and having a relaxed day; but if you like to really explore the city and you’re interested in the museums it can save you a lot of money.
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I can’t estimate how many times I sang the song Fairytale Gone Bad by the Finnish band Sunrise Avenue on SingStar (remember the karaoke game on PlayStation?). It is one of the two songs I’m able to perform quite acceptable (with the other one being Du schreibst Geschichte by the German Indie Rock band Madsen). But I had also heard songs like Hollywood Hills, Heartbreak Century or Thank You For Everything numerous times on radio.
Continue reading “This is the end”