Helsinki, Finland

Next new country: Finland! (for all four of us; David had already been to Russia, but Estonia was new to all of us as well)

Here are some serious berries at Market Square: bilberries, currants, and blueberries (I think). Notice the lovely Finnish signs. I find it a lot of fun to see new languages written.

 

Uspenski Cathedral (Eastern Orthodox, not far from Market Square)

 

 

Inside, it's this wonderfully relaxing, gentle mushroom color! Never seen anything quite like it.

 

 

Just outside Uspenski Cathedral, there is this little bridge, where newlyweds place a lock on their wedding day, and throw the key into the water, to symbolize their togetherness forever, a sealed deal. I like it! Apparently this happens in a lot of cities, though I'd never heard of it before (we were told about it in St. Petersburg as well, though we didn't see the bridge there).

 

 

Next we were off to the Lutheran Cathedral on Senate Square - entirely different style. For this one, the outside is more impressive and lovely than the outside. Senate Square is enormous and topped by this stately white building.

 

 

Here Jason photographs David and Emily climbing the steps outside. But the inside is just plain white, hardly any decorations. A few statues of people like Martin Luther (makes sense in a Lutheran meeting place), and one painting at the front, of Jesus being taken down from the cross.

 

 

Final sight of Helsinki, the Church of the Rock (another Lutheran church). That's Jason standing on top. A good view from up there, into the church, and of the massive rock it's built into (can't see much of it from below or in this photo). I climbed up, too. I like climbing.

 

 

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