Suomenlinna . . . Sea Fortress

On my first full day in Helsinki, I slept until 9am! Granted, the sun was up by 4:30am, but I did not let that keep me from sleeping. The group met with our professor, Dr. Jim Fairweather at 11am. We had coffee at Robert's Coffee, across from where Jim is staying, and reviewed our itinerary. Then, we proceeded to the Esplande Park which is at the heart of Helsinki. It is a nice gathering place for tourists and locals, alike. We found a very nice cafe next to the Esplande, Cafe Esplande, to have lunch. It was very relaxing and excellent food.

After lunch, we decided to take a ferry to the Sea Fortress: Suomenlinna (www.suomenlinna.fi).  Here's a brief explanation:  "Founded on islands off the coast of Helsinki in 1748, the Suomenlinna sea fortress is a cultural treasure.  It's construction began in the 1700s when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden.  The guns that still face West on the ramparts at Kustaanmiekka are a reminder of the period under Russian rule in the 19th century." (Suomenlinna pamphlet).  It was very beautiful and lots of hiking.  We saw building built inside hills and thought (1) they were houses and then (2) kilns.  We were wrong on both accounts.  These buildings held gun powder for the guns that were at the top.  This way, the soldiers could run the gun powder quickly up to the cannons.

After spending roughly 3 hours on the island, we took the ferry back to the mainland and proceeded to find a place to eat.  The two places that were recommended to us (through Lonely Planet) were not possible due to no reservation or the restaurant was closed.  So, we ended back at Cafe Esplande for dinner.  The pastries we saw earlier in the tempted us so much that 5 out of the 7 of us had one with our dinner.  I had a apple tart with vanilla syrup/cream.  Simply amazing.

It is now a little after 10pm and it is now slowly getting dusk out.  It feels like 7pm, but my body is telling me otherwise.  Tomorrow will consist of history of Finnish higher education and visits.  I'm sure it will be another full day.