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| Helsinki Cathedral (Evangelical Lutheran) |
Today, I had my first full day in Helsinki and it was amazing and cold! I experienced my first European breakfast which consisted of half a hoagie, cold-cut ham or turkey, I am not sure which one it was, a piece of lettuce, and some orange slices. After breakfast, I had orientation and an hour of free time before the city walking tour. The tour was two hours long and covered a large portion of the city.
We went to many attractions including the Helsinki Cathedral, the market, Uspenski Cathedral, South Harbor, and Senate Square. I learned some cool history and facts about Helsinki including: they are a republic and not a monarch like the other countries surrounding them, the church although it sits high on a hill above everything else in the city does not have very much power because most Finnish people are not religious even though most belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the sauna culture here is very popular.
We went to many attractions including the Helsinki Cathedral, the market, Uspenski Cathedral, South Harbor, and Senate Square. I learned some cool history and facts about Helsinki including: they are a republic and not a monarch like the other countries surrounding them, the church although it sits high on a hill above everything else in the city does not have very much power because most Finnish people are not religious even though most belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the sauna culture here is very popular.
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| Senate Square |
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| Uspenski Cathedral (Russian) |
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| Helkatti Cat Cafe |
Before gaining their independence, Helsinki was once under Swedish and Russian rule. Throughout the city, you can see how the two countries impacted the design of the city especially concerning architecture and language. Most signs in the city have Finnish on top and Swedish on the bottom because most Finns speak two languages including English, which they do not consider a second language but more of a language that everyone should know.
I also learned that you should constantly check the weather before leaving the country, even the day before, because it was between forty-seven and fifty degrees outside today which is cold to me especially since my wonderful friends wind and rain decided to visit as well. During the day, it did warm up a little but it was still chilly and mostly cloudy.
After the tour, I went with the other girls in my program to a cat cafe which was really cool. I do not know how one restaurant can obtain so many cat pictures, pillows, wall decor, and other cat artifacts. The food was pretty good; I got a chicken sandwich, similar to a panini, and a salad. I came back to my room and fell asleep. That is why I am currently writing this at midnight, but I am excited to see what tomorrow brings -- hopefully warmer weather.
I also learned that you should constantly check the weather before leaving the country, even the day before, because it was between forty-seven and fifty degrees outside today which is cold to me especially since my wonderful friends wind and rain decided to visit as well. During the day, it did warm up a little but it was still chilly and mostly cloudy.
After the tour, I went with the other girls in my program to a cat cafe which was really cool. I do not know how one restaurant can obtain so many cat pictures, pillows, wall decor, and other cat artifacts. The food was pretty good; I got a chicken sandwich, similar to a panini, and a salad. I came back to my room and fell asleep. That is why I am currently writing this at midnight, but I am excited to see what tomorrow brings -- hopefully warmer weather.
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| South Harbor - The brown building is a public sauna. |
