A great place to visit during Summer. I went there last year (May, 2017) for volunteering in a kids summer camp for around 2 months. The way nature blossoms as soon as the spring gets over, it is mesmerizing. As if one can see the whole landscape change overnight. People usually go fishing in their free time, can be seen spending time with their parents or partners or sitting beside a cafe in the city center and enjoying a drink. While some of them resort to playing instruments (such as accordion) on the streets trying to earn a living. Teenagers can be seen playing the cello or the violin in front of churches on the streets filled with hustle and bustle.
This was a nice naturalistic place which could be seen from the window of the apartment where I was staying. I was sharing it with a Finnish university student. We usually hung out here in the evenings after work. In the first and the last picture, on the left side of the picture in the distant yellow grasslands is an island called 'Lammassaari' meaning 'Sheep island' in English. I wonder why it's called so.
So the pictures above are of an exhibition related to ceramics and glass making displayed in a Design center in the city of Helsinki. I do not have much pictures on it as going there for a visit was unanticipated. I went to this exhibition by myself. But it was an exhibition which seemed like a hall plated with colorful masterpieces of glass designs. Very informative as well.
So this is an open air museum situated in the capital. 'Seurasaari' in English means Open air museum because it's not situated inside the four walls of a building like any traditional museum. 'Saari' means island in English. It's supposed to be one of the famous museums in Finland. It is said that all the houses which are made of wood and stones were originally scattered throughout the country in different places. Later all the wood, stones and furniture of these structures were dismantled and brought together in this one place and rebuilt in an exact replica as they had been found. Hence, this museum was created to portray the architecture. Seemed very fascinating when I read about it in the local guide handout. Perfectly maintained and the local students who are studying arts in the university are even able to get a job in this island museum as a caretaker of any one of the properties/ houses assigned to them. It was a well-spent evening on a weekend.
A UNISCO world heritage site. An island off the coast of capital with half an hour via boat. Truly an amazing sight and experience. Previously used as army base and research and development. The way the island has been built shows that it must have been very well fortified back in the day. Nowadays it's mostly teeming with tourists and locals and has become a picnic spot during long summers. The flora and fauna is wide and varied. Felt like I have come to a different planet altogether. A breath-taking view for nature lovers. A environment sustainable place. Architecture and old buildings have been quite well preserved and maintained. And it's a quite visitor friendly place as tourists from all over Europe come to visit this. This place has quite an extensive history because of it's strategic location. Few cafes and open-air restaurants have also been built serving local Finnish cuisines. This day trip was a visit to a total of three islands. The other two names I don't recall. Although the main highlight is Suomenlinna.
