Friday, July 24, 2015

A CAR-RIDE THROUGH HELSINKI

A GLIMPSE OF A SCANDINAVIAN CAPITAL - HELSINKI




Dome of Helsinki cathedral, designed by a German Architect, Carl Ludviq Engel.
Opened in 1852 AD. 
Belongs to Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki.

A family situation took my wife, Ruby Chatterji, and me to Helsinki in April,2015. We stayed in a sunlit suburb of  Helsinki . Bright , long days welcomed us . The neighbourhood was having small and large living quarters, roads and footpaths nearly empty. Trees  green with young leaves. Lots and lots of flowers - so very different from a typical Kolkata neighbourhood.

Memory of Finland's past . 
Kept at Helsinki's South harbour area

During the only weekend we had, when the sun was in the Western part of the horizon, we were taken around for a couple of hours, which include a stop at a strolling area around back-water of the sea. We  visited  Helsinki Cathedral and the drove past  Kauppatori - the market was closed at that hour,  Central Business district neighbouring Rauttatientori ( railway Station)  etc.

[ Note - Rautatientori (Rauta = Iron, Tie = Road, Tori = Market/Station. Literal meaning: Iron-Road-Station aka Railway Station )].

A street scene - 13/06/15. Helsinki

A not-so-large Helsinki 'eye'

Remarkable were the cobbled roads and trams. We may visit Helsinki once more during September-October,15 when I plan to enjoy couple of tram rides and at least one ferry ride. I feel attracted by cobbled roads of Europe.The one etched in my memory is a lane with cobbled surface of Geneva and photos of those of Vienna.


                            Looking forward to  a tram-ride along the cobbled roads of Helsinki !


                                                          & a walk along this cobbled road.


Here are some photographs Ruby and I took during the car-ride and the stop-over at the water-front. The day was so bright, people enjoying the scenery and the environment - words cannot capture the spirit.

Walk along (back)water-front of Helsinki.
Sibelius Park.



Summer bloom.
Flowers in bushes of neighbourhood of where we stayed in Helsinki.