Not wanting to waste our last day in Helsinki, today’s itinerary included some ‘culture’ first up followed by some history and (more) walking this afternoon.
We had been given the tip (thanks Alison) about Helsinki’s famous library, the ‘Oodi’ and discovered it was only a short tram ride away.
Oodi is the Finnish word for ‘ode’ and so it is therefore described as an ode to “Finnish culture, equality and freedom of expression.”
The building itself is stunning, inaugurated in 2018 after a design competition held in 2012 awarded the architecture to a Finnish firm (ALA Architects) over some 543 competitors.
“Oodi is what you want it to be. You can meet friends, create art, read and relax.”
Indeed you can do all of these. We sampled the excellent café on the ground floor with a great selection of sweet treats but also a hearty lunch buffet and then we wandered through the spaces on the first floor where everything from sewing machines to 3D printers to sound studios and instruments are available to use for no charge, just like borrowing a book from the library!
The second floor houses the library’s 100,000 books in a beautiful light filled space complete with nine living trees and various smaller areas being well utilised by quiet readers around its periphery.
The children’s section encourages shoes off and a climbing wall, tunnels and floor equipment for those times when there is too much energy to indulge in the more sedate activity of reading. Whilst there I saw many families switching between the two effortlessly, a little bit of play, read a book then back to the climbing wall. Prams were lined up along the window, many of them occupied by sleeping babies whilst their siblings played and read.
You can probably tell I am super impressed with Oodi. What a wonderful concept and a direct contrast to the ‘disposable’ culture that has permeated many of our lives.
Tearing ourselves away from the Oodi we caught a tram down to Market Square and just made the next sailing of the little ferry that services the island fortress of Suomenlinna.
Suomenlinna (prior to 1918 known by the Finnish as Viapori and Sveaborg to the Swedish), is an inhabited sea fortress spread over eight islands a few kilometres southeast of Helsinki. The short trip out threading our way through smaller islands was also interesting.
Originally constructed by the Swedes in 1748 as protection against the Russians, it was surrendered to the Russians in 1808 prior to the occupation of Finland by the Russians the following year. After Finland declared its full independence in 1918, Russian forces left and it was maintained by the Defence Department until they turned it mostly over to civilian control in 1973. Today it is a popular picnic and walking spot with both tourists and locals.
The ’star fort’ style of fortification was heavily influenced by Vauban and it became a World Heritage site in 1991.
We spent a couple of hours wandering around taking photos and reading its military history.
There are about 900 permanent inhabitants on the island which houses the Nordic Arts Centre and a theatre. Other interesting facts, a minimum-security penal colony exists on Suomenlinna whose inmates work on reconstruction projects (only after pledging non-use of controlled substances) and in 2015 drones were trialled to deliver parcels between the island and mainland. (The two aren’t connected I don’t think. 😊)
I managed to convince Russell to visit one last landmark, the impressive Uspenski Cathedral which dominated the skyline as we returned from the island. It is the largest Greek Orthodox church in Northern Europe and required a bit of a climb but the view both of the cathedral and from the cathedral was well worth it.
We have tried to do Helsinki justice in our short stopover, quite honestly it has been a pleasant surprise. Some of the blogs I read previously gave the impression it was a bit bland but we really enjoyed our stay.
Tomorrow, an early start and off to Paris!