|
: If you do not get it here you do not need it’ echoed a pre-recorded voice on ‘Helsinki Audio Tour’ as we stood in front of the big Stockman Mall that sits right in the heart of historic Helsinki. The Finnish capital offers everything which a traveller: treasures of the forgotten days kept safely in art galleries, awe-inspiring architecture and a fantastic public transport — thanks to a wide network of bus, metro, train and tram. And to top it all, the adjoining seashore makes the experience more pleasurable.
Founded by Swedish King Guatav Vasa back in 1550, Helsinki is a bustling city, though not densely populated. The official population of Finland, at 5.5 million, is equivalent to half the population of Delhi. Independent since 1917 and now a member of the European Union, Finland was earlier a part of the Swedish realm for more than 600 years up to 1809. It was attached to the Russian empire for just over a century. I read somewhere that even Boris Yeltsin, former Russian Premier in early 1990s apologised on behalf of his predecessors for meddling with Finland’s domestic affairs during the Soviet era. Thus, a mention of Russia or Russians still raises frowns on Finnish faces.
After a bus journey of half an hour from the airport we reached the city centre at about three pm. The designer hotel, part of the Klausk chain of hotels, was located close by. Surprisingly the sun had set by that time, challenging my body clock all the more. It was freezingly cold, with temperature hovering around -2 to 2o C.
Spic and span as the streets were, the scattered cigarette butts do prick the eye. What really touched me was the way motorists (only tiny section of population own cars, thanks to the high taxes) allow pedestrians a patient passage without any of the unnecessary honking.
Once in Helsinki, you cannot but miss the 15 odd minute ferry-ride from the market square or Helsinki Harbour to Suomenlinna, the sea fortress. It has played a significant role in defending the country. Suomenlinna also has a lot to offer as a tourist destination — war museum, toy museum, good sight seeing, café etc. It also has a lively city district with more than 1000 people living around it. In fact it can take an entire day to discover the fortress. I regret that due to time constraints I had...
| Single Page Format | 1 - 2 - 3 - Next |
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|
 |
 |
 |
About Us | Contact Us | Advertisers | Site Map | Make us your homepage | Work for Us | RSS | Subscribe | Electronic Edition | Privacy Policy© 2009: The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved throughout the world
