Images from other Helsinki landmarks taken on cold November days

After a recent increase in time spent wandering about Helsinki, I finally managed to squeeze in visits to some of the last official landmarks (as noted by the Lonely Planet and my occasional local guides, anyway).

Most notable landmark I continued to miss for the first 3.5 months of my Finland stay: the Orthodox Cathedral. Rather pathetically, I managed to somehow not find it even though it sits high on a hill a mere four blocks from where I work. Yes, apparently I really am that clueless.

The cathedral boasts an imposing deep-red brick external facade which unfortunately means that most visitors who end up seeing the inside of the cathedral are cruelly disappointed. Or at least, I was. On the inside the cathedral is rather dark, drab, heavy and overly-ornate with dark paintings and cluttered decorations surrounding a small square internal area. Worth a visit for the outside, though.



Another landmark was even closer -- a mere two blocks from my home and yet routinely ignored by me for weeks. Temppeliaukio Church was build about 45 years ago directly into rock, with the walls rising above the rock line to let light into the church from all directions. I thought this church beautiful and am looking forward to maybe hearing music played there sometime. The relatively low ceiling (compared to cathedrals, anyway), excellent light and contrast between traditional materials (rock) and modern (the copper strands composing the ceiling) were fabulous. Unfortunately, my picture (below) can in no way do it any justice - you're better off checking out the pictures on the websiteinstead.



Another landmark missed until quite recently - the Olympic tower. Though perhaps not that impressive to other Chicago-ites used to peering up at the Sears Tower, the 72m of the Olympic Tower do offer nice views of Helsinki. Plus, at 2 euros, it's considerably cheaper to access than the Sears Tower or other similar landmarks.







One last thing worth noting -- the houses on what is apparently the most expensive street in Helsinki. While somewhat more colorful than the other row-houses that seem to make up 95% of residences here, I think this street's status primarily comes from proximity to the ocean. The house on the end is just across the street from the water. Not that exciting in November, but during the four weeks of summer it is probably quite nice.