Monday 20th May Helsinki Finland
We’re not sure how slow the ship sailed last night but when we awoke this morning, we had just docked in the port of Helsinki. Rob had said that the journey from Tallinn to Helsinki via the sea was not really a long one. Anyway after another hearty breakfast we set off for our next on shore excursion, Seurasaari Island, Finnish Traditions and Helsinki highlights. The first part of this excursion was a sight-seeing tour on the bus to see Helsinki’s landmarks, including the Senate Square, various cathedrals, beautiful old buildings dating back to the 19th century and of course Helsinki’s Olympic stadium from the 1952 Olympics. Finland has a population of around 5.1 million people but the population growth is slow with most families only having 1.3 children per couple. I had a little difficulty hearing what our guide told us, re the political history of Finland but I think that for 600 years, it was ruled by Sweden, then it became Finland and then in the early 1800’s it was taken ...