August 29, 2014 Final Day in Helsinki – Wrap up : Helsinki and Finland as Places

Viime päivä (Last Day) in Helsinki…

Jäähyväiset Helsinki ja Suomi : Farewell to Helsinki and Finland (for now — until 2019) It’s Friday evening.. just about to head out for dinner to Boulevard Social.. owned by the same folks who have Gaijin restaurant which was quite wonderful. I ate at Boulevard Social when I was here in October.  Took off early this morning for Market Square.. walked around (I still have the cane — which I’ve already lost twice in shops and cafes).. We remembered the market fondly having spent a lot of time there getting our food since in those days we didn’t have a freezer and we had only a very very little refrigerator.. and yes, we did eat at home nearly every night. We were pretty poor (living on Fulbright stipend).

Anyway, parts of the market remain unchanged.. but there are now goodies for tourists and more places to eat.. and Helsinki also has one of those ridiculous ferris wheels that all cities (including Seattle) seem to be installing. It’s a broad outdoor market that edges the waterfront so it’s a great space surrounded by city streets and slightly up the hill (about three blocks) in one direction are the grand buildings of the University of Helsinki and off to another end just in the distance is the old Russian Orthodox Church, complete with glittering gold ogee domes. It’s a wonderfully urban waterfront. We also strolled through the Vanha Kauppa Halle (Old market hall) which has been renovated completely. It was originally built as a complete indoor market in 1888 (and when we lived here it was just that).. fish mongers, meat stalls, vegetables, etc. It’s still wonderful but very different. The renovated version (impeccably done as only the Finns can do it) houses some meat and fish and vegetable stalls, but also wine bars, and little tiny restaurants, and coffee section, etc. We immediately decided we’d come back later in the day for a nice simple lunch (perhaps choose from one of about 20 different kinds of smoked salmons??) We then headed off to see a newly constructed small non-denominational chapel — Kamppi Chapel — right in downtown (we walked by the way.. had planned on taxi, but it just didn’t happen as we kept walking as we talked about maybe getting a taxi to preserve my foot.)

It’s quite innovative and uses only wood. The main hall is quite imposing and serene.. about 40′ high… It’s amazingly spartan and serene with the curving wood wall in a seamless movement.. and funny since it sits in a totally bustling area with buses and taxis and department stores all around… But all of that is blocked out.. the only light comes from above and you really feel the warmth of the wood.. The façade is made of horizontal spruce strips, bent at different radiuses. The wood is glazed with a special wax utilizing nanotechnology. The frame was made with huge gluelam beams, which were cut to shape.

Then we went to visit the new university library which is also a really interesting building with a supermarket on the ground floor, a connection to the Metro at the first level, lobby is a café, and about 7 floors of books and meeting rooms with incredible light coming through some oval shape skylights high above.. The building also has open spaces and decks and is situated smack in the center of the city.. It is contiguous to housing and office buildings that have nothing to do with the university..

OK.. we did the architecture bit!

On to have lunch at the market hall.. Then we just walked the town.. in between the rain.. And now we’re headed out to eat..

I’m going to write one last note tomorrow with some thoughts about Finland — a country that doesn’t have to pay for a military.. and what that means from a social standpoint.

Best to all.. We’re headed home tomorrow (Saturday).

 Fern