Khrys weblog

I was to talk about the islands of Suomenlinna, with references to history, and precise description of the place, but I realized that Wikipedia does it much better than me :)
Instead, I’ll post a few pictures, and confirm that this is quite a popular place, even for Finns. The place is ideal for a picnic and/or a nice walk, when the weather is good.

You can get there with the bus-boat from the Helsinki market place Kauppatori with the same kind of ticket you would take a bus, which is good if you want to leave your car at home.
This is a view of Helsinki (and Kauppatori in the middle) from the bus-boat:

And here’s a view of the first island of Suomenlinna:

The gates already gives you somewhere interesting to visit, but pictures were not good. Once you pass the gates, you end up in a plaza where a monument recalls of the founder of the place:

After the plaza (where you also find a navy museum), you get more into the island, and discover how strong the fortress has been. These hills are to keep ammo and equipment, but on the second and third picture you can notice one of those massive guns that are still aimed towards the sea:
  

Along the coast, on the more remote side of the island, you may find some different walls and smaller guns, from another period:
  

You’ll find some interesting Vauban-styled walls:

It is also on Suomenlinna that you’ll find the still only submarine of the Finnish navy:

While walking back to the first island, you can get nice pictures too:

And here is the church. Note the guns and the Finnish symbol atop one of them (the lion, armed with a straight sword, walking on the curved one):