{"id":655,"date":"2018-08-25T14:07:13","date_gmt":"2018-08-25T14:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/perrisinfo.org\/?p=655"},"modified":"2018-08-25T14:07:13","modified_gmt":"2018-08-25T14:07:13","slug":"helsinki-finland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perrisinfo.org\/index.php\/2018\/08\/25\/helsinki-finland\/","title":{"rendered":"Helsinki Finland"},"content":{"rendered":"

We docked at Helsinki about 8 am and it was fairly foggy. We had to decide whether to go out early or wait for the weather to clear. We went early and got the first Hop on Hop off bus that came to the pier where our ship was docked. This ended up being a good choice as the weather cleared but got a lot colder later in the day. If you got out of the breeze it was just beautiful, but I don\u2019t think that would have been easy on the top deck of the bus later in the day.<\/p>\n

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Helsinki from balcony 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki from balcony 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki from balcony 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A full loop of the city usually takes about 90 minutes. However today the Helsinki Marathon is being run so we were told to expect delays.<\/p>\n

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This is the first time I have heard people on a tour bus chuckling to the commentary. The explanations of many of the sites were quite funny and it was great to see a city that can laugh at itself. Finland has the highest tax in the world on alcoholic drinks. This coupled with the explanation about the local passenger ferry that takes people to where alcohol is not taxed, people are more beautiful, jokes are funnier and everyone has more fun was quite amusing. The guide said that uni students fill the ferry on weekends, going to nowhere!<\/p>\n

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Helsinki Highly taxed low flavour beer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Passenger Ferry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A more serious comment was made about Finland having the best education system in the world. I wonder if this is linked to the high tax on alcohol. Now that is a good topic to explore for masters paper!<\/p>\n

Again this is another enjoyable city. It is very clean with beautiful architecture.<\/p>\n

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Helsinki Architecture 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Havis Amanda Mermaid Statue 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Havis Amanda Mermaid Statue 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Architecture 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Marshal Mannerheim Statue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Sibelius Monument<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Paavo Nurmi – The Flying Finn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Parliament House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Railway Station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Cathedral at the Main Square<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Buses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Tram\/Train<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Vehicle ferry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The roads seem very narrow and again with so many tour buses trying to get to the same places the drivers need to wait and give way a lot more than usual. I found this version of a roundabout quite amusing. A round one would not fit in the road. But the large buses manage to navigate them easily.<\/p>\n

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Helsinki narrow streets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki roundabout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The traffic also had to give way to all marathon runners.<\/p>\n

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Helsinki Marathon 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Marathon 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helsinki Marathon 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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When we returned to the ship I sat in the sun on the balcony and watched the marathon and the yacht races. This was very relaxing as I had a spot out of the wind.<\/p>\n

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