Walking towards Helsinki’s exceptional Temppeliaukio Cathedral, built underground hewn from solid granite, is a striking monument to Finland’s finest composer, Jean Sibelius. Built from more than 600 steel pipes in the form of organ pipes, reactions vary from praise to disappointment at the modern surrealist memorial.
Personally, I loved the monument, glittering in the warming rays of the Helsinki sun, the trees of the surrounding park reflected off the various lengths of silvery pipe. The organ pipes gave a sense of his prodigious musical achievements with a striking and memorable sculpture. Artistic travellers stooped, laid down and leaned to get their perfect angle to photograph this unusual monument. 
Next to the organ pipes is the silvery moon-shaped head of Sibelius set on stone with two artistic blobs of quicksilver. While glistening in the sunshine and despite Sibelius’ striking visage, I found the head somewhat tasteless.
Also worth a brief stroll is the neighbouring cemetery. Packed with presidents, prime ministers, military, artists, actors, sportsmen, authors and other significant Finns, the graves nestle peacefully in a tranquil tree-filled peninsula. Armies of tiny squirrels disrespectfully dance across the graves chasing morsels of food fallen from the overhanging trees. Somewhat surprisingly, Jean Sibelius doesn’t feature among the numerous tombs.
While the Finnish suburb of Töölö would be unlikely to attract many visitors without the remarkable travel wonder of its modern cathedral, it warrants a brief stroll to enjoy the restful parklands of the area and to enjoy the sparkling silvery monument to Finland’s most famous composer. Do you like either or both of the sculptures?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Jean Sibelius Monument (Helsinki, Finland)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus - He is in Finland (Rovaniemi, Finland)
Travelling north in Finland, the train crosses the Arctic Circle, an imaginary line at 66° 33′ 39″ north of the equator. All places north of this magical line receives at least one day of 24-hour sun and at least one day where the sun does not lift above the horizon at all. The travel wonder of Rovaniemi is fortuitously situated near the Arctic Circle and takes full advantage of its location. The interminable daylight presents a carpet of flowers and verdant forests flourishing in the brief warming summer months and turns the rivers into raging torrents as melting snow and ice escapes for the nearest oceans.
Most importantly, the town has established the existence of Santa Claus in Lapland. His village conveniently located just north of the Arctic Circle lives on a year-long Christmas celebration with the post office doing a roaring trade. Mr Claus receives over half a million requests a year for bicycles, dolls, electronic games, trucks and other assorted toys through the mail. Santa’s elves decked out in red and white toil away writing letters in response, selling a variety of tinsel-tinged festive paraphernalia and generally assisting Santa conduct his village.
Outside, Santa’s reindeer worn down with clichéd names like Dasher, Dancer and Rudolf loll around their paddocks, the July heat sapping their energy and the moult leaving their fur blotchy and untidy. They contently exchange pats and fondles for handfuls of food, blissfully unaware that their siblings provide a share of the Finnish menu, whether it be steaks, sausages or reindeer jerky.
Night times are strange in summer Rovaniemi – dusk and dawn merge together in a dull light without darkness setting in. Mosquitoes the size of tiny fighter jets swarm in black plumes dive-bombing bare skin with kamikaze passion, vacuuming precious red liquid from your body. The Finns recommend natural citronella over the various chemical concoctions – smelling like marmalade seems a small price to pay to fend off this savage attack force.
Maintaining a tradition practiced for centuries, Rovaniemi boasts a traditional smoke sauna. Taking hours for the wood-fuelled stove to heat the stone, the smoke is released and the people admitted. Sauna is serious business among Finns commenting on the löyly or steam in the same reverent terms that a winemaker will discuss a glass of red. Being a mixed group, everyone is wrapped in a towel, the sauna occasionally stoked with more löyly as water is tossed on the stones. The heat is intense but somehow gentle, small beads of sweat gradually turning into rivulets coursing down my torso. The wood provides a soothing forest aroma without any sense of smokiness.
The Finns chatter away in an incomprehensible language totally unrelated to the typical Slavic, Germanic or Romance-based languages of Europe, contented with the layer of mysticism the Finnish language adds to the country. Mind you, the long glass corridor of the Arktikum Museum strips away much of this mystery providing an excellent and detailed history of this northern land, its fascinating fauna and flora, the sparse population’s harmonious existence with nature and the harsh unforgiving winter battles fought during World War 2 (and the wilful destruction of the city by the Germans in retreat).
The local church highlights how everything is wrapped around the local Sami culture with a stunning central fresco and small supporting artworks, featuring a pious mixture of religion, reindeer and wintry weather.
Sensing a feeling of being well-cooked in the sauna’s heat, refreshment is available in the neighbouring river. The contrast of the water’s temperature gives a sensational burst of tingling freshness right through my body though the overwhelming cold of the currents quickly chases people out.
While people flock to this tiny township conveniently situated on the imaginary corridor of the Arctic Circle to capture an element of Christmas, there is an authentic Finnish experience available for those who want to wander a little beyond Santa’s Village.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Anything But Another Bloody Cathedral (Helsinki, Finland)
If you have travelled around Europe for more than a couple of weeks, you become very accustomed to the expression "ABC" or another bloody cathedral/church. Every major city, town or small village is adorned with a church perched on prime real estate which is hundreds of years old rich in history, art and religious symbolism. They are remarkable architectural achievements (such as in the photo below of St Stephens in Vienna) that stand in testimony to the significance religion has played throughout the ages.
The first couple you see are uplifting experiences, wandering around for hours in silent reverence, soaking in each small chapel, fresco, icon and grave. Photos are joyously snapped of each element of the cathedral.
In the next couple, the pace quickens and only the more remarkable elements of the cathedrals are cause for a considered pause and a photo. After a couple more, though no less spectacular or significant, you start to steer well clear and develop a nauseous uncomfortable fear that you'll be sucked inside and start screaming "let me out, it's another ABC". After a few days, the churches all blur into a fog with only the most remarkable elements even surviving your short term memory. 
Helsinki's cathedral is entirely different. This travel wonder doesn't even look like a cathedral. Indeed, at first sight, it looks more like a nuclear fallout shelter than a haven for spiritual enlightenment or private reflection. The entrance is little more than a dark concrete tunnel. What you see when you get inside is certainly a surprise.
Built only forty years ago, the stunning Temppeliaukio Cathedral (in the unusually named Töölö) is gouged out of the suburban bedrock with the walls being simply the unfinished rough rock walls. The cathedral is bathed in natural light which streams through a string of windows that sit between the rock walls and the polished copper ceiling. A large copper pipe organ matches the gleaming ceiling with the rocky exterior making for a blissful acoustic setting.
Its unusual design and stunning architectural use of natural light and rock means that Temppeliaukio Cathedral is remembered well after many other cathedrals have faded from memory. If touring the travel wonders of Finland, this striking cathedral must be on your agenda. It is anything but another bloody cathedral.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Reindeer Paté, Cloudberry Pie and Sweat (Kuopio, Finland)
In the centre of the country, Kuopio could be an advertisement for the travel wonders of Finland. Set among spruce forests and surrounded by sparkling lakes, Kuopio comes complete with ski-jumps, an orthodox church and the world’s largest smoke sauna. Combine that with fascinating local cuisine options and Kuopio offers a wondrous, single day sample of Finland at its finest.
The best view of Kuopio is from Puijo Tower perched neatly on a hill of the same name. It offers a panoramic vista showing the sprawling town with its numerous lakes and thick forests. On this same hill are the ski-jumps. How people stand on top of these, ski down and launch themselves in the air for over 100 metres defies comprehension and one's mental state. I clung on tightly for fear of getting even close to the jumping zone.
With its harsh climate, the Finns are very practical with food. Both elk and reindeer feature along with a heavy emphasis on fish. If you can remove the thought of munching on Rudolf’s relatives, reindeer is offered in various forms from steaks through to sausages. Not feeling too guilty about the well-being of Rudolf’s relatives, I had reindeer paté on a heavy rye bread and it was decidedly tasty. The reindeer marketing department are effective as three different Finns in conversation told me that reindeer was extremely good for you as its meat is remarkably lean, carrying only two percent fat.
I also managed to taste a slice of kalakukko which is simply fish baked in a loaf of rye-bread. Despite my description, it tastes quite divine and is very filling.
However, the highlight was dessert. In the short summer months with their long meandering days of sunlight, berries and mushrooms grow everywhere. And of the number of different varieties that grow, cloudberries are the Rolls Royce of Finnish berries. Their creamy, slightly sharp, semi-sweet taste is so popular that it is celebrated on the Finnish two Euro coin. Anyway, it certainly tasted damn good as cloudberry pie.
Jätkänkämppä, which fortunately you don’t have to pronounce to enter, is the world’s largest smoke sauna. It is an experience not to miss. Only open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, it takes all day to heat and prepare. The smoke collects inside and is released before being opened to the public. With your entrance fee, you get some quick instructions and two towels – one to wear around your waist and one to dry off with at the end.
Simply undress (completely), shower and wander into the wall of heat, which smacks you in the face as soon as you enter. Normally, Finnish saunas are separate and nude, but Jätkänkämppä is mixed with the towel used for modesty. Through the steam and dim light, there is a very eclectic group of people. Several travellers, all looking warily around trying not to commit any social faux pas sit along side local families, couples and men and women of all shapes and sizes. One man the size of a beached whale (which is an unusual sight in Finland) tosses a ladle of water on the coals. There is a shot of steam along with a sharp hissing and the gentle aroma of wood (but no smoke!).
When you feel well-cooked, quickly slip on your swimmers and dash for a quick plunge along a short wooden jetty and into the nearby lake. Don’t get me wrong – the lake is ridiculously cold even in the midst of summer – but the contrast of the water’s temperature gives you a sensational burst of tingling freshness right through your body. In winter, a hole is cut into the ice on the lake. The locals tend to sit outside on a bench for a few minutes relaxing and chatting. This was where I learned about the value of reindeer meat among other broad and varying topics. This exercise is repeated another couple of times until you simply feel great. It is time to settle on the benches outside for one last time and enjoy a therapeutic, cooling, but expensive beer. 
Fortunately, English is widespread with quite a number of visitors in summer. Finnish is probably the most incomprehensible language I have heard anywhere in Europe. Sadly after a number of days, my Finnish only extended to sauna (pronounced SOW-na) and kiitos (thank you). As much as I like to learn a few words of the local language wherever I travel, when a local told me (and wrote down) that “hello” was said as hyvää päivää, I simply resigned myself to relying on the English skills of the locals.
Finland tends not to feature on many European itineraries as it is a little further away and a little more mysterious. It is an extraordinary place of friendly, spirited, proud people keen to share the natural beauty and rich culture of their country. Any nation with more saunas than cars must be worth a visit. And Kuopio is a small town that captures Finland so well and should be on a future travel plan.
Note
Source: Cloudberry Photo
