Helsinki from above and beyond.

We have spent most of the day exploring Suomenlinna, the sea fortress island protecting the approach and entrance to Helsinki harbour. 

The island is only a 15 minute ferry ride from the Market Square and was originally built in the late 1700's when Finland was part of Sweden. Over the years, various additions were made to the fortifications right up until WW2 (primarily by the Russains) and thus a wide variety of weaponry is now on display and is obviously a treasure trove for those interested in defence strategy through the ages.

As he was wearing his anorak, your correspondent's highlight was a look inside a 1930's submarine, certainly an eye opener when imagining the cramped and noisy, not to mention scary, conditions the small crew would have had to endure.

Today, the island is a UNESCO world heritage site and as well as being home to a population of several hundred, contains numerous museums, a shipyard and several exhibitions.

Once back on the mainland we wanted to have a rest from all the walking and so took a vintage tram ride around the main points of interest in the centre of the city. Although we didn't see anything new, it was something a little bit different to experience.

We have eaten rather too well over the last few days so dinner tonight was nothing more than a very tasty (albeit somewhat expensive) club sandwich on the Esplanadi. However, it was an ideal way to watch the world go by and at the same time be entertained by a magazine photographer and crew shooting a girl modelling handbags.

Before returning to our hotel we stopped off for an evening drink at the Ateljee bar. At just twelve stories, this hotel and its rooftop bar was the highest building in Helsinki prior to the Olympic Tower being built and affords spectacular views over the city to all points of the compass. 

As Finnish is accepted to be one of the more difficult languages to learn, how are you getting on with communication I hear you ask. Well, the fact is that everyone, without exception, speaks perfect English so despite being taken for locals on numerous occasions, we have had no problems at all. Having said that, we have mastered the basics like hello, goodbye and thankyou (strangely, there is no Finnish word for please)!