Helsinki is quite small for a capital city and can be walked quite easily.  Senate Square and the impressive Lutheran Cathedral that overlooks the square are two of the major landmarks.  A side street off Senate Square is the site of the Street Museum, this short street showcases examples of street paving, lighting, postboxes and phone booths from the early 1800s to 1930s.

The Russian Uspensky Cathedral is a very impressive building but was unfortunately closed to the public whilst I was there.  Another impressive cathedral is the Temppeliaukio (Church in the Rock)  This unique building was quarried out of the stone and has an impresive copper lined roof.

Suomenlinna Fortress is an old millatary fort located on a series of islands a short boat trip from the city’s harbour.  The islands house a collection of museums charting Helsinki’s naval history, including a Submarine that’s open to the public during the summer.  The city’s skyline is also very impressive from a harbour boat trip, however in early May it was a little cold on the outside deck of the boat!

Further afield is Provoo which I visited during a brief trip in 2003.  Provoo is a little town with lots of beautiful old wooden houses (and a great confectionary shop with a wonderful selection of chocolate).   

A selection of photos from Helsinki have been added to the Photo Album.  A separate Album contains a few photos from my earlier visit to Helsinki in 2003

The highlight of my trip in March 2007 was seeing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). The best viewing (and safest driving) was with Iceland Excursions. Tours were cancelled on two of the four evenings due to bad weather. My first night’s viewing was very uneventful and I basically spent several hours standing in the cold. However on my last night’s viewing (with Iceland Excursions) was completely different – a nice warm coach and some good views of the Aurora Borealis.

Iceland’s Golden Circle tours offered views of excellent vistas, all of which were made even more interesting due to the late snow. Geysers and Waterfalls aplenty can be found in Iceland with some of the most well known being easily accessible via a day trip from Reykjavik. At Gulifloss you can walk down a very slippery snow covered path to get a closer look at this famous waterfall. This would be a nice easy walk in the summer but during the winter months. Iceland Excursions offer an excellent Golden Circle tour and they have some of the best tour guides.

Iceland’s reputation for being expensive is well founded. There are lots of nice cafes and restaurants that serve good food in pleasant surroundings including “Bistro”, “Reykjavik Pizza Company” and the sometimes smokey “Pinkid”.

Anyone with an interest in horses should take book a horse riding trip, these range from 90 minutes to a whole day. The Icelandic horses are truly magnificent animals with a wonderful temperament. If you need to relax after riding then a visit to the Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon’s geothermal heated pool also makes for a nice relaxing visit enroute to the airport before a flight back home.

A selection of photos from my visit to Iceland, including the Northern Lights are in the Iceland Photo Album.