Since Suomenlinna is a group of islands, you have to travel there by ferry. It really was a beautiful day, and we sat on the outside upper deck of the ferry. The ferry was packed, and we needed to stand, but Grandma being older, and using a cane, was granted a seat by a nice man. Aden then sat on her lap, and the rest of us stood in the aisle. The trip only took about 20 minutes. We got off the ferry, and began to explore the fort. The roads were either 200 year old bricks, or a sandy gravel. The bricks were very hard to push the stroller along, but we managed (I wouldn't have complained if I knew what was coming!). Most of the crowd moved in one direction, so we went in the other. There are small museums, art galleries, cafes, and shops scattered all over Suominlinna. We headed toward an art gallery and the kids found a trail through some tall grass. Basically from this moment on, we only saw Aili and Alex occasionally. They had too much fun exploring on their own.
On the other side of the art gallery, and at the end of the path the kids took, we found the Gulf of Finland branch of the Baltic Sea. From there, we followed paths and the kids climbed the rocky shore along the edge of the fortress. Now, these paths were sometimes gravel, but much of the time, rock "steps". This is where we had the most excitement of the day. Aili and Alex had basically disappeared, so Marika and Aden held hands and she helped him along the trail. I pushed/carried the stroller, while helping Grandma climb over rocks, and along cliffs, and up and down rugged staircases. Let's just say we all got a great workout. At one point, the bottom step of one section was too large for Grandma. Aden was asleep in the stroller by this point, so a couple nice young ladies were helping Grandma down the steps. At the bottom, they were trying to figure out how to help her down when a young man just reached around Grandma, picked her up, and set her down on the ground. She was laughing hysterically, and everyone was so nice.
Aili and Alex's adventure also included climbing along the rocky edge of the island, but they also found underground walkways and tunnels to explore. At one point Aili just found a large rock at the water's edge, took off her shoes and socks, and enjoyed the views. Aili said that exploring Suomenlinna was her favorite part of the trip.
We finally all caught up with each other, and Marika treated us to a snack. We then worked our way back to the ferry dock and spent some time in the gift shop. The ferry back was much less crowded, and we had two rows of benches on the top of the ferry. Aden practically hung over the edge looking at the water, and waving at the people on all the passing boats.
When we got back to shore, Marika took us to this great Italian restaurant for dinner. We then decided to squeeze in a couple more quick sites before ending our day. Granted, it was about 8 pm at this point, but we couldn't miss out on anything. :) First, we went to find the Rock Church or Temppeliaukio Kirkko. This is a church built on a rocky hill right in the middle of town. Unfortunately, it was completely under renovation, so we could barely see anything other than parts of the rock walls. But at least we can say we have been there. Next, we went to the Sibelius Monument in Sibelius Memorial Park. Jean Sibelius was a composer who wrote the Finnish National Anthem. The monument is a collection of metal pipes suspended in the air, and when the wind blows, the monument whistles. It's like blowing across the open top of a bottle. The monument was actually very pretty.
By this point it was around 11 pm, so we drove Marika across town to her apartment and then back to our hotel. It was after midnight, and after such a busy day, everyone was tired and went straight to bed. :)
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| Part of the rocky shore of Suomenlinna. |
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| An entrance to one of the many tunnels Aili and Alex were able to explore in the fortress. |
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| Rock Church |
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| The Sibelius Monument |
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