The Finnish Fort

 

Suomenlinna, the Finnish Fort, Sveaborg by its original Swedish name, was built starting 1748 on the coast of Helsinki. Finland was then a part of Sweden and the island fortress was built to protect against Russian attacks. In 1808, during the War of Finland, the Russian army laid siege to Sveaborg for two months, until its chief, Carl Olof Cronstedt, surrendered. And there was great rejoicing amongst the Russians. As a result of this war, Sweden had to give up all of Finland and my country became an autonomous grand duchy of Russia. 

These days Suomenlinna is a favorite summer picnic destination for the people of Helsinki and tourists too. On Monday, IT and I decided to venture out. The weather was sweltering again, but we had great hopes of sea breezes on the island. 

You can take the ferry from the city's main Market Square, and the cost is the same as any tram, metro or bus, just your normal ticket. But boy was it crowded on the pier waiting for the boat! I worried we wouldn't fit in - but we did. The ferry is larger than it looks. 

Havis Amanda, a famous statue by the Market Square

 For me, the main attraction in Suomenlinna is the sea, the breeze and the lazy feeling. But IT wants to explore tunnels. Susisaari, one of the islands of the fortress, is full of dark passages underground. I hear they were built mostly for storage space for ammunition. But we like to imagine you could hide there. 

If you want to explore the tunnels, take a flashlight. They are not lighted. Some of them are open to the public, others are not. And you do the exploring at your own responsibility - nobody is amused if you try to sue someone for hitting your head when the ceiling is low! 

Another joy for kids are the cannons. I don't know why cannons are so much fun, but they are, for kids and adults alike - it's probably Freudian. I'll leave it at that. You can even climb on some of these cannons. 

IT in a cannon inside a wall. 

Where was PW during all this fun? At home, with a cold. He had caught my miserable illness and spent three miserable days, miserable at home while IT and I visited with family, friends and the sea.