Vanha kauppahalli in Helsinki

29 June 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, Shopping Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Vanha kauppahalli (english: Old Market Hall) is the first and oldest market and department store in Helsinki. The Vanha kauppahalli was opened in 1888. The building was designed by Gustaf Nystrom. Today the hall is also a popular tourist attraction.   read more…

Ateneum in Helsinki

18 September 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  6 minutes

Goddess of Art and Caryatids © Paasikivi/cc-by-sa-3.0

Goddess of Art and Caryatids © Paasikivi/cc-by-sa-3.0

Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It has the biggest collections of classical art in Finland. Before 1991 the Ateneum building also housed the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.   read more…

SpåraKoff in Helsinki

18 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Cecil/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Cecil/cc-by-sa-3.0

SpåraKoff is a HM V type tram converted into a bar in Helsinki, Finland. Known as the pub tram, the vehicle does circular tours of downtown Helsinki picking up passengers for a fee during summer months. It is operated jointly by Sinebrychoff, HOK-Elanto (part of the S Group), and Helsinki City Transport. The pub tram is immediately distinguishable in the Helsinki traffic by its vivid red colour (as opposed to the normal colours, green and cream, used on the Helsinki tram network of the Helsinki City Transport), and by the destination board that reads “PUB”. It is one of the four HM V trams that remain operational in Helsinki. Two of them are museum trams, and one is used as a non-passenger carrying advertisement tram.   read more…

Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki

20 April 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Matthew Duncan/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Matthew Duncan/cc-by-sa-3.0

Temppeliaukio Church is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki. The church was designed by architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and opened in 1969. Built directly into solid rock, it is also known as the Church of the Rock and Rock Church.   read more…

Helsinki Senate Square

4 March 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Senate Square with Alexander statue and Helsinki Cathedral © Bahnfrend/cc-by-sa-4.0

Senate Square with Alexander statue and Helsinki Cathedral © Bahnfrend/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Senate Square presents Carl Ludvig Engel‘s architecture as a unique allegory of political, religious, scientific and commercial powers in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. Senate Square and its surroundings make up the oldest part of central Helsinki. Landmarks and famous buildings surrounding the square are the Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, main building of the University of Helsinki, and Sederholm House, the oldest building of central Helsinki dating from 1757.   read more…

The Artania

1 January 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

in Bremerhaven © Tvabutzku1234

in Bremerhaven © Tvabutzku1234

MV Artania (previously Royal Princess and Artemis) is a cruise ship chartered since 2011 by Phoenix Reisen, a German-based travel agency and cruise ship operator. She was built for Princess Cruises by Wärtsilä at the Helsinki Shipyard, Finland, and was launched on 18 February 1984. At a ceremony in Southampton, England, on 15 November 1984, the ship was named Royal Princess by Diana, Princess of Wales. After entering service on 19 November 1984, she cruised as Royal Princess until April 2005, when she was transferred to the control of P&O Cruises, and was renamed Artemis. In 2011, she moved to Phoenix Reisen’s fleet and was renamed Artania.   read more…

NASA and ESA

12 August 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

NASA

© nasa.gov

© nasa.gov

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, disestablishing NASA’s predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency became operational on October 1, 1958.   read more…

Lappeenranta in South Karelia

11 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Lappeenranta Harbour - Photo by Petritap

Lappeenranta Harbour – Photo by Petritap

Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately 72,000 inhabitants Lappeenranta is the 13th largest city in Finland. The neighboring municipality of Joutseno was consolidated with Lappeenranta on January 1, 2009, and the neighboring municipality of Ylämaa on January 1, 2010.   read more…

The Freedom of the Seas

1 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  9 minutes

Freedom of the Seas on the maiden voyage © Andres Manuel Rodriguez

Freedom of the Seas on the maiden voyage © Andres Manuel Rodriguez

MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. It is the namesake of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built from 2006 until construction of the Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis-class ships in late 2009. The Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker Yards Turku Shipyard, Finland, which built the ships of the Voyager class as well as the other ships of the Freedom class. Upon its completion, it became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking that honor from Cunard‘s Queen Mary 2. Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor for its official naming ceremony on 12 May 2006 which was broadcast live on NBC’s The Today Show from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey (the ship’s official New York berth), and thereafter traveled to Boston for the weekend of May 19–22. It began operations out of Miami with its first cruise and maiden voyage on June 4, sailing to western Caribbean locations in Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica as well as Labadee, in Haiti, one of Royal Caribbean’s private resorts. Although the ship is registered in Nassau, The Bahamas, it is home ported in Port Canaveral, Florida, after moving from the Port of Miami.   read more…

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