Helsinki, Finland
We have been to Helsinki before, mainly in the rain, but today it was sunshining and a bit warmer than anticipated. We took the shuttle bus to the centre, a short walk took us to Market Square in the harbour where there were loads of food and craft stalls.

We headed to the ferry which would take us to Suomenlinna, a sea fortress and UNESCO site spread across several interconnected islands. Its 200 buildings were constructed over the years, starting in the 18th century by the Swedes and its original name was Sveaborg. It has a large dry dock built in the 1750s in order to build Sweden’s new archipelago fleet. The shipyard was protected by fortifications and is one of the oldest in the world, currently used to repair traditional ships.

Aimed to defend Finland from Russia, it had impressive military fortifications, however, the irony is that in 1809 the Russians took over this fortress. The Russians left the fortress in 1917 when Finland declared independence.

The islands have always been a place of residence for people, today there are more than 300 homes in Suomenlinna. There is a school, day care centre, church, library, museums, restaurants & offices.

Took the ferry back and enjoyed a very expensive beer (£10 for half a litre), before heading back to the ship on the shuttle bus.