Suomenlinna is made up of 8 islands just off the coast near Helsinki. The area is easily reached by ferry from the city. We have been a couple of times and we headed there on a glorius May afternoon with my Finnish cousins.
coming in to Suomenlinna
one of the old submarines
some of the old fortifications
it looks peaceful now
the underground bunkers would have been needed in winter
home for somebody
a tiny front door
a reminder of past battles
not quite so fearsome now
The fortress was handed over to civilian administration in 1973, except Pikku Mustasaari island where the naval acadamy is still located. The old buildings are still in use and restoration work continues.
The area is very popular for locals and tourists alike. The islands are beautiful, particularly in spring and summer, making them an ideal place for a picnic or just a wander about.
beautiful walkways
a great place for a picnic
early spring on Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna's church
in front of the church
beside a path
If you are on the island in the late afternoon you can watch the huge ships head past the island on their way to Sweden. Stand at King’s Gate and you can practically touch them as they go by.
King's Gate
There are several restaurants and cafes on the island. There are also some very pretty shops selling Finnish arts and crafts. If you go to Helsinki, and I think you should, make sure you spend some time on Suomenlinna.
flag flying over Suomenlinna
Click here to see more on Helsinki Harbour.
I’m sorry about the “test” thing. I am having i Pad lessons and right now it is about 3 minutes from being returned to the Mac shop. With a bit of luck things will improve.
I would love to visit Finland one day. what is the family connection ? I had to smile about the iPad thing, I am sitting in the hairdressers reading your blog on mine, and avoiding Hello magazine. Good choice on my part
By: Joanna on September 15, 2011
at 10:08 am
My grandfather was born in Sakkijarvi, which was then Finland. Russia snatched that bit of Finland, along with a whole lot more in the Winter War, which was just before WW II. There is a post in the Helsinki category called “My new relatives in Finland” which has a photo of him. He came to Australia in 1912 at the tender age of 19. I would cheerfully have tossed the i Pad out of the nearest window this afternoon.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 10:25 am
Gosh, what a lovely place–great place to visit if I ever make it to Finland. In the meantime, a beautiful place to read about!
Sorry about your iPad problems. I’m with Joanna–out the window–preferably a window on a Finnish island, however.
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on September 15, 2011
at 10:40 am
I will have to keep trying with it, but my PC is much easier to use to blog at this stage. Finland is gorgeous, you must go one day.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 10:55 am
beautiful place. And very historical !
By: John Fanai on September 15, 2011
at 11:02 am
Finland is very beautiful and this little island in Helsinki’s harbour is a great place to visit.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 11:23 am
You go to the most interesting places!
By: Theresa Lauf on September 15, 2011
at 11:09 am
Finland is a beautiful country. I will be back there soon.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 11:15 am
It looks beautiful… but it must be terribly cold in winter. Great photos, as usual….
By: Mulino Dominillo on September 15, 2011
at 11:28 am
It must be bitterly cold there in winter. I have been there on a cold wet day – warm and sunny is better.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 11:29 am
I like that place. Interesting past, inviting present.
By: maru on September 15, 2011
at 1:00 pm
It is a really interesting place to visit.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 8:39 pm
What a beautiful island. I must visit Finland one day.
Keep trying with the ipad. You’ll love it eventually!
By: Jenny@A Taste of Travel on September 15, 2011
at 1:35 pm
Finland is great, you will love it. Right now I don’t love the i Pad, but I will just have to learn.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 8:40 pm
Such a stunning island. I love the bunker and canons. Reminds me of trips to forts with my late step-father. Thanks for the wonderful memories. Great post!
By: Jennifer Avventura on September 15, 2011
at 5:54 pm
Thanks. I have been a few times to Suomenlinna. Finland is lovely.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 8:41 pm
A breathtaking, beautiful Island Fortress. So much history. Those old bunkers were pretty cool. My son would love to see something like that. Amazing photos with great writing. Thanks.
By: the island traveler on September 15, 2011
at 6:26 pm
This place would be great fun for a young boy with the old bunkers to climb over.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 8:42 pm
Beautiful gentle photos, even if some of them were of submarines and cannons! The sunlight was just so soft, made me want to sit on the grass and watch the water!
By: Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial on September 15, 2011
at 7:57 pm
There are some beautiful craft shops on the island as well. A few little trinkets have found their way to my house from here.
By: bagnidilucca on September 15, 2011
at 8:43 pm
Just catching up with the bagnadilucca blog. I love the picture of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the previous post. Good luck with the i Pad.
By: Just Add Attitude on September 15, 2011
at 10:55 pm
I had a lesson with the i Pad yesterday that was far from successful. The teacher just confused me completely. I went back to the apple shop today and the man who sold it to me set me up ready to post in about 5 minutes so hopefully I will be able to post while I am travelling. I just need a bit of practice.
By: bagnidilucca on September 16, 2011
at 10:43 am
The submarine looks frighteningly vulnerable when you think of it many fathoms down and carrying many souls. The bunker appeals to the hobbit in me – I should like to send up the cry of “retire to the bunker”, shut the door and light the fire – I’m guessing the curling smoke would give me away. I think you’re a brave wee laddy to tackle the ipad – my British stiff upper lip has been sorely tested this last couple of weeks with plain steam-driven technology and software – and IT technicians who “tidied up” a few things – I was tempted to hurl my stone tablet and etching tool at them.
By: Jan on September 15, 2011
at 11:56 pm
I understand your pain. I very nearly hit the teacher over the head with mine. I had much more success today with the man who sold it to me. He was much better.
I can see you sitting by the fire in one of those bunkers. I think they look most inviting.
By: bagnidilucca on September 16, 2011
at 10:45 am
PS: love the photo of the catkins
By: Jan on September 15, 2011
at 11:57 pm
Is that what they are?
By: bagnidilucca on September 16, 2011
at 10:45 am
Yes, I think they are also known as Pussy Willow
By: Jan on September 16, 2011
at 1:07 pm
Whatever they are called they are beautiful.
By: bagnidilucca on September 16, 2011
at 1:09 pm
I think this would be a great place to visit if you are studying World Wars. Since I am studying World Wars, then it stands to reason that I should go to this island. Like my travel justifications?
What a fascinating place! And have you been using the WordPress app on your ipad? I blog quite a bit from the ipad. Not all of the commands are possible, but for many posts the ipad works great. I would be happy to answer any ipad questions you have. I might even know the answer. But who knows?
By: Jessica on September 16, 2011
at 2:44 am
I do like your travel justification. Thanks for the offer of help with the i Pad. I had success today with the man at Apple who sold it to me. He has a wordpress blog and showed me how to write a post in about 5 minutes. I’m hoping it will come in handy while I am travelling. I cancelled future lessons with the teacher, he was just confusing me.
By: bagnidilucca on September 16, 2011
at 10:49 am
I haven’t had lots of luck blogging from the iPad, chiefly with inserting links into posts. one of the things that makes it a lot easier though is having a Bluetooth keyboard to type on if you want to create big chunks of content and edit what you write. I have recently experimented with an offline editor – a programme where you write the post and can place your photos before you upload the whole lot to WordPress, That too lacks some commands, I think that something like that is what is needed for the iPad to make it less tortuous to write posts. X Jo
By: Joanna on September 16, 2011
at 6:26 am
I went back to the shop where I bought the i Pad today and the man there was very helpful. I cancelled future lessons with the teacher who was making things much more complicated than they need to be. I will just use it while I am actually travelling and go back to my computer when I am at home here in Brisbane or in Italy. When I have the time to sit and concentrate I will investigate further with blogging from the iPad. I. am leaving in a week and I just need the absolute basics for now. Thank you for your encouragement
By: bagnidilucca on September 16, 2011
at 10:54 am
Ooh we’ve been here! It’s an interesting island and we got some cute pictures of squirrels there too
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on September 17, 2011
at 2:08 am
I must have missed the squirrels. Perhaps they were asleep that day.
By: bagnidilucca on September 17, 2011
at 2:18 am
Looks much nicer than the time I was there with you Ma, twas cold and wet that day
By: Anonymous on October 6, 2011
at 4:34 am
Reblogged this on Beautiful Helsinki.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 4, 2012
at 9:35 pm
Wonderful post, dear Debra, how nice to see in green… Thank you, love, nia
By: niasunset on June 4, 2012
at 10:53 pm
I absolutely love this!
By: bellacorea on June 5, 2012
at 8:33 am