Canada

Back to Canada to visit family and friends

Our main reason for coming back to Canada was to visit with Family and friends.  There are some people you can go months or even years without seeing, but when you finally get together, it feels like it was only yesterday when you saw them last.

We landed in Canada and our first stop was to visit our daughter Janice and son-in-law Scott in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Of course we also stopped along the way to enjoy a Timmy´s.

It was great spending time with them and enjoying their company.  One day we decided to head out toward St. Andrews and visit Ministers Island and the home to the  Van Horne Estate.

Now, visiting an island sounds pretty straightforward but this one was different.  Ministers Island is known as a tidal island, which means the road to the island is actually exposed ocean floor. We had to time our visit with the tides because, unlike most roads, this one disappears with high tide. we arrived early in the morning and there was a heavy fog along the coast. We drove along the Ocean floor and eventually reached the island. This was a unique experience and interesting to say the least.

View of the Ocean floor along the route to Morrison Island
View of the Ocean floor along the route to Morrison Island

In 1891, Van Horne purchased land on Ministers Island and turned  it into his summer retreat.  The estate had the main house, gardens, farmland, a huge barn, dairy, carriage house, windmill, bathhouse and even a gardener’s cottage. At the island our first stop was at a very large Barn.

Scott, Shelley and Janice at the Van Horne barn

We explored the barn and it was interesting to note that this barn was considered the most modern style with a built in elevator and scale system. However the main attraction on the island is the Covenhoven.

The Covenhoven estate

The former summer home of Sir William Van Horne. If that name sounds familiar, there’s a good reason. Van Horne was one of the key figures behind the Canadian Pacific Railway and served as its president. He is in the historic photo of the last spike in the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Original photo of the “last spike” on Canadian Pacific Railway
One of the salons inside the Covenhoven estate
Massive game room in the Covenhoven Estate
Dinning room of the Covenhoven estate

We explored the Covenhoven and walked trough the many different rooms. It was like walking through a piece of Canadian history.

It was a perfect day to explore the grounds of the estate and so we walked throughout parts of the island. We came upon one of the locals who simply watched us walk by.

We went to see the stone bath house and decided to head to the base which leads to the shore overlooking the water.

Bathhouse along the shoreline

The views were beautiful and the air was crisp and fresh.

Our trip to Morrison Island and the Van Horne estate was a great way to spend a calm and relaxing day with family and some Canadian history.

“Enjoy life every day”

Finland

Viikinkiravintola Harald

As our time in Helsinki came to an end, Shelley and I wanted to make our final evening in Finland something special. After several wonderful days exploring the city, we decided to celebrate our last night with a memorable dining experience at Viking Restaurant Harald, known in Finnish as Viikinkiravintola Harald.


From the moment we walked through the doors, we felt as though we had stepped back in time to the days of the Vikings. The restaurant’s décor was authentic, featuring beautifully carved wooden seating, and lots of Viking-themed artifacts and paraphernalia.

Shields, weapons, carvings, and rustic furniture created the atmosphere of a traditional Viking longhouse. 



We sat down at our table and enjoyed a glass of wine in pottery glasses while wearing our Viking hats. The experience was much more than just the décor. The food was very good and it was an excelent experience.

We tried reindeer steak and salmon and both plates were delicious. We enjoyed our meal and took time to reminisce some of the highlights of our Helsinki trip. 

Some journeys are remembered for the places you see while others are remembered for the experiences you share. Helsinki was both for us.

“Jokainen matka alkaa ottamalla ensimmäisen askeleen.”

Finland

Exploring Helsinki’s Rock Temppeliaukio Church

We went to check out the remarkable Temppeliaukio Church, often referred to as the “Rock Church.”

From the outside, you would not even know it is a church. The whole place is imbedded into a rocky hill.

 As we approached the church, we had no idea what to expect inside.
We went through the main entrance and it was stunning.  The church is carved directly into the solid granite rock.

The rough stone walls rise around the entire church and natural light comes through the skylights in the dome overhead. It was impressive simply seeing the creative way they made the church. The church was completed in 1969 and instead of building on top of the rock, they chose to build within it.

Ray looking at the grooves carved out of the stone for the church.

Apparently one of the most fascinating features of Temppeliaukio Church is its acoustics. The exposed rock walls create exceptional sound quality, making the church a popular venue for concerts as well as religious services.

Covered Granite Alter in front of the natural crevice that makes part of the church walls.

The copper-lined dome was also very impressive, suspended on concrete beams and surrounded by 180 skylights.  It was almost like a flying saucer hovering above us.

Copper dome ceiling supported by concrete beams and skylights
Rock base with Skylights and beams holding the copper dome

We walked around the church looking at the creative ways they imbedded features into the granite, from the church organ to the baptismal font.

Church organ embedded into granite wall
Baptismal Font made with stone and copper

After walking around the main floor of the church we headed up to the second level.  There we sat on one of the pues and just relaxed and took it all in. It was a unique, peaceful and more enjoyable than we expected. 

The “Rock Church” was certainly very unique and interesting to visit and explore.  

”Maailma on pelkkää haarautuvia polkuja.” -Einari Vuorela

Finland

A Day Exploring Suomenlinna Island and Fortress

One day we decided to explore Suomenlinna, the historic sea fortress just off the coast of Helsinki. We walked down to Helsinki’s Market Square and took the Ferry to the Island of Suomenlinna.

We boarded the ferry and watch the city skyline slowly recede as we made our way across the Baltic Sea. It only took us about twenty minutes to get to the island but the ride was very enjoyable. We saw some beautiful views of Helsinki and the surrounding islands.


As we approached Suomenlinna, we could see why it has earned UNESCO World Heritage status. The fortress stretches in front of us with historic stone walls, and buildings.  We left the ferry and walked through the main gate of the complex. 

Our first impression entering through the gate was that there was a full town inside the walls of the fortress. 

At each turn there were walkways and paths that led in different directions. We came to a military building that had massive chains surrounding it with cannons as the post. It was quite impressive to see.

It was also very peaceful walking through the fortress even through there were people and tourist walking about.  

We spent the morning exploring the fortress walking through the maze of walls and defensive structures that date back to the 18th century.

Walking through the different areas of the fort we soon got lost and it was awesome to just wander and enjoying the moment.

We came to some fortified bunkers and cave system and decided to explore the interior.

We went inside and walked in the narrow underground tunnels to eventually pop out at another fortified bunker location.

The views from a top of the bunker walls were beautiful. We could see to surrounding Islands and views of the cost of Helsinki in the distance.

We walked along the paths exploring when we came to an interesting spot. In the distance we could see a submarine permanently displayed near the bay of the island.  We couldn’t resist taking a closer look at this remarkable piece of naval history.

It was hard to imagine how a crew of 20 sailors lived and worked in such a confined space beneath the sea. This submarine served in the Finnish Winter War and the WWII between 1939 and 1944. What made it especially significant because it served as the prototype for Germany’s Type II U-boats, making it an important piece of submarine development history.

We visited several of the historic sites scattered throughout the island, including old cannons that still point toward the sea and the museum that told the story of the fortress’s fascinating past.

Walking along the paths it sometimes felt more like a park than a fortress and was very relaxing.

We strolled along a trail that came across a small bridge with views of the Baltic Sea in the background.

After exploring for hours we headed our way back to the ferry terminal. The return trip to Helsinki provided one last view of the fortress from the water. 

It was a day filled with Interesting history, views of the baltic Sea and a relaxing and enjoyable time. 

“Elä hetkessä”

Finland

Detour adventure to Helsinki Finland

On the last day in Singapore Shelley and I were making our way home from Singapore, with Madrid as our intended destination. Everything was going smoothly until we learned that our flight had been cancelled. Like many other travellers facing disruptions, we suddenly found ourselves searching for alternatives.

Unfortunately, as a result of the war in Iran, there were very few direct flights available into Europe.  After exploring our options, we discovered seats on a flight to Helsinki. It wasn’t where we had planned to go, but it got us into Europe. So rather than rushing to find the quickest connection home, we decided to embrace the unexpected and spend the Easter weekend in Finland’s capital.

Scandic Grand Central Hotel in Helsinki,

We checked into the Scandic Grand Central Hotel in Helsinki, a beautiful spot in a beautifully restored historic building adjacent to the city’s central railway station. It was perfect, the hotel was large and had hundreds of rooms. Our room was at the end of one of the long wings of the hotel and it kind of reminded us of the movie “The Shining.”

Helsinki has some unique architecture and its own vibe. Our first day we explored the city centre and were so impressed.  We began by the central train station and walked towards the water front.

Central Train Station in Helsinki

The iconic statues along both sides of the main entrance are known locally as “The Stone Men.”  Their official name is Lyhdynkantajat.

The Stone Men of Helsinki Central Train Station

The centre city has a blend of historic and contemporary buildings and design. 

Shelley in the city centre area of Helsinki

While walking towards the waterfront, we came across the Helsinki Cathedral Church. It was built in 1852 and has a beautiful white facade. 

We arrived down at the waterfront near the market square which is located on the South Harbour of the city. It is one of the city’s best-known landmarks and a hub for daily commerce.

We came to an area with lots of different tent kiosks selling all kind of goods. We walked along checking out the different art and food on sale.

We came to a kiosk selling Salmon soup and it smelled soooo good, we had to try it.

It was amazing and tasted so good. In fact we came back the next day to have the soup again. After exploring all the kiosks, we went to the enclosed market located in a beautiful older building.

The inside was beautiful with wooden kiosks all the way down both sides of the building.

There were small restaurants, cafe shops and artisan stores selling all kind of goods, from Salmon sandwiches, reindeer meat to Caviar.

Kiosk selling Reindeer pelts, antlers and meats.
Kiosk selling different caviars and fish

 Our first day in Helsinki did not disappoint, it was a very enjoyable day and we loved the atmosphere of the city.  One of the joys of travelling is discovering places that aren’t necessarily in your original plans. Helsinki turned out to be one of those pleasant surprises.

“Embrace the detours” – Kevin Charbonnea

Life is too short to wait for adventure!