With Helsinki just a 2hr ferry ride away, we decided to do a quick day trip. We did a fantastic guided walk around the city with Jonny (who is actually from Scotland but living in Helsinki for over 3 years). He had a huge amount of knowledge of the history and some interesting facts about Finland such as:

– Finland is not part of Scandinavia – I always thought it was

– Swedish is an official language and all signs and official documents must be in both languages

– The right to a sauna is in the constitution such that even prisoners in maximum security jail have to get access to a sauna.

The tour took in Senate Square which has the Helsinki Cathedral, Parliament and University all in perfect Russian style symmetry. We also saw the Russian Orthodox (now Finnish Orthodox) Church with its fancy interior and Temppeliaukio Church (which is carved out of rocky outcrop).

On the ferry back I did some exploring.

On this day in history (4 June)

1993 Cricket’s “Ball of the Century” – Australian spin bowler Shane Warne bowls England batsman Mike Gatting with his first ball of an Ashes series; Australia wins 1st Test at Old Trafford by 179 runs