Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna ("castle of Finland") is a fortress complex located on an archipelago just south of Helsinki. Built in the 18th century, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Flowers on Iso Mustasaari, the largest of the five islands.

Door to one of the fortifications. No doubt Hardwick's stocks this hardware...

From inside one of the fortifications.

Wooden boats being repaired in the dockyard.

An unusual building on Iso Mustasaari, seen from Pikku Mustasaari.

Part of Suomenlinna is off-limits as it is still used by the military (it is the site of the Finnish naval academy). Rebecca considers what "pain of punishment" might entail, exactly.

What's so exciting about this building? Speculation is welcome...the answer in my next post!

It's still early in the year, so most of the restaurants in Suomenlinna are closed. However, the brewery was open and was not bad. I had pan-fried Baltic herring (fine) with wild mushrooms in cream (good), a berry/onion relish (very good), and mashed potatoes (excellent). The brewery's hoppy pilsener was more interesting than the ordinary Finnish beers generally available.