‘Good Vibrations’ in Helsinki, Finland
Parks & People Warm the 'Daughter of the Baltic'

By George & Ninette Medovoy, Editors

The music of the Beach Boys echoes through the pleasant summer air. "California Girls," "Good Vibrations," "Surfin' USA." Where have we heard all these old songs before? Name any sun-drenched Southern California setting, and you'll probably have the answer.

But on this Sunday afternoon, it's the most unlikely setting of all - the gently sloping hills of Helsinki's Kaivopuisto Park, which at one time was frequented by 19th -century Russian nobility to take advantage of the healing waters of its spa.

This, a number of years ago, was our introduction to Helsinki, and we have never forgotten it...

As for the spa, the healing waters went the way of the Russian nobility, though the spa is now used as a popular restaurant. And the spacious park encompasses a chic residential and embassy neighborhood popular for afternoon strolls. On this day, of course, it seems as though all of Helsinki is in the park to catch the Beach Boys.

The Finns Loved The Beach Boys

An estimated 80,000 well-behaved Finns, including families with children in strollers, someone waving a big American flag, and even one fellow standing bare-chested with a big surfboard, turn out for the free concert.

People cheer, many sway to the classic musical numbers, and even a few perch themselves high above the crowds on Kaivopuisto's arching trees to steel a glimpse of the popular American singers, who show up with cheerleaders.

The next day, Helsinki's biggest daily newspaper runs a front-page color photo of the concert, with a deadline that says: "Beach Boys Conquer".

It is all vintage Helsinki summer, when the graceful city of 500,000,
known as the 'Daughter of the Baltic,' sheds her winter facade to embrace the warming rays of the summer sun. It's time to appreciate Helsinki's many parks and open squares, its friendly people, its lively outdoor celebration of the arts and its attachment to the sea.

Helsinki's Long Summer Days Mean Midnight Sun

With Helsinki's long summer days - at midnight it's as bright as noon - we could extend our agenda through the wee hours of the morning. That's a very good thing, of course, because there is so much to see and do here.

You might wish to begin with a walk down the Esplanade, or Espa, a wonderful European boulevard known as the "living room" of Helsinki because so much of city life takes place here, from music concerts, live drama and cafe life to fine dining and great shopping.

Espa begins at Mannerheim Boulevard, the broadest thoroughfare in Helsinki named for the famous Finnish general, and ends at Market Square, with its open-air market.

At the big Stockmann department store, a Finnish version of Macy's, you can lose yourself in a marvelous, upscale basement delicatessen. And if you like licorice, which is very popular in Helsinki, Stockmann sells 3-foot-loing strips of the soft, velvety kind.
After visiting the store and gorging ourselves with licorice, we went browsing through the Academic Bookstore, one of the works of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, whose most famous building is Helsinki's Finlandia Hall.

Espa Is Divided by Esplanade Park

Espa is divided in two by Esplanade Park, which cuts a swatch of pathways, shady trees and grassy areas through its center for people to enjoy while shopping.

On either side of the park stand elegant boutiques, Finnish design shops, art galleries and restaurants, all set in a rich feast of ornate, 19th-century architectural styles.

This pleasing urban tableau helps one appreciate the genius of Finnish urban design, whose influence extends far beyond the country's own borders.

Finnish inventiveness also embraces specialty items like Marimekko fabrics and clothing, Ittala glass and near-legendary Arabia china.

The centerpiece of Esplanade Park is the statue of J.L. Runeberg, Finland's national poet and the author of the Finnish national anthem. We noticed Runeberg during our first night in Helsinki, stopping to admirer his proud pose on our way to a cafe-brasserie neat the harbor. The exterior of the cafe, called Kappeli, vaguely suggested a comfortable country house built for the 19th-century nobility.

Warm and Friendly in the Cafe

Inside it was warm and friendly, with talkative crowds enjoying a full
evening meal or lighter fare. The name Kappeli means chapel, which recalls the small, chapel-like stalls from which milk used to be sold in Esplanade Park.

The Kappeli building was built in 1867, with a bandstand added in 1891, and still in use today.

Whether you find yourself in Kappeli or another restaurant, be sure to sample cloudberry liqueur, a sweet drink perfect over iced that is made from orange-yellow cloudberries, which grow only in the marshlands of Lapland in Finland's north near the Arctic Circle.

By the time we left Kappeli, it was night. And by our watch, it should
have been dark, but in these northerly parts, it was still amazingly light outside. We walked to the Hotel Torni, where the elevator with a glass door looked like something out of a spy thriller.

Which makes very good sense, of course, because the Torni served as KGB headquarters in Finland during the late 1940's. The Torni also has saunas and a rooftop bar, which affords a spectacular view of the city.

Market Square at the end of Espa, kept us busy for an entire morning. There were vendors in open-air stands selling fruits and vegetables, fresh Finnish bread, bread crust filled with fish, and vacuum-packed salmon ready for our trip home to America.

Fishermen in Wooden Boats Sell Smoked Fish

Fishermen in wooden boats anchored at dockside sold smoked fish, thrusting samples at us to taste.

In November, Market Square hosts the famous Herring Fair, when little boats from outlying islands and seaside towns come into port loaded with Baltic herrings of very conceivable variety - pickled, smoked, marinated, dried or fresh.

More than simply a feast for palate, however, the cobblestone Market Square becomes a visual delight, framed by 19th-centiry neo-classical buildings recalling Finland's early history.

One of these structures is the Presidential Palace, designed as a private residence in 1818 and converted in 1843 as a Finnish palace for the Russian czars, who ruled Finland until the country gained its independence in 1917.

This neo-classical influence is most obvious in nearby Senate Square, designed by Carl Engel, who also designed a great deal of the Russian city of St. Petersburg in much the same style. Since the two palaces resemble each other, filmmakers during the Cold War used to use Senate Square for Russian location shots, including "Doctor Zhivago."

Senate Square is dominated by the impressive Lutheran cathedral, where crowds soak up the sun during summer concerts. Beyond a love affair with outdoor performances, summertime Helsinki also reveres its ties to the sea.

About one-half of the area of Helsinki is actually water - and the city
is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the sea and small islands.

Helsinki Has Four Tourist Islands

Helsinki has four tourist islands - Korkeasaari with its zoo to the east of the Helsinki peninsula; Suomenlinna to the southeast with its fortress, Pihlajasaari to the southwest with its nice beaches; and Seurasaari to the west with its unique outdoor museum of traditional rural buildings and interiors, the oldest dating to 1747.

The latter buildings were moved to the island from Finnish regions around the country and include peasant houses, smoke saunas, mills, grains barns and manor houses. Docents dressed in period costumes tell about the buildings in English.

You can get to Seurasaari via a long, wooden footbridge that spans the water. Before we crossed, we bought ice cream from a stand and soon were joined by an assembly of ducks eager to share our cones.

Seurasaari is interlaced with pathways that sometimes pass by quiet coves.With the wind rustling through the tall birch trees and the air crisp and clear, this, too, was one of the many faces of the 'Daughter of the Baltic.'

For more information about Finnish tourism, visit www.finland-tourism.com.

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