FINNLINES trip from Travemünde to Helsinki 16.-20. August
Here are some photos of my summerholidays in Helsinki. It was an offer by Finnlines, Travemünde-Helsinki & retour including 3 nights in Seurahuone Hotel in Helsinki for a reasonable price.
The Finnlines ships were: "Finnstar", "Finnmaid". We had very good Scandinavian buffet, although the ships cabins could be a bit cleaner, we had a pleasant time onboard.
I hope you enjoy looking at the photos, if you have questions, please ask. I can recommend Helsinki in summer, and in winter, too. In winter it is even better, because you do not have to fear to feel too hot, but we were lucky, temperature was not above 20°C.
Please enjoy,
Cornelia
Here you can see the "Finnstar" prior to our boarding in the port.
We were leaving Drochtersen on 15.08.2013 in the evening to board the ferry around 23.00. Departure was 03.00. That meant, we were asleep when they were leaving the port of Travemünde and when we woke up, we were already away from any land, in the mid of the Baltic Sea. We were visiting the Restaurant to have a delicious brunch and some coffee. After this, it was time for a walk on deck. The "Finnstar" has a vast deckspace as you can see, so there was plenty of space for all people and no crowding.
We arrived in the morning of 17 th at Vuosaari harbour in Helsinki. After that we went by bus and metro to our hotel "Seurahuone" in the center of the city. It is actually a high-class hotel but we had a very cheap offer for this by a travel-agency in Lubeck.
We first went to the market square and its surroundings, they were selling all kinds of stuff there, from fish to souvenirs and potatos, fruits etc. We did not buy any berries or apples, these had horrible prices. Looking closer, we saw why: Many of these were imported from Germany or Spain. Finland is perhaps not the ideal place to grow fruits, we thought.
Also we were walking around the Katajanokka islands, having a walk, having a look at the icebreakers which are laid up there during summer time.
Our hotel was located just opposite the railway station and we did not need to watch TV, because allwe had to do was, looking out of the window and see the city alive, constant coming and going of people, busses, trams, taxis.
Another day we took the 1952 built ferry "Suokki" to the island Suomenlinna (wikipedia does provide you with info on this historic place in case you are interested). We strolled around this old military area which has as well interesting nature and enjoyed the day, and as well the big ferries to Stockholm, which were leaving from the city harbour.
A visit to Hietalahti was also planned, it is the area where the old "Wärtsilä" shipyard had its place, nowadays it is Arctec Finland, they are building ships for use in Arctic regions. They had as well a museumship there, a tug "Turso" which was given to the Soviet Union as reparation payment, but a group of enthusiasts has brought the ship back to Finland a decade ago and keep it running for now, and keep it in good condition.
As well we went to the Western Terminal, where the ferries to Tallinn and St. Petersburg are departing. You can call these ships "booze bombers" because they make alot of their money for people who go to Estonia or Russia for having a good time and drinking cheap alcohol. You can believe me, alcohol in Finland is incredibly expensive so the only way to get some cheap is, to get abroad.
The two ferries going to St. Petersburg, run by St. Peter Line, made me very happy this day. These ships were actually built for Finnish companies back in the 80ies as "Finlandia" and "Olympia". The ships were sold to other interests in Europe, one was sailing for DFDS to England and the "Olympia" for P&O from Portsmouth to Bilbao - through the rough bay of biscay all year long. I have been on both ships so this was a very happy moment for me.
On our last day we also went to the sailing harbour of Helsinki. There were various old ships there, but also some remakes. It was a good thing, to see these ships close up, after all these modern types.
After three days it was time to say good bye, we went to the port the same way we came from there, and did board the "Finnmaid" around late evening. We had dinner onboard, a late night in the bar and a good sleep. The next day we had one day completely at sea and arrived in the evening at Travemünde, when there was another ferry of the same company departing and few other ships in the port.
Finally, a few random photos of Helsinki and arrival in Travemünde. I hope, you enjoyed the read and comments are very welcome.
The Finnlines ships were: "Finnstar", "Finnmaid". We had very good Scandinavian buffet, although the ships cabins could be a bit cleaner, we had a pleasant time onboard.
I hope you enjoy looking at the photos, if you have questions, please ask. I can recommend Helsinki in summer, and in winter, too. In winter it is even better, because you do not have to fear to feel too hot, but we were lucky, temperature was not above 20°C.
Please enjoy,
Cornelia
Here you can see the "Finnstar" prior to our boarding in the port.
We were leaving Drochtersen on 15.08.2013 in the evening to board the ferry around 23.00. Departure was 03.00. That meant, we were asleep when they were leaving the port of Travemünde and when we woke up, we were already away from any land, in the mid of the Baltic Sea. We were visiting the Restaurant to have a delicious brunch and some coffee. After this, it was time for a walk on deck. The "Finnstar" has a vast deckspace as you can see, so there was plenty of space for all people and no crowding.
We arrived in the morning of 17 th at Vuosaari harbour in Helsinki. After that we went by bus and metro to our hotel "Seurahuone" in the center of the city. It is actually a high-class hotel but we had a very cheap offer for this by a travel-agency in Lubeck.
We first went to the market square and its surroundings, they were selling all kinds of stuff there, from fish to souvenirs and potatos, fruits etc. We did not buy any berries or apples, these had horrible prices. Looking closer, we saw why: Many of these were imported from Germany or Spain. Finland is perhaps not the ideal place to grow fruits, we thought.
Also we were walking around the Katajanokka islands, having a walk, having a look at the icebreakers which are laid up there during summer time.
Our hotel was located just opposite the railway station and we did not need to watch TV, because allwe had to do was, looking out of the window and see the city alive, constant coming and going of people, busses, trams, taxis.
Another day we took the 1952 built ferry "Suokki" to the island Suomenlinna (wikipedia does provide you with info on this historic place in case you are interested). We strolled around this old military area which has as well interesting nature and enjoyed the day, and as well the big ferries to Stockholm, which were leaving from the city harbour.
A visit to Hietalahti was also planned, it is the area where the old "Wärtsilä" shipyard had its place, nowadays it is Arctec Finland, they are building ships for use in Arctic regions. They had as well a museumship there, a tug "Turso" which was given to the Soviet Union as reparation payment, but a group of enthusiasts has brought the ship back to Finland a decade ago and keep it running for now, and keep it in good condition.
As well we went to the Western Terminal, where the ferries to Tallinn and St. Petersburg are departing. You can call these ships "booze bombers" because they make alot of their money for people who go to Estonia or Russia for having a good time and drinking cheap alcohol. You can believe me, alcohol in Finland is incredibly expensive so the only way to get some cheap is, to get abroad.
The two ferries going to St. Petersburg, run by St. Peter Line, made me very happy this day. These ships were actually built for Finnish companies back in the 80ies as "Finlandia" and "Olympia". The ships were sold to other interests in Europe, one was sailing for DFDS to England and the "Olympia" for P&O from Portsmouth to Bilbao - through the rough bay of biscay all year long. I have been on both ships so this was a very happy moment for me.
On our last day we also went to the sailing harbour of Helsinki. There were various old ships there, but also some remakes. It was a good thing, to see these ships close up, after all these modern types.
After three days it was time to say good bye, we went to the port the same way we came from there, and did board the "Finnmaid" around late evening. We had dinner onboard, a late night in the bar and a good sleep. The next day we had one day completely at sea and arrived in the evening at Travemünde, when there was another ferry of the same company departing and few other ships in the port.
Finally, a few random photos of Helsinki and arrival in Travemünde. I hope, you enjoyed the read and comments are very welcome.