Thursday doors ~ Helsinki

Nothing grand, just few doors and windows Posted for Dan’s Thursday Doors

Doors and windows in Helsinki
Mirror view
Car door and window

Töölö Windows

Ludwigs Monday Window

Spent few moments in Töölö, Helsinki looking for Windows on a Friday evening. I was able take these without cars. There is one shot I took, just to show movement on the road, it is usually a very busy road. Not on a Friday evening with summer temperatures 😊

The spring signs – open water

Here are some spring shots from my walk in Helsinki. There were many people about due to the sunny day, one even went for a swim.

On our walk you could see Suomenlinna. the winter setting in this scene evokes a sense of tranquility and historical charm. The tower is a part of a church Given the winter setting and architectural elements, this scene evokes a sense of tranquility and historical charm. The tower appears to be a significant landmark, perhaps part of a church or another notable building.. All photos can be enlarged by clicking on the them.

Suomenlinna

Tranquility at the Water’s Edge


The sun, a gentle artist, paints the world in hues of serenity. In this frozen tableau, the shoreline stands as a sentinel, its icy armor glistening under the morning light. The partially frozen water whispers secrets of seasons past, its surface etched with delicate patterns.

hues of serenity

Beyond, the open expanse of water cradles vessels—silent witnesses to the ebb and flow of time. Their hulls, weathered and wise, navigate the boundary between liquid and frozen realms. Against the vast canvas of sky, they appear as mere brushstrokes, their purpose inscribed in the dance of wind and current.

Vessels navigate the boundary between liquid and frozen realms.

The heavens, too, play their part. Wisps of cloud drift lazily, casting fleeting shadows upon the ice. The azure expanse stretches infinitely, inviting contemplation and wonder. And there, on the distant horizon, where sky meets sea, a promise lingers—a promise of journeys yet to unfold.

As the day unfolds, this frozen symphony will thaw, yielding to life’s perpetual rhythm. But for now, let us linger—a moment suspended in time—captivated by the quietude of this frozen seascape.

Vessel’s

Icy shores of Helsinki

March has brought us some sunny days and warmer weather, the wind still makes it cooler, but the amount of light increase is just wonderful. To wake up and the sun has already risen today at 6:44 and sunset 18:16. This does wonders to the my mood. The sea is not open yet, but soon.

Helsinki
Old buildings at Helsinki

yellow facade & rectangular windows

A building with a warm, yellow facade, features rectangular windows, each framed in white. On the left side, a small balcony french balcony. Shadows of bare tree branches are cast upon the building’s facade, creating an artistic pattern. The blue sky reflected in the windows show the fair weather of this day.

The warm yellow hue of the building’s facade, the crisp white window frames, and the intricate patterns created by the tree shadows make this shot interesting.

Ludwigs Monday Window: March 11, 2024

Walking on ice

On this March day, it was windy, a bit cold but sunny. I watched these – I am assuming that these people walking on the icr are artists living on the island. I was, as were many other walkers taking photos of then walking on the ice – as there was open sea and under currants there. We could not believe that they were doing it – too dangerous, all of us saying, no one will be able to come and rescue them if they fall into the ice. Yes, we finns do speak to each other even if we don’t know each other 🙂

Harakka Island is located a few minutes’ boat ride away from Kaivopuisto, by the open sea and in the middle of the delicate nature of the archipelago. The richness of the island’s vegetation and bird population is unparalleled. There are four nature reserves on the island.

March day in Helsinki

There is also Harakka Artists’ House on Harakka island houses 30 studios for professional artists and artisans.

Artist house

Sun-kissed ice whispers secrets to city.

Debbies Six Word Sunday

Looking towards Ullanlinna – Helsinki

Street Photography – craftspeople

Handicrafts saleswoman at the market place in Helsinki

Welcome to the marketplace, a happy place where time slows down and people smile. It’s a warm place where handmade things are made with love and care. Each stitch and thread tells a story, and the people who make them are filled with joy as they share their craft. Let the marketplace bring happiness to your heart and enjoy all the wonderful things it has to offer!

Christmas market – Helsinki

Yesterday we visited the Tuomaan markkinat – Helsinki Chrismas Market little bit too early if we had waited for the sunset the lights would have been more brighter, but even thought we were a bit early it was crowded hard to get to the the vendor booths. It was rather windy and cold, but it is winter 🙂

Providing a more responsible alternative to mass-produced gifts and decorations, Helsinki Christmas Market brings to Senate Square a significant number of artisans and small producers from all over Finland. The market’s atmospheric core consists of the Deliyard and Restaurant Yard, which also serves alcoholic beverages, where one can enjoy seasonal treats and festive holiday spirit.

Posted for John’s Cellpic Sunday

Street Photography – Kanavaranta

Thick curtain of gray clouds, as if nature itself had decided to embrace the melancholy of the day. The sea, usually vibrant with colors reflecting the sky and the surrounding buildings, now seemed to merge with the somber atmosphere. People hurried along the sidewalk. Despite the gloom, there was a unique beauty in the stillness of picturesque Kanavanranta.

Street Photography – food stand

Helsinki – esplanade last summer.

The popular Esplanade Park, fondly referred to as “Espa” among locals, is the most famous park in Finland and the green heart of Helsinki. People come here to see and be seen, to listen to music and watch performances, and to enjoy picnics. This Brazilian lady was selling food there the summer day I shot this photo. What caught my attention was the matching colors of the seller and the biker that had stopped by to chat.

Helsinki – Esplanade food stand
Having fun editing the photo.

Street photography – silhouettes

I am going to post images new and old of this genre in this new topic name. Shortly described below as what I want to convey in this photos.

In Helsinki library-the softness of the window gives the people on the move great contrast the silhouettes look crisp. The back-lit light made this shot for me.

Backlit view

Street photography captures candid moments of daily life in public spaces. From bustling city streets to quiet suburban neighborhoods, we try to document the raw and unscripted moments that unfold around us. With an emphasis on capturing the essence of a scene or the emotions of the people within it, street photography offers a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of the world we inhabit. Whether it’s a fleeting expression, a captivating composition, or an unexpected juxtaposition, street photography celebrates the beauty and intrigue found in everyday moments.

Street photography – waiting

I am going to post images new and old of this genre in this new topic name. Shortly described below as what I want to convey in this photos.

In Helsinki library- I saw this man waiting – alone for company and I liked how he had placed his hand on his chest. The back-lit light made this shot for me.

Waiting for company

Street photography captures candid moments of daily life in public spaces. From bustling city streets to quiet suburban neighborhoods, we try to document the raw and unscripted moments that unfold around us. With an emphasis on capturing the essence of a scene or the emotions of the people within it, street photography offers a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of the world we inhabit. Whether it’s a fleeting expression, a captivating composition, or an unexpected juxtaposition, street photography celebrates the beauty and intrigue found in everyday moments.

Street photography – cafe

I am going to post images new and old of this genre in this new topic name. Shortly described below as what I want to convey in this photos.

Helsinki at night – looking into a cafe seeing people enjoying the company of friends.

Street photography captures candid moments of daily life in public spaces. From bustling city streets to quiet suburban neighborhoods, we try to document the raw and unscripted moments that unfold around us. With an emphasis on capturing the essence of a scene or the emotions of the people within it, street photography offers a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of the world we inhabit. Whether it’s a fleeting expression, a captivating composition, or an unexpected juxtaposition, street photography celebrates the beauty and intrigue found in everyday moments.

Throwback Thursday

We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”.

This week (#TB Thursday). Thursday is filled with memories from The evergreen glasshouses from Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden in Helsinki.

The glasshouses’ biggest attraction is the Victoria cruziana (Santa Cruz water lily), which has survived the bombings of World War II and now dominates the luminous and tropical Waterlily Room. The lily pad can grow to have a diameter of over two meters, and it can carry the weight of an adult human. The giant water lily is an annual plant that has occasionally been able to survive the dark Finnish winter in the glasshouse. Often, though, the water lily withers as Christmas approaches, and the new seedling is planted around March in the bottom soil of the pond. (So no reason to worry if you can’t see the water lily, it hasn’t gone anywhere!)

These shots I captured back in 2017, maybe it’s time to visit again.

The Senate Square

We worked up the Sofia street to get to our car that was parked by the church to see all these people enjoying the sunny day on the steps of Helsinki Cathedral Church. The have put up these stupid black lights around the chuch, that in my opinion are very annoying, too modern and obstract the view of this lovely church. I always have an uge to take photos of this square, many times I fight it, this time well I did once again.

The Senate Square and its surroundings form a unique and cohesive example of Neoclassical architecture. The square is dominated by four buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840): Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. A statue of Alexander II (1894) stands in the middle of the Senate Square.

Helsinki Cathedral is arguably Finland’s most famous and photographed building. The oldest stone building in Helsinki is the Sederholm House located on the southeast corner of the square. The blue building behind the row of bikes 🙂

Winter Solstice

With the winter solstice, and these citylights I am now starting Christmas preparations and I take this opportunity to

I wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

I want to thank you all who have taken the time to look at my photos, press like and I really appreciate all the encouraging comments I’ve gotten this year.

These I took yesterday when doing my last minute shopping. The cobblestone streets in Helsinki with the rain made it hard to get really great shots of the season lights in the city from a moving car, but I ended up with moody, artistic shots and with a little help from the editing they came out OK.

Lens-Artists Challenge #227 – Home Sweet Home

Tina wrote; On the other hand, there is much to love here in my own country. This week, let’s give that some extra thought. If a foreigner were to spend a week or a month traveling your home country with you, where would you take them? What sights would you tell them to be sure to see? Where have you found some of your own favorite images?

Tina from Travels and Trifles hosts this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge #227 – Home Sweet Home

I live in Beautiful Finland, coutry with four seasons. While I embrace Spring, summer and autumn and winter, I detest November, the greay month. So I will not be posting shots from that month.

Finland, or Suomi as we call it, this is my introduction to of it to you.

First few shots from Helsiki, were I would obviously take you

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of 130,678 sq miles with a population of 5.6 million. 

Helsinki is the capital and largest city, forming a larger metropolitan area with the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen, and Vantaa. Finland is one of the world’s northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki.

Finland’s climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forestbiome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

First few shots from Helsiki, were I would obviously take you. There also several other cities I would take you too, Porvoo, Hanko, Tampere and Turku and also to Oulu. If I posted shots from them well, no one would look through my post.

Lakes are lovely at all seasons, so I would take to one or two of them

Forests, woods…have asrtong place in Finns hearts, a place walk and calm your nerves.

Pick berries and mushrooms as we have Everyman’s rights. Public access rights, or so-called everyman’s rights, refer to the right of everyone in Finland to enjoy outdoor pursuits regardless of who owns or occupies an area. You do not need the landowner’s permission, and there is no charge. However, you must not damage the environment or disturb others while exercising public access rights.

Posted for Tina’s Lens-Artists Challenge

Street Photography in Helsinki

The November streets look, well what they look like. This is what it looked liked on a November afternoon and and early evening (between 3pm -6pm) I haven’t taken the camera out since then. But I thought I would share some fresh photos today.

Some season lights were already adding light to the bleakness of this time of year. The boy looking at the display window while his parents were in line to get into the store was a nice pop of colors as was the Cartier window display with the reflecting lights from the street.

We had the first snow on Friday last week, so obviously these were taken prior to that. The snow will melt but for few days it will give us a little bit more light.

Views from around the Helsinki railway station, and Aleksanterinkatu.

Helsinki – Keskuskatu and the corner of Mannerheimtie

Colorful window display

Visiting Cafe’s

I have not been taking many photos lately, last weekend I made an exception as I went to Helsinki.

I was even too lazy to take my camera, just my mobile. Here are some street photographs. These are focused on cafe’s that all seemed to be full, we had to wait over 40 minutes to get our coffee 🙂 That time we spent people watching

My favorite image is the header.

Easter Sunday

Let the photos show our Easter 🐣 activities. It was sunny but rather cool, but we had coffee

at Löyly outdoor deck enjoying the ✨ sea.

We enjoyed Late lunch at Sea Horse , a restaurant serving traditional food since 1932

Shipyard

This shipyard in Helsinki is on standstill due to the Russian war attack going on in Ukraine. We went for lunch to a restaurant in front of it and obviously I took some photos, it is not the prettiest sight but it is a nice photo opportunity even though the window and the plex glass windshield outside.

There were these two boat restaurants waiting for the summer season to open their doors in the foreground.

I’m walking

I’m walking, I’m walking, walking in sunshine.

Helsinki seaside on a sunny day with the mist rising in the back and taking over the sunny sidewalks soon after these photos were taken.