Swedish Riksdag and aeroplane – a blast from the past:-

Between the Riksdag and the water is this statue of what I can only call a disporting gent. I have no idea who it is, or why. (Googling wasn’t much help):-

This lion statue was on the parapet of the bridge in front of the Riksdag. Stockholm Palace is over the bridge:-

Gateway on other side of Riskdag:-

Stockholm really is a beautiful city – helped by all that water it is built on and over.

The coach from the ship dropped us off near the Riksdag (see previous post) and opposite the Opera House:-

We first went for a wander towards the more commercial area but managed to find a park. It had a statue of Linnaeus:-

On the way in we’d passed a great looking building that I thought we would never find on our own as the coach had seemed to go a long way past it. However on going further we looped around and there it was, the Drama Theatre:-

I couldn’t get far enough back to get the whole frontage in so this had to do:-

Such ornate lampposts though:-

This turned out not to be too far from where the caoch had stopped! A couple of minutes walk. This garden area was nearby and you can look across to the Royal Palace beyond:-

Next stop on the Baltic cruise was Stockholm for our fifth day in a row of shore excursions. We were getting a bit knackered by then but Stockholm is a stunning city and made up for that. Being built on islands there is water everywhere and loads of bridges.

Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) and bridge. What a lovely aspect:-

This was by the other side of the Riksdag:-

Two for one here, foreground and background:-

This rather less elegant one was near the ship’s berth:-

When I first glimpsed this tower I had hoped it might be Art Deco but it’s not. Looks like a communications tower:-

Art Nouveau Street:-

Not Art Nouveau, but a nice twin-spired church:-

Yellow building photographed from coach stop. South Korean embassy/consulate to left here:-

Espressso House. Shot as coach passed by on the way back to the ship:-

Deco detail on building, Maranello Women. (A hairdresser’s?) Snatched as coach passed by:-

There is some impressive architecture in Senate Square, Helsinki.

University building on corner with Unioninkatu and Alesanterinkatu:-

Unioninkatu frontage:-

Senate Square is dominated by Helsinki Cathedral:-

Lamppost by statue of Alexander II:-

These buildings flanked Esplanadi:-

Ground floor detail:-

Upper floors:-

A bit further along:-

I can’t remember which street this was on:-

On the corner of Bulevardi and Errotajankatu is the rather pleasing Rake:

A quirky little kiosk, labelled 1893, Kesamokki. Kesamokki means Summer House:-

A restaurant:-

We looked at the menu. Pricy. Also one of the dishes featured carrot foam. What?

This rather differently styled building seemed to be part of the same establishment:-

Esplanadi is a small green area in the middle of Helsinki city centre. It had some Art Deco.

Espan Lava. (I have no idea what that means.) The building certainly has horizontals and verticals, though:-

An Art Deco Kiosk, Helsinki. What seems to be the Canadian Embassy is over the road:-

Close-up from reverse:-

Teatern, Helsinki. Art Deco style. Horizontals, verticals, flag pole. I assumed Teatern meant Theatre. It does:-

Stockman, a shop a bit up from Esplanadi, has elements of At Deco but probably post-dates it:-

We continued to walk through this (see previous post) until we came out the main entrance.

Booking Hall wall and clock:-

Booking Hall:-

Mural and Clock:-

Reverse view of interior semi-circular window:-

Canopy above main entrance:-

Figures by main entrance. (These are mirrored on the other flank of the doors):-

Clock Tower:-

Main Entrance and facade. (A stitch of two photos):-