Another place we visited in Helsinki was Temppeliaukio Church, also known as the 'Rock Church' because it is mostly underground and carved out of the natural rock. It is dramatic, both inside and out, with a striking copper roof surrounded by skylights to let in the natural light to the main part of the church.
The picture below shows Chloe in contemplative mood inside the church, modeling the new sweater that Shelley finished knitting her just before we left on our trip to Finland.
An annual event in Helsinki on the Saturday evening preceding Easter is 'Via Crucis', a play re-enacting the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. After Chloe went to bed I strolled down the dockside from our hotel to the steps of the Lutheran Cathedral, where the play begins. There were already several thousand people gathered in the main square in front of the Cathedral. After the first couple of scenes, the actors moved off through the streets of Helsinki with the audience trailing behind, until they reached a nearby square where the next scenes were played out. Then the procession continued, eventually ending up back in the main square where everything had started. It was all very atmospheric -- various buildings were lit up in striking colors, and some of the 'guards' carried flaming torches as they marched between the different venues. The picture below shows Jesus being led back up the cathedral steps with the cathedral lit up in the background and some torch-bearers in the foreground.
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