2014 - Helsinki, Finland

"Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you..."

(The Sibelius Monument, Helsinki)

Day 01: 21 May 2014
(KL – Istanbul)

We will be away for a 10-day tour of Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Moscow. And as usual we travelled very light. We took a taxi to KLIA early and had our dinner in KLIA before we boarded the 23:15hrs flight to Istanbul.

(Light travellers)

Day 02: 22 May 2014

(Istanbul – Helsinki)
Hotel: Holiday Inn Helsinki West - Ruoholahti

We landed in Istanbul International Airport at 05:35 and had ample time to perform our Subuh prayers before we boarded the 08:04hrs flight to Helsinki. When we arrived at Helsinki International Airport at 12:05hrs, we were met by our tour guide and a 40-seater sightseeing coach. As it was already time for lunch, we straight away went to Habibista Saa Myos Lounasta Restaurant, an Egyptian Restaurant in the middle of town for a sumptuous lunch.

(A comfortable sight-seeing coach)

(The National Museum)

(A hungry traveller waiting for his lunch)

(A choice of lamb kebabs or steaks)

Helsinki is the capital city of Finland and one of the amazing cities situated by the Baltic Sea with a 100-kilometre-long shoreline and around 300 islands. The compact, vibrant city is both highly cultural and incredibly relaxing.

After lunch we went for a panoramic tour including the Helsinki Senate Square. main building University of Helsinki, Helsinki Cathedral, Government Palace, Helsinki Presidential Palace, Parliament House, Monumental Railroad Station, Olympic Stadium and the Open Air Market for souvenirs of local arts and handicrafts.

(A walk in the woods)

(Skimpy summer wear on a hot day)

(A famous musician architecture in the park)

The Sibelius Monument is dedicated to one of the most famous Finnish composers. Here artistic fusion of hundreds of stainless steel pipes create different impressions. It is one of the most visited attractions in Helsinki.

(A summer visitor, recreational island destinations)

(Island and boat restaurants)

Idyllic island restaurants are a vital part of Helsinki’s unique restaurant culture. The archipelago of Helsinki provides a beautiful setting for summer dining. Ferries to the island restaurants operate from the beginning of May to the end of September.

(The busy Marina)

 (The Senate Square with the monument of the Russian Tsar Alexander II)

The Neo-classical Senate Square in Helsinki is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful urban squares in the world. In the heart of Helsinki one can still feel the presence of both Russia and Sweden.

Otaniemi campus is a major work and the greatest master of modernism in Finland. The university is praised for it's relation to nature. The buildings in Helsinki have different architectural times ranging from Neo-classical to Art-Noveau quarters and to present day glass cubes.

(The Parliament House - a small demonstration)

The Parliament House is an architectural style combining Neoclassicism with early twentieth century modernism. It is a combination of simplified columns and balusters with simplified planar geometry. The exterior is red Kalvola granite. The façade is lined by fourteen columns with Corinthian capitals.

We visited The Helsinki Olympic Stadium, located in the Töölö district about 2 kilometres from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki. It is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952 Summer Olympics.

(Local scene - Policemen on bicycles)

Day 03: 23 May 2014
(Helsinki - Suomenlinna Island)
Hotel: Holiday Inn Helsinki West - Ruoholahti

We had a heavy breakfast in the hotel. Today we will be joining the many tourists to board the ferry to the fortress island of Suomenlinna.

(School children waiting to board the ferry)

(Ferries to many recreational islands)

(A 20-minute ferry ride to the island)

Until 1918 Suomenlinna Island is an uninhabited sea fortress built on six islands which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site popular with tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site. Originally named Sveaborg (Fortress of Svea), or Viapori as called by Finnish-speaking Finns, it was renamed Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) in 1918 for patriotic and nationalistic reasons, though it is sometimes known by its original name. In Swedish-speaking and historical context, the name Sveaborg is always used.

(Arriving at the island jetty)

(The many attractions of Suomenlinna)

(An old Cathedral)

(Fortification against enemies)

(A visitor taking a nap under the sun)

(Small boutique cafes and bistros)

(Arriving on mainland and ready for lunch)

The Presidential Palace in Helsinki, is one of the official residences of the President of the Republic of Finland. It is situated on the north side of Esplanadi, overlooking Market Square.

(A sight-seeing ferry - the Presidential Palace in the background)

The Helsinki mosque has been funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The dimensions of the new mosque are enormous by Finnish standards. The 700-square-meter mega-mosque is located adjacent to a metro station in the eastern Helsinki district of Mellunmäki and features a massive prayer room for 1,000 worshippers.

We had the opportunity to visit Masjid Al-Imam, a smaller mosque situated in the suburb of Helsinki and performed our prayers there together with the Imam.

(Al-Iman Masjid in the suburb)

The Market Square is a central square in Helsinki, and one of the most famous market places and tourist attractions in the city. The Market Square is located near the centre of Helsinki, at the eastern end of Esplanadi and bordering the Baltic Sea to the south and Katajanokka to the east. The Helsinki City Transport maintains an all-year-round ferry link from the Market Square to Suomenlinna, and in the summer there are also private companies providing ferry cruises, both to Suomenlinna and other nearby islands.

From spring to autumn, the Market Square is bustling with activity with vendors selling fresh Finnish food and souvenirs. There are also many outdoor cafés at the square.

(A parade by the Open Market Square)

(Fashion show at the Esplanade)

(Door gifts and souvenirs from the department store)

(Live show all day long)

(The Esplanade, serves as a promenade for tourists and residents)

(Spending the evening at the Esplanade)

(Meeting Bosnian girls doing charity work)

(Big bikes parked in a row)

Day 04: 24 May 2014
(Helsinki – St. Petersburg)

We had a full breakfast at the hotel restaurant. This morning our local guide and coach were ready to transport us from the hotel to the train station. This morning we checked out of the hotel early as we will be taking the train to St. Petersburg.

The Monumental Helsinki Central Railroad Station is a widely recognised landmark in Kluuvi, part of central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building. It serves as the point of origin for all trains in the local VR commuter rail network, as well as for a large proportion of long-distance trains in Finland. The station also hosts the Rautatientori metro station, which is the busiest station of the Helsinki Metro.

(The Central Railway Station)

(Waiting for the train to arrive)

The Allegro train from Helsinki to St Petersburg departed sharp at 10:00hrs. The train is operated by a joint venture between the state railways of Finland and Russia and is called ‘Karelian Trains’. The high speed trains use an advanced version of the Alstom electric multiple unit, a type of train where each car has its own locomotion, the combined power of which allows the train to move fast, speeding up and slowing down much more safely. The Allegro train achieves a top speed of 220 kilometers per hour and tilt when they turn around a curve.

(While waiting for the train)

(A souvenir cap from Helsinki)

On the Finnish side, the Allegro High-Speed Train makes five stops before reaching the Finnish passport control and customs station at Vainikkala, while on the Russian side, the route is a direct express between St. Petersburg’s Finland Station and Vyborg. Our passports were checked by the Finnish Immigration Officers on the train. The train trip from Helsinki to St. Petersburg took a little more than 3 1/2 hours.

 2014: St. Petersburg, Russia👉

2014 - St. Petersburg, Russia

"We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too"

(The Bronze Horseman, St. Petersburg)

Day 04: 24 May 2014 (Saturday)
(Helsinki – St. Petersburg)
Hotel: Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg

We arrived in St. Petersburg Train Station on time and had to clear Immigration and Customs checks.

(Arriving in Russian land)

(Waiting for the guide and coach)

The local tour guide was already waiting for us and we immediately started our panoramic sightseeing tour for the day. St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, with more than a million population.

(The war ship, now a museum)

(The Bronze Horseman)

Today we began our panoramic tour of St. Petersburg with our first stop at the famous statue of Peter the Great. The Bronze Horseman is an impressive monument of the founder of St Petersburg, Peter the Great. It stands on Senatskaia Ploschad Square, facing the Neva River and surrounded by the Admiralty, St Isaac's Cathedral and the buildings of the former Senate and Synod - the civil and religious governing bodies of pre-revolutionary Russia. According to a 19th century legend, enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the ‘Bronze Horseman’ stands in the middle of the city.

(St. Petersburg Mosque from afar)

(The main prayer hall)

We stopped for a short while outside the Yusupov Palace, the long yellow building which was once the residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family. It is situated on a quiet stretch of the Moika River and the view was excellent for photo shots. This palace saw one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's history - the murder of Grigory Rasputin. Rasputin was murdered on the night of December 16, 1916 and his death proved to be an almost greater mystery than his life!.

We later visited St. Petersburg Mosque, the largest mosque in Europe outside Turkey, its minarets are 49 meters in height and the dome is 39 meters high. The mosque is sited opposite the Peter and Paul Fortress, in the city centre. It can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers. The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslim community of the Russian then-capital exceeded 8,000 people.

(The Nevsky Prospekt, main avenue of St. Petersburg)

(The crowd at the book festival)

(Music and singing on the street)

We visited a few other tourist attractions in Nevsky Prospekt, the main street of St. Petersburg and had a clear view of the Kazan Cathedral. The majority of the city’s shopping and nightlife are located on or near the Nevsky Prospekt and there were many festivals going on at the same time.

(Cute beautiful Russian dolls)

(Looking around in a souvenir shop)

Before we headed for our hotel, we went for souvenir shopping and had an early dinner at one of the restaurants on the main street.

(A walk in the park)

(A newly wedded couple and tulips)

Day 05: 25 May 2014 (Sunday)
(St. Petersburg/Peterhof)
Hotel: Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg

We had a simple breakfast of bread and hard-boiled eggs in the hotel restaurant.

(A filling simple breakfast)

(Entrance ticket to the State Hermitage Museum)

The whole morning today were spent visiting The State Hermitage Museum. It is a museum of art and culture and one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. It was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852.

(One of the many historical rooms)

(One of the many famous paintings)

(Intricate designs at doorways and arches)

Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre and The Imperial Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors.

(Large collections on display)

(Huge pillars in the room)

(Art display outside the museum)

(The Hermitage Museum viewed from outside)

(Palace Square and the Alexander Column)

Our lunch was at an Italian Restaurant. It was raining heavily when we boarded the bus for a visit to a small town of Peterhof situated in the outskirt of St. Petersburg.

(Grilled fish and rice)

Our destination was the Park Ensemble at Peterhof Petrodvorets also known as the Russian Versailles. The place is known as Peterhof or Petrodvorets and it was founded as early as 1714 by Peter the Great. Peter saw Versailles when he traveled to France and was quite impressed. But he conceived his own fountain complex on a much grander scale and created a magnificent ensemble that includes several palaces and three parks.

The main attraction in Peterhof is its beautiful Lower Park with 150 fountains and four cascades. The main and the most amazing cascade called the Great Cascade is situated in front of the Great Imperial Palace which was the gala summer imperial residence for 200 years.

(A disposable raincoat for the heavy shower)

(The palace golden domes and spires)

(Display of cascades and fountains)

We travelled back and reached St. Petersburg by late afternoon and just in time for an hour of relaxing boat cruise along the Neva River and canals surrounding St. Petersburg. After the cruise we went for souvenir shopping, enjoying the white nights life in St. Petersburg.

(An hour of river cruising along rivers and canals)

(Staying under deck, away from the hot sun)

(The Russian and Malaysian guides)

(Another round of shopping)

(Doing the selfie with our Nikon)

Day 06: 26 May 2014 (Monday)
(St. Petersburg/Pushkin)
Hotel: Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg

Today we visited a few more tourist attractions in St. Petersburg and its surrounding districts.

Our first stop was at the vibrant coloured Cathedral of Spilled Blood. This marvellous Russian-style church was built where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. Both the interior and exterior of the church is decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists.

The church was closed for services in the 1930s, when the Bolsheviks went on an offensive against religion and destroyed churches all over the country. It remained closed and under restoration for over 30 years and was finally re-opened in 1997 in all its dazzling former glory. The view of the church from Nevsky Prospekt is absolutely breath-taking.

(A beautiful ice-cream cathedral)

We visited St. Isaac’s Cathedral again today but it was closed for renovation and visitors were not allowed to enter the museum area. The dome of the cathedral dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg and its gilded cupola can be seen glistening from all over the city. Normal days, you can climb up the 300 or so steps to the observation walkway at the base of the cathedral’s dome and enjoy the breathtaking views over the city.

The church itself is an architectural marvel and the main church of the Russian Empire. Inside the church many of the icons were created using mosaic techniques and the iconostasis is decorated with eight malachite and two lapis lazuli columns. The cathedral now serves as a museum and services are held only on significant ecclesiastical holidays.

(The cathedral is closed for renovation)

(The green parks surrounding the cathedral)

Another Cathedral visited was the golden Baroque style St. Nicholas' Cathedral (known locally as the Sailors' Cathedral) as its spires and domes rise among the trees at the bottom of Ulitsa Glinki and shines above the residential and commercial buildings in the area. It is home to a number of revered 18th-century icons and a fine carved wooden iconostasis. Its beautiful bell tower overlooks Kryukov Canal.

(A short visit for photo shots)

(The inside of St. Nicholas Cathedral)

The coach took us for a tour of Pushkin and Catherine Palace. Pushkin is a municipal town in Pushkinsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, located 24 kilometers south from the center of St. Petersburg proper. Before we visited the tourist sites, we went to an Italian Restaurant for a Risotto lunch.

(A reflection of the golden dome)

(A historical palace ruins)

(Italian lunch for today)

Pushkin was founded in 1710 as an imperial residence named Tsarskoye Selo. The town was renamed to Detskoye Selo meaning Children's Village. Its name was further changed in 1937 to Pushkin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The town contains an ensemble of the 18th century ‘Tsarskoye Selo’. This museum complex includes the Catherine Palace, Alexander Palace and other buildings and associated parks. It is a major tourist attraction of the area and is included in the list of monuments protected by the UNESCO.

(The palace from the inner square)

(Wearing protective socks before entry)

(Glittering and glistening gold ornaments)

There was a long queue at the entrance to the Ekaterina Palace. The inside of the palace was strictly a no-photography area and one need to wear paper socks to protect and preserve the area from dust and dirt. The visit include the famous Amber Room and park in Pavlovsk.

(Evening walk in the park)

(Pictures of tourists attractions of Pushkin)

(A group photo)

From Pushkin the coach had to throng the heavy traffic and rushed back to St. Petersburg as we had to catch a show. We performed our prayers in St. Petersburg Mosque before we were transported to Nikolayevsky Palace for the Folk Show.

The evening began with elaborate Russian folklore dances and traditional musical performance followed by a short break of delicious buffet with traditional Russian caviar and drinks. The night ended with a full course dinner while being entertained by a local musician.

(Colourful costumes of dancers)

(A delicious Muslim dinner)

(A complimentary postcard)

Day 07: 27 May 2014 (Monday)
(St. Petersburg/Moscow)
Hotel: Maxima Panorama Hotel, Moscow

We woke up early in the morning and checked out of the hotel. Our breakfast was packed for the train journey. The coach were ready to transport us to the Moskovsky Vokzal Train Station.

(Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg)

The train station is also called Moscovsky Station, with an easily recognizable Neo-Renaissance frontage on Nevsky Prospekt and Uprising Square. It is a terminus for the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway and other lines running from Central and South Russia, Siberia, Eastern Ukraine, and Crimea.

(Passengers ready to board the train)

(Maximum speed caught on camera)

The Sapsan Train Ride from St. Petersburg to Moscow runs for about 650 kilometre through four oblasts, Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad. It is a major traffic artery in the north-west region of Russia, operated by the Oktyabrskaya Railway subdivision of Russian Railways. The maximum speed is 250 kmh, the fastest train taking 3 hours and 30 minutes. The Sapsan has operated on this line since 2009, running below their maximum speed of 300 kmh because of difficulties in upgrading all the track.

(Our carriage on the fast train) 

       2014: Moscow, Russia👉

👈2014: Helsinki, Finland