Getting There - Stockholm & Helsinki

Uspenski Cathedral - Helsinki, Finland

Finland is predominantly a Lutheran country, even in the increasingly secular Europe of today. It has a significant Orthodox minority, however - yet another sign that we were moving closer to Russia. Uspenski Cathedral, seen in the photo above, is the seat of the Orthodox Diocese of Helsinki. It dates from the period when Finland was part of the Russian Empire.

I find this photo interesting for another reason, although it meant nothing to me at the time. The posters on the kiosk in the lower left of this photo would be among the last commercial advertisements we would see for a month. Most economic enterprise in the Soviet Union was owned by the government - thus limited competition and minimal advertising. Much to my surprise, I  would find that I missed the annoying clutter of billboards, flyers, posters and other signs of commercial competition that was so familiar at home.

Suomenlinna and islands of the Helsinki archipelago

After our short stay in Helsinki, we boarded the Soviet-flag ferry MS Tallinn for the 80-kilometer (50-mile) crossing to Tallin, Estonia, where we would enter the Soviet Union. Our ferry cruised through the Helsinki archipelago and into the Gulf of Finland. The buildings on the islands to the right in this photo are part of Suomenlinna (which means "Castle of Finland"), an 18th-century Swedish fortress that guarded the sea approaches to Helsinki. It is now a popular tourist attraction. 

I took the photo below as we cruised past Suomenlinna.

Suomenlinna - Helsinki archipelago