Getting a chance to try reindeer meat in Finland was on my list of things I wanted to do, but with the tours we had scheduled (this was the second of two) and the short time we had here (only about 8 hours), the likelihood of finding any, let alone trying any, seemed highly unlikely.
Arriving at the departure point just in time for the Helsinki Highlights tour, we hopped aboard another bus and headed off to see these highlights. Our guide, Maria, narrated our trip and we had a few photo stops along the way.
Our first stop was at the Jean Sebelius Monument (Sibelius-monumentti) located in Sibelius Park (Sibeliuspuisto). This was a very nice park with many trees and a pond. The monument itself sat on a large rock.
The monument was created by sculptor Eila Hiltunen and titled Passio Musicae.
Monument to Commemorate the Composer Jean Sebelius (1865-1957) (Säveltäjä Jean Sibeliukselle (1865-1957) omistettu muistomerkki). About 600 hollow stainless-steel pipes are welded together to form sort of an abstract set of organ pipes; which is strange because Sibelius did not write many compositions for organ. You can walk under it, which many visitors choose to do. Since the pipes are hollow, at times when the wind blows, the pipes resonate and create different sounds. When viewed from a distance, the work sort of blends in with the surrounding rocks and woods.
Just below the pipes is a ‘blob’ of metal (I can’t think of any other way to describe it) resembling solder. In front of the ‘blob’ is a sculpture of the face of Jean Sibelius. It is almost as if the pipes dripped the solder, and from that came Jean Sibelius. From music comes the musician?
To my knowledge, I don’t think I had ever heard of Jean Sibelius before. We learned that Sibelius is Finland’s most famous composer. Maria also taught us a few more facts about him.
Meanwhile, a few meters away in the park, a trombone trio had finished warming up and began to play. Maria told us that they were playing “Finlandia”, one of Sibelius’ most famous pieces, and one of Finland’s most important national songs. It was actually composed as a protest against Russian censorship. (This will make more sense a bit later in this post.)
As the trio reached the hymn part of the song, it began to sound familiar. I hummed along to the melody and realized it sounded like the Christian hymn, “Be Still My Soul”. I was first introduced to this song when I played in the worship band at my church. Our music director, Bob Sobo, may he rest in peace, had arranged a contemporary version of the song. Surprisingly, before playing Sobo’s version of the song, I had never heard it before. In a way, Sobo’s arrangement provided a connection to Finland. (Thank you, Bob!)
Jean Sibelius – “Finlandia, op. 26”
From Sibelius Park, we boarded the bus to continue the tour. Along the way we passed by the Olympic Stadium, site of the 1952 Summer Olympics, where the Games of the XV Olympiad were held.
The Rock Church, or Temppeliaukio Church (Temppelliaukion Kirkko), was our next stop. The Rock Church, as it is called, is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood. It was carved into the solid rock with the rock serving as interior walls. It is covered with a copper dome. Natural light streams in through the skylight windows before noon.
We were allowed sufficient time to walk around inside. Some, including me, sat in the pews for a second or two. My wife went upstairs to the balcony. I also walked by the altar, stopped, faced back toward the ‘congregation’, and tried to imagine what services would be like in here.
At first it was nice and quiet inside. An almost reverent atmosphere. There was our group, and I think maybe one other. We were able to take our time and 
move throughout the church. As you might have guessed, that didn’t last long. Soon more people poured in. They began lingering in front of the alter and other areas, making unobstructed photography impossible. And though the new group(s) kept their voices down, more of them were talking, amplifying the sound. This had the effect of killing the peaceful vibe we had previously enjoyed just a few minutes earlier.
Apparently, the Rock Church has excellent acoustics (I can confirm this. Even low voices from across the sanctuary carry easily throughout the church). That quality makes for a popular venue in which to hold concerts, which are indeed frequently held here.
Reassembling, our group walked a couple of blocks to where the bus was parked. Across the street I spied Santa’s Minimarket. Guess these days even Santa has to have a side hustle.
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