First things first, well, after breakfast. Where to start? As explained in yesterday's post, all things Sibelius have been my primary motivation to come to Helsinki and here I am. With just five and a bit days between flights (how very Japanese), planning each day is a high priority. I booked a tour of Ainola on Sunday, from Tokyo...now for the other days.
Like most major cities seeking to accommodate tourists, and as a solo traveller, the hop-on, hop-off bus is my first destination, downtown. But my first 'must-see' is the Sibelius Monument in Sibelius Park. It is about halfway along the bus route. I must be an odd traveller, I'm the only one to get off at this stop.
And it doesn't disappoint:
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| The Monument (with unavoidable people for scale) |
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| Pipes, or pines? |
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| Latterly added |
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| 'Passio Musicae' as it is officially known |
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| So many possible angles |
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| Detail |
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| jewellery shop |
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| There's a cafe... |
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| Past the ducks... |
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| With a glimpse of the monument... |
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| And blueberry pie and coffee |
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| The 'Regatta' |
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| Granite bases |
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| Through the trees |
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| By the cafe |
It was designed my female artist and sculptor, Eila Hiltunen and wasn't without controversy. The 600 steel pipes were intended to capture the imagery of the forests which in turn captured the essence of the composer's music (and indeed, those images come to mind when I hear or play Sibelius's works).
The face frieze was added a little later after complaints that the work itself was too abstract. By luck and/or coincidence, I am here the day after the 50th Anniversary of its official unveiling.
The park itself is quite pretty, and the granite boulders, typically a part of Helsinki's topography, stand out. It sits by one of the many lakes and conveniently includes a quaint little cafe with blueberry pie and vanilla sauce (naturally) and a shop nearby selling monument-inspired handmade jewellery.
Easy to spend quite a bit of time here...but back to the bus...
[Camera : Lumix TZ-85, 12.01pm-12.37pm; 8 September 2017]
