Walk down the memory lane

Hi there!

I had a day off yesterday and did a trip to Helsinki. Just before midnight I got on the ferry and in the morning I arrived in Helsinki. I decided to walk to the city from the harbour, as it was such a great weather.

I walked through the Esplanad park and noticed that I was thinking of a time long ago.  I mean, when I was young, like 25 years ago... I took some photos and today I want to share them with you. Unfortunately I cannot show you photos from years back (those would not be suitable for showing publicly) but I'll share some of the memories...

The first one I see is Havis Amanda, my bathing buddy from the schools out day... 31st of May, 

The fountain of Havis Amanda is where the Esplanad park starts from the Market Square.

During the 1st of May she gets a graduation hat on her head in a solemn ceremony organised by the TKK (Helsinki University of Technology) students.

Starting my walk through the park, I come tho this stage, Espan Lava, where bands play and back then we would join them dancing.. how awkward is that! On the opposite side is Restaurant Kappeli with it's story starting already 1867. We were too young to get in there...

I met these working horses (sorry, the link is in Finnish only) on my walk through the park. However, this carriage nor the horses were present those summer evenings. But this is a element that has been present in the city from the 60's, actually already earlier, but concentrating on PR work since then.

The complete park was filled with youngsters every friday and saturday evenings during the summer... and the law enforcement, of course. 

The statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg made by his son Walter Runeberg, stands in the middle of the park and I'm sure he was feeling crowded, even though standing here in the middle by himself most of the time. Today, however, I would say that his company is much more enlightened than during those weekend nights.

The following part of the park has benches so that one can sit down and enjoy the beautiful park 

(summer time).

I, with many of my kind in the late 80's would have wished there to have been so many benches. Well, there wasn't, so we had to sit on the ground and on the lawns. And the police wasn't too happy with that. Actually, I don't think they really had that much against us sitting on the lawn, but the fact that we stepped in the flower beds destroying them more or less, might have been a bigger reason for them to chase us.

Now, coming to the last part and the end of the park, by Ravintola Teatteri and the Swedish Theathre.

This was the only, legitimate place to have a wee... often with long queues. That resulting one to seek other suitable places with friends helping to hide.

On the opposite side of the toilets is a statue, Taru ja Totuus (translated to the Story and the Truth) in honor of Zacharias Topelius.  I am sure that there were youngsters who had pictures of me and my friends standing beside and hugging these bronze statues.

Out of the park, I walked past the Academic book shop (link only in Finnish) and end up at Keskuskatu (link only in Finnish) and Stockmann Department Store.

When I was younger this was a street with busy car traffic and with an entrance to Stockmann parking hall. The entrance was located just on the left hand side of the picture. Today all that is gone and the street is solemnly in pedestrian use.

So this was a walk through memory lane... literally... I tried to add links in places where there might be interest to get to know more of. That way it is also a tiny touristic posting. Hope you find it enlightening.

Thanks for peeking in!

Hugs,

Susanna