# @kirstenalana on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BnwE4EAF9Wv
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/2429758-kirstenalana-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/6ed6bfd414.jpg
- **Posted:** 2018-09-15T15:06:46.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Kirsten Alana (@KirstenAlana) — https://gondola.cc/KirstenAlana

## Caption

I had long ago heard that Helsinki is a 'city of architecture' and one of the youngest capitals in Europe, with a founding date in December 1550. It was really known first for Neoclassical architecture. Later it became the largest concentration of Jugendstil buildings and National Romanticism in the world. From restaurants to department stores to apartment buildings, you can see these styles all over. A love of beautiful architecture continued with the people of Finland as Art Deco and names such as Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto helped put the country’s modern architecture on the map as well. I was so impressed by all of this because I love architecture but I also enjoyed seeing the wonderful network of trams that criss cross the city featuring older and newer cars in green and yellow. Helsinki seems like such an easy city to navigate in a way that de-emphasizes the need for a car. Later I read that Helsinki was founded by King Gustavus Vasa of Sweden, which the land we now know as Finland was part of for many centuries. Vasa intended it to be an important trading post in southern Finland, and a competitor to Tallinn which we will visit after St. Petersburg. The last thing I loved about Helsinki, was seeing my mother’s maiden name on street signs all over the city. Between Sweden and Finland, I see almost every aspect of the culture I grew up with displayed in some form or another. I can’t wait to return to both countries for longer so that I can better understand my heritage — but for now I am grateful to have finally stood on these shores thanks to @vikingcruises 🇫🇮 #MyVikingStory #vikingcruises #helsinkifindland

## Stats

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- **Likes:** 1,509
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- **Comments:** 90

## Tags

vikingcruises, myvikingstory, helsinkifindland

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