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Aug 28
in Russia - Northeastern Sea Route

Helsinki… Things to do wandering in this beautiful city…

On our way to Murmansk in Russia for the North East passage Northern Sea Route journey; we stopped in Helsinki for a week.

 

Helsinki is beautiful. Quiet. Clean. Had such a lovely feel to it. Max and I walked about 10kms a day and immersed ourselves totally in the city area to acclimate our body clock before our epic sea journey north of Russia.

 

Language wasn’t an issue, and although the Finnish people seemed to be a little reserved and not as boisterous or jovial as Australians; most were kind and polite and we didn’t encounter any problems at all.

 

Cobblestones. Churches. Cool wind. Misty rain. markets with reindeer horns and fluffy skinned hats. Knitted mittens. Ice-cream. Pushbikes. Music…. (including xylophones echoing along the cobblestones which do irritate me a bit for some reason)… Hot chocolate! Yum!

 

Tourism is a BIG thing here with a constant stream of VERY large cruise ships which seem to tip out thousands of passengers each morning scattering them across the cobblestoned roads. Clumps of tourists from all nationalities huddle around leaders with numbered discs raised on long paddles. I did smile at one tour leader who had a toy stuffed tiger impaled on the end of her raised pole! We did encounter a couple of bucket hat topped rogue escapees meandering through town happily; albeit a little confused about the direction to return to the ‘port’.

 

Design was a stand out feature for me here in Helsinki. It seemed like the Finns are very proud of their ability to design things. There is even a museum dedicated to the design achievements of the Finns. Everywhere I looked were examples of slick and sleek. Light and clean. Contemporary and edgy designs which permeated everything from architecture to cutlery!

 

Here is a list of some of the things to do whilst in Helsinki.

  • Stay at the accommodation which was a prison.
  • Ride the trams
  • Markets at the harbour
  • Chapel of Silence
  • Graze on gourmet food
  • Visit galleries and hand craft stalls
  • Listen to music in outdoor performances
  • Ride bike through city
  • Boat ride excursions to local islands
  • Visit Natural History museums
  • Visit Design museum
  • Enjoy summer gardens trees and flowers
  • Ataneum Art Museum
  • Uspenskin Cathedral

….and so much more. We had a fabulous time. Just what we both needed. My rehab is going well and I managed to walk most days, with just one day where I bunkered in to give my knee a bit of healing time. …. So now we are set off to Murmansk in Russia. Stay tuned.









 

 

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.