Helsinki

Today is our second day in Helsinki. I love the city and also love the fact that we are staying in the same place for more than one night- its nice not to have to pack up every morning.

Today we visited the Myyrimaki Church, another building that I learned about in Jerry Larson’s lectures. The way the church plays with light is spectacular. Next we visited Kiasma, a Steven Holl modern art museum. I had never heard of or seen pictures of the museum, so when we arrived it was a complete surprise. The modern building is full of swooping metal and concrete curves. I really enjoyed the exhibits too.

This afternoon was the first time we had time to ourselves (sort of). We were given a list of buildings to see and told what to sketch while we were there. The winners, we were told, would get a prize. My group decided to take it easy. We took our time and just went to a few of the buildings. The first one we went to, the Temppeliaukio Kirkko Rock Church, was my favorite. The church is carved out of a giant rocky outcrop. Inside the acoustics are near perfect. When we walked in we were some of the only visitors. A violinist was playing, the church was warm and beautiful. It was like heaven. Then tour busses pulled up and loads of people came pouring through the church’s doors. The number of people spoiled a bit of the magic, but still the space was spectacular.

After our “free” afternoon we met back up with the group at a bar on top of a hotel with a great view of the city. My group did not win the prize (new sketchbooks). Oh well.

Tonight one of the other tour groups is supposed to arrive in Helsinki. It will be nice to see them – it feels like we’ve been away forever even though its only been four days.