After a very long day yesterday and a very noisy hotel (music festival) we surprisingly woke up early full of energy. We bumped into Gary and Betty at breakfast as they had flown in from London the day before. Pete and I walked to the Hop on Hop Off Bus Stop which was only 100 metres from our hotel. Our timetable must have been an old one because we were an hour too early so we decided to follow the tram tracks into the city. We purchased a two day pass including a sightseeing boat cruise which was 39 euros each from Market Square. From Market Square we did a circuit of the Bus Route to familiarise ourselves with the area. We returned to Market Square where we hopped onto a ferry to Suomenlinna Fortress. Suomenlinna consists of eight small islands. Five of the islands are connected by bridges or sandbars. Construction of the sea fortress commenced in 1748 led by Augustin Ehrensvard. It served as a naval base during the Russo Swedish War. In 1808 the fortress surrendered to the Russian army and remained a Russian Naval Base for the next 110 years. In 1918 a of prisoner of war camp was established and annexed by Finland. 1939 marked the start of the Second World War and the fortress served as a coastal artillery, anti aircraft and submarine base. In 1973 the Finnish garrison vacated the island and the Ministry of Education and Culture assumed responsibility for the fortress which has been added to Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites as a unique monument to military architecture. We followed the main route across the fortress enjoying spectacular views of the archipelago. This island is a popular picnic spot for the locals with little cafes' dotted over the island. There are museums and a dry dock which restores traditional sailing ships. There is also the Vesikko Submarine which has been fully restored. It was built in the 1930's and served in the Second World War. We also visited some of the artist studios. In 1929 a lighthouse was established in the tower of the Luthren Church. This light, also known as the Harmaja Range Rear light. I didnt notice the light until someone pointed it out.

We visited "The King's Gate" which is the iconic symbol of Suomenlinna. It was built in 1753-54 as the entrance gateway to the fortress. The gate was built on the site where the ship carrying King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, was anchored while he inspected the construction of the fortress in 1752.

The façade of the two-storey King's Gate is concave, and the gate, framed with marble stones, is made with rustic masonry. In the 1770s the gate was transformed into a double drawbridge. A quay and wide stairs, constructed from limestone excavated from a site near Stockholm, were built in front of the drawbridge.

From the Gate we walked up to Kustaanmiekka which had a magnificent view of the original bastion fortress as well as the Russian defenceline, complete with sand banks and artillery emplacements. We also visited the Great Courtyard which was designed by the fortress's founder Augustin Ehrensvard in 176. The tomb of August Ehrensvard is in the middle of the courtyard.

After hours of walking in the hot sun we boarded our ferry and headed back to Market Square. We then enjoyed a sightseeing boat cruise with Royal Lines around the Baltic sea. The Helsinki Archipelago has over 300 islands. The cool breeze was welcoming and we saw wonderful sights of Helsinki from the sea. Churches, historical buildings, Suomenlinna and yacht clubs. We finished our cruise, and were too late to catch the bus back to our hotel so we strolled back enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city. We had a late dinner at the Crown Plaza which was the hotel next to ours. The service was excellent and the food was amazing. Our hotel was still reoovering from the music festival the day before.