Finland Finale

We had just enough time before our flight to see a few last sights, and started with a monument to Jean Sibelius. His "Finlandia" provided the tune to one of my favorite hymns, "Be Still My Soul", and based on the number of tour buses there I wasn't alone. The monument looks like organ pipes floating in the air, and the experience was completed by a young boy playing Finlandia on his trumpet.

Jean Sibelius monument

From there we strolled to a church Maggie knew about, enjoying the perfect weather along the way. Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). The Finns decided: "IN this rock I will build my church." We're both geology nerds and I have to say, it was unlike any church I'd ever visited but very cool. The floor was polished fairly smooth, but they left the walls a little rough as a reminder you were inside a rock. The roof had some skylights to let in natural light, and directly overhead was a copper dome that looked like a spiraled coil. I loved the purple pews, and sat there long enough to take in a recital on the piano and enjoy the acoustics but had to keep an eye on the time.

Temppeliaukio Church

All too soon, we returned to the hotel to grab our things and head to the airport for the flight home. Scandinavia was a magical place, all the better for seeing so much of it!