Day 38, Helsinki

Actually, I was planning to ride my bike to the 50 km away old town of Porvoo today. But I couldn't motivate myself with the predicted 28 degrees. Instead, I decided to do some more sightseeing in Helsinki today.

There is so much to see here, especially in terms of design and architecture. For example, there's the Kampin kappeli - chapel of silence. It's located right in the middle of a pedestrian zone. A lot of hustle and bustle around. The chapel was completed on the occasion of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. The exterior walls are made of Finnish pine wood and coated with a special wax made with nanotechnology.

Because of the heat, I'm using the tram and the bus a lot today. In doing so, I also discover many interesting things outside the city center.

In the afternoon, I'm spending some time with a guided tour of the architecture studio of Alvar Aalto. He lived and worked in Helsinki until his death in 1976.

He became known for his special concepts in the field of organic construction and is considered the "father of modernism" and a pioneer of Finnish architecture in many Nordic countries. In addition to architecture and urban planning, he also dealt with furniture design. He mainly used wood for this purpose.

He also designed textiles, glassware, and lamps. One of his design pieces is the Aalto Vase. The Aalto University in Helsinki has been named after him since 2010.

Tomorrow I'm going home. I'm looking forward to it and at the same time I'm grateful for these five and a half weeks.