Snow

On the 13.12.2008 we had our little FinlandLive Christmas Party with a great Dinner at Rosso and some drinks and Dance in Molly Mallones afterwards.

I would like to thank especially drummerac who came the long way from Ireland and afinnegirl from the US.

Hope to see you all soon again!

Pictures can be found here:
http://www.finlandlive.info/members/...ikkujoulu.html
http://www.finlandlive.info/members/...ikkojoulu.html

Here are some shots I took today (see all Pictures here):

Find all Pictures here

If you walk around in Helsinki, you may realize that Art Nouveau has a great influence on the architecture.

My favourite building in Helsinki is the Pohjola Insurance Building designed by Eliel Saarinen and built in 1901.



But what is Art Nouveau?
Art Nouveau, also known as Jugendstil (German for 'youth style'), is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century (1890–1905).



A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms.

Art Nouveau is an approach to design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life.



Click here to read more about Art Nouveau

Uspenski Cathedral (Finnish: Uspenskin katedraali, Swedish: Uspenskij-katedralen, Russian: Успенский собор) is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Helsinki, Finland, dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary). Its name comes from the Russian word uspenie, which denotes the Dormition. Designed by the Russian architect Alexey Gornostaev (1808-1862), the cathedral was built after his death in 1862-1868.



The Cathedral is set upon a hillside on the Katajanokka peninsula overlooking the city. On the back of the cathedral, there is a plaque commemorating Russian Emperor Alexander II, who was the sovereign of the Grand Duchy of Finland during the cathedral's construction. Main cathedral of the Finnish Orthodox Church in the diocese of Helsinki, Uspenski Cathedral is claimed to be the largest orthodox church in Western Europe, although Finland is normally included into Northern Europe.



In 2006, about 516 500 tourists visited the church. Admission to the Cathedral is free of charge. In winter, the Cathedral is closed on Mondays.

(Source Wikipedia)