Mike dropped us off in Helsinki for some shopping/wandering time. We visited Uspenski Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church built in the 1860s. I didn't really think about how close we were to Russia, but Helsinki is only about 150 miles from the Russian border. Orthodox churches tend to be very ornate and this one was no exception. It even had an onion dome like St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

A few blocks away was Helsinki Cathedral, a Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church built in the mid-1800s. The interior was completely different from the Orthodox church. Much less gold.

After some more shopping (including Iittala, my favorite Finnish shop), we enjoyed the beautiful weather with Finnish beer (Jeff & Emily) and hot chocolate (Cindy) before catching a bus. We spent the night at Anya's house before a very early flight on Saturday, July 11. Kiitos Sumoi (thank you Finland)! After a fairly awful layover in Frankfurt, we were very happy to get back to the U.S. after our wonderful European trip!