Statues and Seagulls

When walking around Helsinki on a sunny morning, one of the things that comes to mind is how many statues you come across. Actually Helsinki has around 400 public statues, you seem to come across one at every turn, from mice to giant pike fish. The people of Helsinki love their statues and it seems impossible to see them all in a mornings walk, you need to reserve a day or two if you want to see them all.

But it is not only the people of Helsinki that love their statues, being next to the sea we also have a lot of Seagulls, who also enjoy our statues. The Seagulls use the statues more as a vantage post, somewhere to meet and watch the people go by. I decided on this sunny morning to take a short 20 minute walk around the centre to see how many Seagulls on statues I could photograph, and here is the result.

Alexander II Senate Square

My first sighting came on the Senate Square and the statue of Alexander II in front of the Helsinki Cathedral. From here I took the short walk to the Esplanade looking for more statues.

Johan Ludwig Runeburg, Esplanade

It took less than 10 minutes to find Statue plus Seagull number two, although in that short space of time I did pass at least two other statues without their resident Seagull.

Fact and Fiction, Esplanade

With my self imposed time limit of 20 minutes almost up, I was thrilled to find this double success a little further along the Esplanade. The two Seagulls are sitting statues dedicated to the Finnish writer Zachris Topelius.

So four Statues and Seagulls photographed in 20 minutes, it could have been five but that was the one that got away as I was focusing the camera.

Two Headed Eagle, Market Square

I did come across this Seagull on the Market Place and it was within time, but I decided that this is a monument rather than a statue. I so perhaps I will not count this one, but you could say we have rather a lot of Statues and Seagulls in Helsinki.