Wednesday 11th October 2017

Up a bit later this morning and breakfast before leaving for the nearby pool for some aqua-jogging. This is a wonderful complex with two or more pools, and other facilities for basketball and other activities. We separated into male and female sides and changed, had a sauna a shower and went into the pool. Bill and i were soon intercepted by the superintendent who advised us that the swim shorts we were wearing were not permitted in the pool for 'hygiene reasons'. Fortunately he had spare 'Speedos' for us to use and we were allowed to enter the pool after changing into the regulation swimwear. MAC and Paivi were already churning up and down the pool and we soon joined them. Aqua-jogging is great exercise, low impact but you certainly feel as though you have had a work-out when you are finished. MAC and Bill decided to use the water slide and there were also high pressure jets which gave ones back and front a wonderful aqua-massage.

After our work-out it was back, a shower and a cup of coffee in the cafe before rejoining MAC and Paivi. On the way home we made a short detour to the library and to the shopping mall to pick up a few things.

Then it was lunch at home before getting the subway into the city. This proved to be a wonderfully easy exercise using the cell-phone app on which you could purchase tickets. the subway takes about 20-25 minutes to get into the Central Station. It is quiet, clean and efficient as well as being quite cheap. 

From the city center we walked to the harbor where the market was just packing up and then on to the open air pool at the water's edge, which was being used by quite a few hardy souls. the water is kept at the upper 70's or 80 deg F so after a sauna, bathing in the open air is not so bad.

The harborfront, the building on the right is the residence of the President.

concert hallThe open-air swimming pool at the edge of the harbor.

We walked back into the city and stopped at Fazer cafe for a sandwich before attending the concert by the Helsinki Philharmonic at the new concert hall. For which Bill & Paivi had obtained tickets.

The cafe started by Karl Fazer an immigrant to Finland

 Then it was the shortish walk to the concert hall.

Our 'birds-eye' view of the concert stage which was a great and unique view which, thanks to the great acoustics gave us perfect sound.

The extensive percussion section.

The concert which was conducted by the very talented Finnish lady conductor Susanna Malkki contained the Richard Strauss Oboe concerto with the soloist Alexei Ogrintchouk. who gave a superb performance and getting such an ovation that he reprised the second movement of the concerto as an encore. The history of this concerto is interesting in that an American soldier, John de Lancie, in World War ll was sent to secure the house in which Richard Strauss was living in 1945. This soldier was an oboist and asked Richard Strauss if he had ever thought about composing a concerto for the instrument. This was met with a curt 'No'. But Strauss must have reconsidered as, within six months he had, indeed, composed such a concerto. Although dedicating it to de Lancie, due to musical protocols, he was not actually to play it for many years.

Following this concerto, Aubade by Erik Bergman, a Finnish composer was played. This was a very pleasant piece. The last work was the music from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss again. This contains some very lively passages which tested the orchestra and their percussion section. All in all it was a lovely concert in a beautiful hall.

We were soon home on the subway and after a night cap off to bed.