To Helsinki and Back : If summer seems endless, the Finns know better, and wring out every ounce of light

Within hours of landing in Helsinki recently, I was invited to someone’s birthday party, treated to a nighttime tour of the city and persuaded to take my first coed Finnish sauna--all by the same group of strangers (friends of friends), though by the end of the evening we had become friends ourselves.

Not a bad introduction to Nordic hospitality.

As I soon discovered, this sort of thing is not unusual in Finland, especially the invitation to a communal sauna, one sure way to get to know the local people.

With the breakup of the Soviet behemoth on Finland’s eastern border, their Cold War identity crisis has ended, the Finns say, and with it one of Europe’s best-kept vacation secrets.

Once known mainly for hosting East-West summit conferences, Finland was often among the last places American tourists thought to include on their European travel itineraries. But the demise of the Soviet Union has finally given the Finns--so overshadowed by that large and powerful country--a chance to shine independently.

Summer brings Helsinki to life. Quaint pastel-colored buildings take on an almost tropical look. So do the Finnish people, who seem to enjoy soaking up as much precious summer sun as possible. The outdoors is every Finn’s natural element, and the feeling can be instantly contagious. After a few days in Finland, you’ll hate the thought of going inside.

So why bother? Helsinki may be the most pedestrian-friendly capital in Europe. And since nearly all tourist spots in the 3 1/2-square-mile city center are within convenient walking distance of each other, the best way to see the city is on foot.

A busy port on the Baltic Sea, Helsinki is a compact metropolis full of narrow winding streets, bustling sidewalk cafes and lots of churches, the most picturesque of which, Helsinki Cathedral (built in 1852), dominates the city’s skyline. Use its five green domes as a point of reference, and chances are you’ll never get lost.

I asked one Finnish couple how to get to Helsinki’s famous Slavonic Library (1 Neitsytpolku St.), home of the most extensive collection of Russian literature anywhere in the West, and ended up being invited to their home for dinner and a sauna, followed by strawberry-flavored vodka. The evening’s conversation covered such varied subjects as American cars, American women and American movies.

“Woody Allen is my favorite actor,” said my host, who had seen every one of Allen’s films but “Love and Death,” a spoof on Russian literature that Finnish authorities--in an effort to not offend the Kremlin--once banned as anti-Soviet propaganda.

Finland, incidentally, has one sauna for every four of its 4.5 million inhabitants, and those willing to shed their inhibitions can soon find themselves feeling very Finnish. But visitors need not know local people to partake. In addition to public saunas ($10 to $15 per visit), most hotels have facilities and staffs who will instruct those unfamiliar with the practice in just how it’s done.

Part of the fun of walking around Helsinki is watching the people demonstrate their adaptability to the changing seasons. Here, long summer days with as much as 20 hours of light mean more time for commerce and amusement. (Rest seems to be something Finns do in the winter.) During Night of the Arts--this year, Aug. 28--galleries, museums, libraries and cafes stay open all night, and classical, rock music, dance and theater performances are offered at venues around town.

Market Square, Helsinki’s historic dockside market, with its abundant selection of fresh fish and colorful clothing from Lapland, is open until 8 p.m. throughout the summer months. The city’s ferry system runs late too.

But perhaps the strangest local phenomenon for U.S. tourists is the absence of stop signs downtown. What makes Helsinki motorists brake their Saabs and Volvos at intersections?

“Community pressure,” one driver told me, noting that Finns place a high degree of importance on civic responsibility.

A direct benefit to tourists is the assurance that little goes wrong during a stay in Finland. Lost luggage, botched hotel reservations and surly cab drivers are so rare, I had to remind myself I was really on vacation. But I soon got used to it.

Another boon to tourists is that many of Helsinki’s 500,000-plus citizens speak English. Since few outsiders ever master the complexities of Finnish (a close linguistic cousin to Hungarian), most Finns compensate by learning two or three foreign languages.

That comes in especially handy at meal time. Smoked reindeer and salmon are a must, and while most restaurants feature them both on the menu, get ready for a case of sticker shock. Prices in Finland can be high. But if money is no object, try the Kanavaranta restaurant near the harbor for Finnish fare (dinner for two with wine can be $125). Otherwise, you can sample more affordable offerings at any number of small cafes in Market Square.

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As with many European cities, Helsinki has seen its share of destruction. Caught in the middle of a war between Russia and Sweden, the Finnish capital was burned to the ground in 1809. It was gradually replaced with a new town designed by German architect Carl Ludwig Engel, who gave the city its neoclassical Helsinki Cathedral centerpiece.

For the past century and a half, citizens of Helsinki have gathered on the cathedral steps to celebrate important occasions.

If Engel’s grand design looks a little Russian, there’s good reason. For more than a century, beginning in 1809, Finland was a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire, and it still retains much of the imperial charm lost or destroyed in the former Soviet Union. Given Helsinki’s many fine examples of czarist architecture, no wonder it’s been used as the shooting location for “Dr. Zhivago,” “Reds” and other films about Russia before the Communists.

Orthodox churches and public monuments attest to ties between Russia and Finland. In Senate Square, just south of the Cathedral, there’s an imposing statue of Czar Alexander II, erected in 1894, the same year the last Romanov, Nicholas II, was crowned emperor of Russia. It was Nicholas’ overthrow in 1917 that led to Finland’s independence. Yet despite three wars with the Soviet Union during this century, Finland still pays a curious homage to its Russian past.

Richard Stites, an American scholar working in Finland, suggested the country’s many czarist landmarks really are part of a careful diplomatic strategy, Finland’s way of flattering its unpredictable neighbor to the east.

A short walk east from Senate Square is Uspenski Cathedral, built in 1868, one of the largest orthodox churches outside Russia. Shrouded in the haze of candle smoke, the interior seems to be lighted only by the glow of gold icons. It is topped by 14 golden onion domes, another reminder of Finland’s Russian side.

From the terrace outside the church, there’s a dramatic view of the harbor and in the distance the island of Suomenlinna. Called the “Gibraltar of the North,” the island fortress was the Russian Empire’s first line of defense against a sea invasion during the 19th century. Today, Suomenlinna is a planned community, with a restored Russian wooden village (once a Russian officers’ quarters) and several restaurants, art galleries and an outdoor theater where plays are staged during the summer.

Begun in 1749 by the Swedes, who named it Sveaborg, the stone fortifications along Suomenlinna’s coastline are a perfectly preserved example of 18th century military architecture and the best place in Helsinki to admire the brooding but beautiful Baltic Sea.

Ferries leave Helsinki’s city dock every half hour for Suomenlinna. The trip takes about 20 minutes each way, and a round-trip ticket good for one hour costs about $2.

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Back in town, signs of Finland’s resurgent sense of national pride are everywhere. Recent membership in the European Union confirms an important connection to the West. So does the profusion of American-style bars and nightclubs.

Centuries ago, Finnish tribes began moving westward from their homeland in the Urals. Fleeing the Mongol hordes, Finns turned northwest and their kinsmen, the Hungarians, headed south. Throughout their history, Finns have had to be tough and determined to survive, a quality celebrated in the music of the country’s famous composer Jean Sibelius (remember his powerful symphonic poem, “Finlandia”?), whose stainless steel bust in Helsinki’s Sibeliuksen Park is a national shrine.

The history of the Finnish struggle against everything from blizzards to Vikings is told in fascinating detail at the nearby National Museum. Its collection of ancient Arctic clothing reminds you that modern-day Finns have some of the hardiest ancestors in history.

Those who come from weaker stock and want to take a break from walking, as I did, can always board the Koff Beer Tram, a kind of moving bar that travels through the city, making strategic stops at restaurants and saloons.

I disembarked near the University of Helsinki, a complex of neoclassical buildings designed by Carl Engel. The university library, painted a bright canary yellow, is considered one of Engel’s most important achievements. But, then, architecture is a tradition here and Helsinki is a virtual building museum.

In the summer, Finns celebrate their long days with roaring bonfires and boating parties. So I decided to dispense with foot travel and spend the night at a lakeside inn a short train ride north of Helsinki in Vantaa to sample the rejuvenating benefits of Finnish country living. If Helsinki residents treat saunas as a year-round necessity, outside the capital they’re a religion. Unlike the electrically heated city version, traditional country saunas use logs.

Following a day of touring, I decided to try a smoke sauna. Heated for hours by fire, the sauna room is then ventilated, leaving behind the sweet smell of wood smoke emanating from the walls. After the required post-sauna plunge in a cold lake, one is, as the Finns say, ready for anything.

In such a state, the preferred libation is a glass of cloudberry-flavored vodka. In Finland the drink is thought to have magical powers, and it may. Actually, after sampling a few, I began to think the Finns had discovered the secret to eternal happiness: saunas, a spring-fed lake and endless summer days to enjoy the pleasures of both. But as another guest reminded me, in Finland, summer days are a limited commodity and the secret is to enjoy them while they last. And so it was: back in the sauna . . . and back in the lake . . . back in the sauna . . . back in the lake. The Finns theorize there will be plenty of time to relax when summer is over.

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GUIDEBOOK: Hep to Helsinki

Getting there: Delta, United, British Airways and Lufthansa fly, with one change of planes, from LAX to Helsinki. Advance-purchase, round-trip fares start at $1,330.

Where to stay: Finnapartments Fenno, 26 Franzeninkatu; from the United States, telephone 011-358-9-773-1661. Rates: $70 per night for a double.

Grand Marina, 7 Katajanokanlaituri; tel. 011-358-9-16-661. Rates: $175 per night for a double.

Inter-Continental Helsinki, 46 Mannerheimintie; tel. 011-358-9-40-551. Rates: $290 per night for a double.

Sokos Hotel Hesperia, 50 Mannerheimintie; tel. 011-358-9-43-101. Rates: $262 per night for a double.

Park Hotel Kapyla; 38 Pohjolankatu; tel. 011-358-9-799-755. Rates: $117 per night for a double.

Where to eat: Cafe Strindberg, 33 Pohjoisesplanadi; local tel. 652-263. Sandwiches ($4), pastries ($4), wines ($5) and coffee ($1.60).

Kanavaranta, 3F Kanavaranta; tel. 622-2633. Finnish cuisine in a remodeled warehouse offering a view of the harbor; entrees from $16 to $23; four-course dinner, including wine, $61 per person.

Kappeli Restaurant, Etelaesplanadi; tel. 179-242. Finnish and continental cuisine, entrees from $8 to $18.

Saslik, 12 Neitsytpolku; tel. 348-9700. Russian cuisine in an elegant setting, with live Russian music, entrees from $13 to $28.

For more information: Finnish Tourist Board, 655 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10017; tel. (212) 949-2333.

--B.T.