Pleasantry

Hope you’re all having a pleasant weekend, doing pleasant weekend-like things.  Like sailing.

This isn’t my boat, unfortunately, but I snapped its picture during my Northern jaunt, as it sailed past a bastion of Suomenlinna, also known as Sveaborg, the gigantic island fortress outside Helsinki harbor.  Despite being known as the Gibraltar of the North, the fortress was the site of a number of military disasters that culminated in its surrender to the Russians.  It didn’t do so well for the Russians, either.

The fortress survives in its beautiful setting, and is now demilitarized and full of tourists.  It also has at least one first-rate restaurant, where I had a very fine lunch.  Unfortunately nobody offered me a ride in a sailboat.