This adorable, gushy postcard arrives from Helsinki, Finland. The message means, more or less, "Greetings to You!" Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It was founded in 1550 and apparently struggled as a city for centuries. Its original name is Helsingfors, which was given by the Swedes. Although it hasn't gone by that name for quite some time, I think it's interesting that the postmark on the stamp still says Helsingfors. The city didn't begin to thrive until Russian czar Alexander I moved Finland's capital from Turku to Helsinki in the early nineteenth century. This was a move to reduce the Swedish influence on Finland, as Turku is closer to Sweden than to Russia. Today, Helsinki has over 500,000 inhabitants and is the location of Finland's largest university. It is a major seaport located on the Gulf of Finland off the Baltic Sea. I received this card October 2 after 3 days of travel. It comes from user Tunde.
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