Finland was not exactly the most logical place to end my nine-week backpacking tour of Eastern Europe, but I’d received an invitation from my Parisian friend and former roommate Agathe to come and visit her new place of residence, and I couldn’t resist such a golden travel opportunity.

From the moment I stepped off the airport shuttle on the eastern side of Helsinki’s Railway Square, I felt small. In front of me, Helsinki Railway Station dominated the square, its arch-shaped façade guarded on either side by enormous, lamp-wielding statues. Everywhere I looked was a succession of large and beautiful buildings, testaments to the creativity of 19th- and 20th-century architects.

The Suomenlinna Fortress, a Unesco World Heritage site, is situated atop six interconnected islands just off Helsinki.

Despite the grandeur of the architecture, there were few high-rise buildings. This had the effect of making even the sky seem bigger, as massive gray and white cloud formations drifted overhead in a wide expanse of concave blue sky.

Agathe would be at work until late afternoon, so I would explore a few of Helsinki’s cultural and historical highlights before meeting up with her.

For centuries, Helsinki has been a strategic military center, due to its close proximity to Russia, Germany and the Baltic countries. Founded by King Gustavus Vasa of Sweden in 1550, Helsinki remained part of Sweden until Finland declared independence in 1917.

Devastated by fire in 1827, Helsinki was rebuilt bigger and better than ever, giving it the wide avenues and architecture it is famous for today. Although the Soviets heavily bombed Helsinki during World War II, the city emerged from the conflict relatively unscathed, and it was never occupied by enemy forces.

My first stop was one of Helsinki’s proudest historical landmarks, Suomenlinna Fortress, a Unesco World Heritage site. The fortress was built beginning in 1748 atop a series of six interconnected islands, just 15 minutes by ferry from the mainland. It was designed to be the “Gibraltar of the North,” a stronghold to protect the then-Swedish nation from the growing Russian threat.

To my eyes, Suomenlinna looked more like a peaceful suburb than a fortress. A school, a church, seven museums — most of them related to the military, as well as a toy museum — and several small shops were scattered amid grassy hills surrounding the walls.