Helsinki to Tallinn
With a noon departure, we had a lazy morning. We breakfasted at a nearby cafe, which had coffee and pastries and a breakfast bar, plus meals throughout the day, plus served as a bar and nightclub with lights and soundsystem and everything. An efficient use of space, all things considered.
We checked out and wandered over to the waterfront, taking a break at the Kappeli once more. Then we boarded our trimaran jetboat to Tallinn, taking about an hour and a half to cross the water. Margo got some lunches for her and Sarah and also a Finnish pear cider for herself; I tried it and got one for me too as it was quite tasty (but not as tasty as those Swedish ones!).
Tallinn was not exactly welcoming. We had another passport check after docking, supplementing the one we had before docking; we'd not experienced two in the same trip. There were no bank machines at the ferry terminal; we were directed to a gas station "down the street", being about a quarter of a mile away in actuality around a few bends. We found a taxi queue not far away and some of the city looked fairly dodgy; I noticed more decay than I had elsewhere. At our destination, the cabbie revealed he hadn't turned on his meter, so he estimated a charge, no doubt a bit higher than usual. I'd never been to Eastern Europe before - none of us had - so I was feeling wary of being taken advantage of.
Our hotel is quite nice, however. We settled and, since it was around 3 pm already, we planned a trip for the day, as we'd only have so many hours to explore the city.
Our hotel is only about two blocks from the old Medieval city centre, and that's where our plans took us. On the way, I saw this sculpture at the entrance to a park. Is it not the perfect metaphor for Estonia: a blend of Scandinavian modernism and Soviet classicism? Is this not the perfect photographical representation of the soul of this nation?
Entering the old town area, our first visit was to the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. A Russian Orthodox wedding service was taking place inside.
Soon we encountered this gate in the Medieval wall and passed through. Is it not a perfect metaphor for the city? An ancient portal to a modern future? I await my Pulitzer.
We picked our way among more narrow streets and arrived at the town square.
Margo and Sarah wanted to spend time at a shop selling pastries and Marzipan so I proposed we split up for a while. I ended up finding what is apparently Estonia's first pub (circa 1993?) named Hell Hunt. It was the closest to an English pub I'd encountered so far, serving Irish, English, Scottish and Belgian beers in addition to their own: Hele (I lager I'd guess), Tume (a darker ale, which I sampled and enjoyed), and Siider (cider), as well as Shepherds' Pie and other standard pub fare.
I rejoined the womenfolk but their next chosen stop was some shop selling trinkets made out of amber so once again I split off. I traversed the shopping street and left old town, crossing a park and entering a massive shopping mall. On the other side I got a better view of the downtown buildings.
The mall was very modern, but I noticed that each shop I stepped into would have a security guard watching over shoppers.
On the way back to the old town, I got this picture of the entrance and the high street.
I joined up with Margo and Sarah and we had dinner at a resataurant serving Estonian fare.
We got a plate of garlic bread, slices of dark bread fried and served with diced garlic. Sarah had a beef tomato soup that was like a bolognese with less meat and citrus from lime wedges. Margo had pork with sauce and nice seasoning, with veg. I had salmon in a pot with cheese, potatoes, cream, garlic, squash, herbs, and lemon wedges. Margo and I both had some of the local lager, A. Le Coq.
After dinner, we took a cab back to the hotel, returning well before dark. Because if the movies have taught me anything, it's that, in Eastern Europe, nightfall is when the vampires come out. And the Russian spies. Plus the Russian Mafia. And perhaps worst of all: yobbish English tourists.
We checked out and wandered over to the waterfront, taking a break at the Kappeli once more. Then we boarded our trimaran jetboat to Tallinn, taking about an hour and a half to cross the water. Margo got some lunches for her and Sarah and also a Finnish pear cider for herself; I tried it and got one for me too as it was quite tasty (but not as tasty as those Swedish ones!).
Tallinn was not exactly welcoming. We had another passport check after docking, supplementing the one we had before docking; we'd not experienced two in the same trip. There were no bank machines at the ferry terminal; we were directed to a gas station "down the street", being about a quarter of a mile away in actuality around a few bends. We found a taxi queue not far away and some of the city looked fairly dodgy; I noticed more decay than I had elsewhere. At our destination, the cabbie revealed he hadn't turned on his meter, so he estimated a charge, no doubt a bit higher than usual. I'd never been to Eastern Europe before - none of us had - so I was feeling wary of being taken advantage of.
Our hotel is quite nice, however. We settled and, since it was around 3 pm already, we planned a trip for the day, as we'd only have so many hours to explore the city.
Our hotel is only about two blocks from the old Medieval city centre, and that's where our plans took us. On the way, I saw this sculpture at the entrance to a park. Is it not the perfect metaphor for Estonia: a blend of Scandinavian modernism and Soviet classicism? Is this not the perfect photographical representation of the soul of this nation?
Entering the old town area, our first visit was to the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. A Russian Orthodox wedding service was taking place inside.
Soon we encountered this gate in the Medieval wall and passed through. Is it not a perfect metaphor for the city? An ancient portal to a modern future? I await my Pulitzer.
We picked our way among more narrow streets and arrived at the town square.
Margo and Sarah wanted to spend time at a shop selling pastries and Marzipan so I proposed we split up for a while. I ended up finding what is apparently Estonia's first pub (circa 1993?) named Hell Hunt. It was the closest to an English pub I'd encountered so far, serving Irish, English, Scottish and Belgian beers in addition to their own: Hele (I lager I'd guess), Tume (a darker ale, which I sampled and enjoyed), and Siider (cider), as well as Shepherds' Pie and other standard pub fare.
I rejoined the womenfolk but their next chosen stop was some shop selling trinkets made out of amber so once again I split off. I traversed the shopping street and left old town, crossing a park and entering a massive shopping mall. On the other side I got a better view of the downtown buildings.
The mall was very modern, but I noticed that each shop I stepped into would have a security guard watching over shoppers.
On the way back to the old town, I got this picture of the entrance and the high street.
I joined up with Margo and Sarah and we had dinner at a resataurant serving Estonian fare.
We got a plate of garlic bread, slices of dark bread fried and served with diced garlic. Sarah had a beef tomato soup that was like a bolognese with less meat and citrus from lime wedges. Margo had pork with sauce and nice seasoning, with veg. I had salmon in a pot with cheese, potatoes, cream, garlic, squash, herbs, and lemon wedges. Margo and I both had some of the local lager, A. Le Coq.
After dinner, we took a cab back to the hotel, returning well before dark. Because if the movies have taught me anything, it's that, in Eastern Europe, nightfall is when the vampires come out. And the Russian spies. Plus the Russian Mafia. And perhaps worst of all: yobbish English tourists.
posted by Michael Nelson at 9:08 am
1 Comments:
I am in awe of the beauty of these cities. Thank you for posting these great photos, guys! What a great trip.
Miss you!
Brenda will give you hugs from us.
Dave and Megan
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