Tallinn August 2, 2006
We were up early to catch a 9AM ferry that took us from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia. We have met several people during our journey that have recommended that we visit Tallinn since we were going to be as close as Helsinki.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, lies about 50 miles across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki and since we were taking the slow ferry (this would be cheaper at US$20 pp or about half the cost of the fast ferry) which takes about three hours. The ferry was late pulling out and slow to get going but we were finally under way. It took almost thirty minutes of running time to clear the last channel marker so I guess the ship channel runs about 7-8 miles into the gulf. That gives you an idea of how shallow the water is in the approaches to Helsinki. This area is studded with small islands that are mostly bare granite protruding from the grey-blue water.
We arrived in Tallinn about 12:30 and after clearing Immigration and Customs walked out of the ferry terminal and directly across the street to out hotel. Holly did good on this one. The hotel wasn’t luxurious but it was clean and had all that we needed for 60 Euros (about US$76) and being across the street from the ferry meant a short haul with the packs. The Portus Hotel has a 60-70’s rock and roll theme and is actually a fun little place. The only question we had was why were the room numbers printed in large white block letters on the doors. It reminded us of a cell block. When we asked at the desk the young lady said it was so people would not go into the wrong room, but it did not always work?
Our first task after getting checked in was to see if we can buy a ScanRail Pass here. The ScanRail Pass allows for unlimited travel on trains in Scandinavia for a predetermined period and since we are planning on traveling to the northern parts of Sweden and Norway, stopping numerous times, it seems that this will save us money during this part of the trip. It also gives you discounts or free travel on buses and ferries, both important parts of our plan to explore the great North Country. The trick is that you have to buy the pass outside of Scandinavia as it is designed for foreign visitors. We found out about the pass when we were already in Helsinki, so Tallinn was our only chance outside of Scandinavia to make the purchase. We found a travel agent while walking through town but she didn’t handle rail passes. The nice lady did, however, give us a lead on another agent that she believed could help us. We followed her directions, located the agent, and another nice lady helped us with the passes. We also want to get Eurail passes for travel in Europe (after we leave Scandinavia) and the same rules about buying them outside the country apply, but they are not sold here in Estonia. We will contact our Hong Kong agent to see if she can help us with these.
From the travel agent’s office we walked to the Old Town square and felt like we were moving centuries back in time. Old Town Tallinn looks like the pictures of old European cities that you see on the Travel Channel. Narrow cobble-stone streets, stone buildings and steeples rising high above the tile roofs of the surrounding buildings give a medieval look and feel to the town. We enjoyed walking through the winding streets but it was close to 3PM and we still had not had lunch. There were several sidewalk cafes around the town square and we played an epicurean version of spin the bottle and came up with a winner. If you ever find yourself in Tallinn we suggest trying “Turg Restroan”. The food is much better than the name.
After lunch we walked through town to get our first look at Tallin’s landmark, its town walls. Tallinn was established as a trading post in the 10th century and the walls were constructed between the 12th and 14th century. The walls were about 2.5 km long and today about 75% of the walls and 19 of the original 66 towers still stand although the walls have been altered over the years into living space and there are now windows built into the walls in several areas. The walls and towers are impressive limestone structures that vary in height from 8 meters (25 feet) – 15 meters (48 feet) for the walls to approximately 20 meters (65 feet) for the tallest towers.
When fatigue finally overcame us we walked back to the hotel and enjoyed the evening on the patio outside of the hotel after which we called it an evening.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, lies about 50 miles across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki and since we were taking the slow ferry (this would be cheaper at US$20 pp or about half the cost of the fast ferry) which takes about three hours. The ferry was late pulling out and slow to get going but we were finally under way. It took almost thirty minutes of running time to clear the last channel marker so I guess the ship channel runs about 7-8 miles into the gulf. That gives you an idea of how shallow the water is in the approaches to Helsinki. This area is studded with small islands that are mostly bare granite protruding from the grey-blue water.
We arrived in Tallinn about 12:30 and after clearing Immigration and Customs walked out of the ferry terminal and directly across the street to out hotel. Holly did good on this one. The hotel wasn’t luxurious but it was clean and had all that we needed for 60 Euros (about US$76) and being across the street from the ferry meant a short haul with the packs. The Portus Hotel has a 60-70’s rock and roll theme and is actually a fun little place. The only question we had was why were the room numbers printed in large white block letters on the doors. It reminded us of a cell block. When we asked at the desk the young lady said it was so people would not go into the wrong room, but it did not always work?
Our first task after getting checked in was to see if we can buy a ScanRail Pass here. The ScanRail Pass allows for unlimited travel on trains in Scandinavia for a predetermined period and since we are planning on traveling to the northern parts of Sweden and Norway, stopping numerous times, it seems that this will save us money during this part of the trip. It also gives you discounts or free travel on buses and ferries, both important parts of our plan to explore the great North Country. The trick is that you have to buy the pass outside of Scandinavia as it is designed for foreign visitors. We found out about the pass when we were already in Helsinki, so Tallinn was our only chance outside of Scandinavia to make the purchase. We found a travel agent while walking through town but she didn’t handle rail passes. The nice lady did, however, give us a lead on another agent that she believed could help us. We followed her directions, located the agent, and another nice lady helped us with the passes. We also want to get Eurail passes for travel in Europe (after we leave Scandinavia) and the same rules about buying them outside the country apply, but they are not sold here in Estonia. We will contact our Hong Kong agent to see if she can help us with these.
From the travel agent’s office we walked to the Old Town square and felt like we were moving centuries back in time. Old Town Tallinn looks like the pictures of old European cities that you see on the Travel Channel. Narrow cobble-stone streets, stone buildings and steeples rising high above the tile roofs of the surrounding buildings give a medieval look and feel to the town. We enjoyed walking through the winding streets but it was close to 3PM and we still had not had lunch. There were several sidewalk cafes around the town square and we played an epicurean version of spin the bottle and came up with a winner. If you ever find yourself in Tallinn we suggest trying “Turg Restroan”. The food is much better than the name.
After lunch we walked through town to get our first look at Tallin’s landmark, its town walls. Tallinn was established as a trading post in the 10th century and the walls were constructed between the 12th and 14th century. The walls were about 2.5 km long and today about 75% of the walls and 19 of the original 66 towers still stand although the walls have been altered over the years into living space and there are now windows built into the walls in several areas. The walls and towers are impressive limestone structures that vary in height from 8 meters (25 feet) – 15 meters (48 feet) for the walls to approximately 20 meters (65 feet) for the tallest towers.
When fatigue finally overcame us we walked back to the hotel and enjoyed the evening on the patio outside of the hotel after which we called it an evening.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 6:12 AM
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