08.23 Tere hommikust! it is what we and Estonians in general are saying right now. It means good morning! We have woken up at hotel Dorell (http://www.dorell.ee) in Tallinn.
09.30 We have finished our breakfast in a lively breakfast room. Conversations in different languages, mainly Finnish, hovered through the room. Now our bathroom chores will be completed before we walk to the city's older parts.
10.16 The calcareous water, make the hands and fingers feel weird. It is best to remember not to drink the water. Then we may feel weird on the inside as well? Enough of this, Tallinn is waiting for us.
11.02 Today's first walk has taken us through the nearby area of Rotermanni Kvartal (Rotermann City) in the vicinity of the port. The old worn out buildings have been cleaned up, refurbished and rebuilt. An entirely new neighbourhood has sprung up with shops, restaurants and other things. Probably it was this area that our friend John looked at on our first visit here in the autumn of 2000. He mentioned then that it was wonderful shabby harbour areas. Now we are sitting on a park bench at the edge of the old town, a bit away from the Estonia monument.
11.37 The park bench was left after a while. After a short walk along the street Uus (New Street) we eventually went into the urban core through the Viru Gate. A bronze bull sat on a bench outside the steak house Goodwin. Once again, we have seen a statue of a bovine animal. A short distance away are some ladies selling beautiful knitted garments by the city wall. We have also seen a performance by an orchestra that has just packed away their instruments and walked towards the Hotel Vana Wiru. Musicians that, in all cases, some of them, seemed to be Swiss.
Rotermann City, Tallinn.
Old buildings get a new life.
The well-known Tallinn silhouette with the Saint Olaf´s Church.
Uus is one of the streets leading into the medieval old town.
Some old wooden buildings can be found in central Tallinn.
Viru Väravad (Viru Gate)
11.51 There are plenty of people in the Old Town. Tourists and locals fill the streets. We are now on the main square of Tallinn's most central parts. The main square is called Raekoja plats (Town Hall square). Tourists photograph, bike taxi travels are offered and the outdoor cafes are well-filled. It is as beautiful here as I remember it. Now more is planned. We want to head to a place with fewer tourists than here.
12.09 We have walked up a slope and have now found a small square with more tourists and statues of something similar to hooded monks. We have come to the Taani Kuninga Aed (the Danish king's garden). This is the place where the Danish flag fell from heaven and became the country's flag. According to the legend, this happened at the Danish invasion of Tallinn, Estonia in the 1200's.
12.45 We and others have wandered around up on the Toompea Hill. Here you can see the pink coloured Estonian parliament, the Russian orthodox Alexander Nevsky cathedral, the tower of Tall Hermann, and above all a magnificent view over Tallinn from some viewing platforms.
13.01 In front of us we have the beautiful Alexander Nevsky cathedral. On a bench a short distance away sits an Asian elderly man. He seems to have a white box implanted in the skull. In the crowd, we have seen a few tourists with backpacks of the brand Kånken from my home area. They seem to appear everywhere we go.
13.40 It is time for lunch at Lido in Solaris Shopping Centre (Solaris Keskus), a copy of yesterday's late lunch/early dinner. When do we get the privilege to dine at this chain again? Food is tasty and here at Lido even tastier.
14.20 We would have said thank you for the food to the staff if we had mastered the language. Now we walk towards new goals.
Lots of tourists visit Tallinn old town.
Müürivahe villaturg, Tallinn wool market, can be found along this wall.
Olde Hansa, an expensive restaurant with a medieval theme.
Raekoja plats, Tallinn.
Pippi Longstocking?
Peter is feeling watched.
14.34 We have embarked on a long trek from the centre out to parts of Tallinn we have not visited before. There were plans to watch a football match today. Levadia Tallinn face Irish Cork City in the qualifying rounds for the Europa League but the match is for some reason moved to Pärnu, instead of having been played at Levadia´s normal home stadium here in the neighbourhood.
15.02 We are now sitting on a white bench by a pond in the sprawling Kadriorg Park. It is nice to sit down. The name means Catherine's valley. She, Catherine, had a palace here that her husband Peter the great gave to her after he conquered Estonia. This happened during the early 1700s. The park was established in 1718.
16.03 The sun shines on us. We drink coffee at a café at the Kadriorg Palace, built 1718-1736. Nowadays it is an art museum. It feels good to rest. A bit further away in the park is the presidential palace. The president is a woman named Kersti Kaljulaid.
16.24 The coffee was a little weak but tasty. Now we have moved on into the beautiful park and sit down by a fountain. Now we are going to do some reading.
16.28 There will be no reading for me. I have forgotten my book in the hotel room. I will instead solve a crossword puzzle.
16.30 When I would pick up crossword puzzles magazine from my small backpack I found the book. This is holiday for sure.
17.26 Enough with the reading for a while. It is time to go home again. We'll make a stop in our room before the evening stroll for a dinner in the city centre.
Riigikogu, the Estonian parliament.
Alexander Nevskij cathedral, a Russian orthodox building.
A beautiful view of Tallinn.
Luigetiik, a pond in Kadriorg Park.
Peter is trying to forget that the coffee cup is empty.
Christer in the sun outside the Kadriorg Palace.
18.07 We have come home to Dorell again. There were plenty of folks who wanted to check in when we arrived. I slid in between the cluster and asked for the key to, I hesitated for a while, that's it, 307. The room is cleaned and beds are made. Now we will gather strength for a while.
19.41 I don't know how much stamina has been accumulated. What I do know is that we are going out for a walk again. We will eat a last Estonian dinner somewhere in the old town.
20.29 After a bit of waiting and after having been victims of passive smoking from some Romanians at the neighbouring table we have now ordered our dinner at the restaurant Kuldse Notsu Kőrts, Golden Piglet Inn (http://www.hotelstpetersbourg.com/restaurant/golden-piglet-inn) on Dunkri 8. We are not that hungry but food is welcome.
20.42 There will be an Estonian sausage feast for two people. We are, while waiting, enjoying a good beer each.
22.09 We were served a plate with onion, sauerkraut and several kinds of sausage. All in all it was good except for the final black blood sausage that was not a winner. Now we'll finish the day in peace and quiet in our room.
Kadriorg Palace is the home of Kadrioru kunstimuuseum.
The home of Estonia´s president.
A good beer while waiting for dinner.
Estonian sausage feast at Kuldse Notsu Kõrts.
Friday 30th of June
08.19 After a good night's sleep here at our hotel Dorell, we have now re-awakened in Estonia and Tallinn. Today we will once again head out on the sea.
09.53 The morning slowly continues. Now we have started planning for the trip to and the stay in Helsinki, Finland.
10.16 Now we have checked in at the ferry Silja Europa. In our mobiles, we have a code to show. Nowadays, it's quick and easy to check in at the ferries of Silja Tallink. In Stockhol we easily checked in with the help of a machine in the terminal. It was even easier here.
11.02 Now it is soon time to wander down to the harbour and the Reisiterminal D. We will say goodbye to the room and soon also to Tallinn and Estonia.
11.20 It went smooth to get to the ferry terminal. However, we have not stressed. Now it is time to board the Silja Europa.
11.39 It went smooth to get on board. Now we have seated ourselves up on the top deck, we have no cabin to enter on this short trip. It is becoming cloudy and windy, not at all that pleasant weather on this travel day.
11.45 A little drama has occured here on the top deck. A bottle of soft drink tipped, extruded, and spun around on a table. This led to that the girl, who owned the bottle, got her pants splashed.
12.02 The girl has acted and changed pants. The change did not take place here on deck, she went away to get it done, probably in the ladies' restroom.
12.31 The rain came as the ferry began to move. We have moved ourselves away from the deck and under the roof and in the heat. We have sat down on the floor with our backpacks next to us.
13.21 One of the doors out to the deck was opened and the comment, "Jesus Christ!" was heard. It seem to blow briskly out of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian it is called the Soome laht and in Finnish Suomenlahti.
Christer is walking towards the ferry Silja Europa.
It is time to say good bye to Tallinn for this time.
The interior of the ferry Silja Europa feels like a shopping mall.
Peter is waiting for departure.
You need lifts like these on a ferry with many floors.
Silja Europa has arrived in Helsinki.
14.23 Our northern journey to Finland continues. It is a bumpy ride. Sometimes it rocks a little bit more than usual but there is no danger.
15.11 Since last time we have seen a Finnish lady blow over/slip on the deck. It is mainly the smokers who insist on going out in the wind. Now it will actually be nice to arrive.
15.21 The weather will delay our arrival. We got nothing against that. The next accommodation is close to the terminal and check-in will take place between 17.00 and 18.00. We have visited the duty free shop and a café for purchases of a little to consume. Prices in the onboard cafe were so high that it felt like a bad joke.
15.49 We are back on the deck. The wind blows and we now we have Helsinki in sight.
FINLAND
16.20 The travel on the water is over for this time. We have arrived in Finland, Helsinki and the Western terminal. From now on we will mostly travel overland throughout the rest of this trip.
16.49 We have walked through for us new parts of Helsinki and are now in the vicinity of where we soon shall stay. We will, as soon as we´ve rested a few minutes, go there. We are in an urban part of Helsinki where they started to build homes and offices around 1991. One of the apartments here shall be our home for two nights.
17.40 We are now in our room at Sleep Well Rooms. Our hostess Frida has given us instructions in English. She was with her son in the apartment when we arrived. We live thus in a private room in an apartment on Selkämerenpolku 4A. In another room there are a few Finnish men. With them we share the kitchen, a balcony, toilet, bathroom and sauna.
18.07 Our apartment mates have left the apartment. We will soon follow their example. We were earlier told that there are various festivals in Helsinki this weekend. It is, among other things, heavy metal, hip hop, and Pride festivals.
18.53 We have walked towards the more central parts of the Finnish capital. Today's dinner will be at the Cafferino Oba (https://cafferinooba.com), a restaurant Frida recommended.
19.55 It was a tasty dinner but not that filling. However, the food brought us a thirst for coffee. Now we have quenched it and gone to another Starbucks Coffee. No trip is complete without at least one visit to Starbucks. This is by the way the 28th country in the world where we visit this chain. This time we have found a minimal Starbucks in Kampin Keskus (Kamppi Purchase centre).
Sleep Well Rooms are a few rooms in an apartment.
Peter is resting in our room.
Typical Finnish door without a handle.
Gräsviken (Ruoholahti), Helsinki.
Selkämerenpolku 4A, the address where we´ll stay two nights.
Finnish party in the western harbour.
20.35 My legs are aching. We are on the way home and enjoy a bench break in Lastenlehdon Puisto. During the walk here in the city we have seen several restaurants with dishes from Nepal.
20.53 The trip home continues, and I now stand by an old Volvo Amazon. It has occurred in the past on trips that we passed cars of this brand. There has been some in Malaysia and Guatemala.
21.16 It is now time for some culture on this tour. We are at the artwork the Horizon at Jätkäsaari. It consists of 4225 engraved tiles with a total length of 54 metres. 54 metres is the Baltic Sea's average depth and it is precisely the Baltic Sea's best that the artwork is supposed to make us think about.
21.52 We strolled home but made a stop at the food store K market before we went in. Breakfast is not included in this accommodation, so we have arranged with some. Now we are going to rest our, feet, legs, torsos and skulls. Well, even our arms and hands will have a rest.
23.17 It's getting darker out there. The Finnish night is crawling in. We will soon crawl into bed.
Saturday 1st of July
08.50 A new morning is here. Now it is weekend, it has become July, and the shower here at Sleep Well Rooms is occupied. I have no panic, not much is planned today. Outside, the overcast chilly weather continues.
09.50 Now, we must do something useful. First it will be breakfast. I have texted a pupil from the past. He lives here in Helsinki and we will meet for lunch later today.
09.58 It became a truly healthy balcony breakfast. It was free from sugar, lactose and a lot of other things. It was also free from taste. We seem to have inadvertently picked our groceries from the healthy food part of the store yesterday, or so, Finland is an excessively health-conscious country.
10.48 Now we are going out to explore Helsinki on foot. We have been in the city before but then it has been winter. Even if the weather is chilly, it is still a Finnish capital in the summer version to experience.
11.16 We have crossed the small channel at the Ruoholahdenpuisto and continued our walk past the Helsinki orthodox burial place. Now we are approaching the day's first attraction.
11.32 We are now at the Rock Church. No rock music here, it is just a rock. The church is built into a cliff. In Finnish the name of the Temppeliaukion kirkko. Here, there are plenty of tourists and the surrounding area has plenty of souvenir shops. We have done some shopping in one of them.
11.45 We've strolled on down to Helsinki city centre. Behind us is the statue of war hero and former president, Gustaf Mannerheim. We are sitting on a park chair. No benches here! It is a few metres between the chairs. Pride flags can be seen in the city. It is a Pride festival here this weekend. In addition to the flags, we have seen young people in the most peculiar clothing.
Balcony breakfast in Helsinki.
Our neighbours at the address Selkämerenpolku 4A.
Signs in Finnish and Swedish here in Helsinki.
Nice surroundings in Ruoholahti (Gräsviken).
Temppeliaukion kirkko (The Rock Church).
In Finland you should have a rest individually.
12.18 Drums and guitars can be heard through the noise of the city. There seems to be some sort of rock festival nearby. We have been at Rautatientori (Railway square), and even looked in at the railway station. We were at the station to prepare for tomorrow's departure from there. The square was visited in order to prepare for lunch. We had to find out where we should eat. Incidentally, we are right now on a bench in the Kaisaniemen puisto (Kaisaniemi Park). People pass by with different clothing styles. We are trying to sort them into categories, which are hard rockers and who shall head for the Pride?
13.03 As mentioned, it is now time for lunch with a former pupil of mine. His name is Lennie Hakola and works with computer game development here in Helsinki. Lunch will be at the Latin American restaurant Maya Bar & Grill (http://www.maya.fi).
13.57 Lennie has confirmed that it is Pride week in Helsinki. In addition, it is a rock festival. It happens a lot here. There are plenty of guys in leather clothing here, but which festival should they attend? That is the question.
15.08 After a very good meal, we said goodbye to Lennie. He travelled back home to recharge for the Saturday evening activities and we have gone to the small island of Tervasaari. Here are a marina, a restaurant, a large dog walk area with a bath and the bench we are sitting on right now. It is, unfortunately, still windy and cold.
15.48 After that Christer made a film with an improvised Helsinki dialect, we´ve left Tervasaari. We continued on homeward in a slow pace along the harbour with various boats of different type and size. Now we look towards the Uspenskij cathedral, a cathedral of the Finnish Orthodox Church.
Eduskunta, the parliament building.
Rautatientori (Railway Square) and the art museum Ateneum.
Rautatieasema, Helsinki railway station.
Finland´s national theatre.
Peter is enjoying his lunch at Maya Bar & Grill.
The brazilian dish Feijoada.
16.00 Next to me on the bench there is a black cane. Ok, now came a lady dressed in pink and retrieved the cane. We are now at the Senaatintori (Senate Square) in front of one of the city's more famous churches, the Helsinki tuomiokirkko (Helsinki cathedral). Here are a number of tourist buses parked and a lot of photos are being taken.
16.32 After that Christer has been in a pharmacy to buy a deodorant, we should now consider what more we do here in the city. Even more Nepalese restaurants have been sighted.
16.58 The Helsinki excursion on this day was concluded with coffee and croissants at a café, Picnic, which is located in the Kampin Keskus, a shopping mall that sits together with a metro and bus station.
17.29 The sky becomes increasingly overcast. Now let's go back to our apartment. It has, by the way, no door handle on the outside.
18.09 Our walk home was unnecessarily long, but we have in all cases seen the Ruoholahti metro station. It is from there we shall go tomorrow morning.
18.29 We have returned home to rest a bit before the last missions here in Finland. What about this thing with the door without handle on the outside then. Well, you turn the key of a bit, press the door, turn a little more and the door is open. A litre of diesel costs 1,209 Euros here in Finland.
Student and teacher are reunited in Finland.
Cold and windy at Tervesaari (Tjärholmen)
Uspenskin katedraali (Uspenskij cathedral).
Helsingin tuomiokirkko (Helsinki cathedral).
Keskuskatu, Helsinki.
Fantastic food at the Nepalese restaurant Mount Kailash.
20.08 It is now time to go to a restaurant. It is hardly any summer weather this evening. It's cold, it is rain and it is windy. Therefore, we try to find something suitable in the local area.
20.31 We have walked up and down along the various streets in search of an ATM. We need some money for the dinner, but we also want to have some extra Euros for the rest of the trip if there should be some hassles with future ATM:s. It is always important to be prepared for various scenarios.
20.45 Mount Kailash (http://www.mountkailash.fi), a Nepalese restaurant, plays relaxing music. In addition, they serve us dinner. Thus, this is another one of the city's Nepali restaurants. We saw it already when we stepped off the ferry yesterday and we ended up here when the continued ATM hunt in the rain felt less nice. We will pay for the food with the cards instead. The Euros for the future will be withdrawn tomorrow morning instead.
22.06 We have arrived home after an absolutely amazing dinner. Sauces with different lovely flavours and totally amazing meat dishes were offered.
22.29 In addition to us, we have seen three Finnish men here in the apartment. They seem to be here for a festival. We have also wondered who the mysterious guest in the third room is. The solution was easier than we thought. The Finnish trio is simply divided into two different rooms.
