Circumnavigation of the Baltic 7

Tallinn

The trip into Tallinn was uneventful and we arrived before 10:00 and got booked in to the City Camping at the exhibition centre.

I think I have said before that in a previous life I was a sea going marine engineering officer, my last few trips to sea were in the Baltic and one of our product carriers (Silver Merlin) often called into Tallinn, this was a time when Tallinn was the home of the Baltic Soviet Fleet. We were only allowed onshore under escort (very pretty escorts, but escorts never the less) these took us to various selected outlets of the goods that would give the most Western Devise. These would be fur traders, Russian Ikon sellers, Silversmiths and of course Amber. We docked a way outside at the chemical terminal and a mini bus would take us into town. There was nothing like what is on offer today and my memories of Tallinn in those days, 40 years ago, are of a dowdy grey city still in ruins and run by the Russians.

What a change, this busy port, with ferries to many major ports throughout the Baltic, the cruise liners on their way to St Petersburg and Stockholm. The streets are full of life, the natives are friendly and smiling, how life has changed, for the better.

We caught the bus and it dropped us off a short walk to the Ferry Terminal (next day we were off to Finland and Helsinki), this part of Tallinn is and was the centre of Duty Free goods, the Fins and Swedes come in their ships full to stock up on BOOZE! A bit like Kiel and Lübeck.

We walked around one of the warehouses and bought a 3 litre box of Aussie Pink (we were running low), we were going to get a three litre bottle of gin, but Linda had no more space in her rucksack.

We left there and wandered into an old court yard, we entered through one of the doors and were amazed; it was a micro-brewery and a restaurant to boot.

We sat ourselves down and a very attentive waiter appeared. We ordered roasted salmon with crushed potatoes in a very nice sauce for Linda and I grilled ox-cheeks with a cheese-potato medallion and a dark beer sauce, Linda drank a coke, ee git, and I a cloudy dark beer from their own brewery. Both were delicious, Linda finished with a coffee and I finished my beer.

The streets were full with tourists and for some reason we had mislaid the town map that we had been given by the kind lady at the campsite reception that morning, so Linda popped in and got another from the tourist information, while I sat in the warm afternoon sun and watched the world go by, I think that the local lasses are quite the most wonderful.( I do believe that our dear friend Martin is of a like mind.

An old triple expansion engine driven ship

The remains of the town Bastion

We were passing a small patisserie, and as I needed to go to the loo we decided to have a piece of cake and coffee, the array of sweet meats and cake was absolutely amazing. I ordered an éclair and Linda a passionfruit cheese cake both delicious, the young fellow that served us was charming to say the least and was most attentive, Linda was most taken with him, I do believe she would have loved to take him home.

We then walked the streets visiting churches, cathedrals, Basilicas, town halls,  castle walls, towers and bastions, we even found the German Embassy (just in case I needed it, wink, wink).

Outside of the church was much coming and going, we discovered that this was the end of year festival and the presenting of flowers is the thing to do, there was also a youth ochestra to play them on their was, all very interesting and colourful.

The Town Hall Square

With the Town Hall

The Long Gate

The German Embassy next door to?

The Russian Orthodox Church 

The Short Gate

The long and short gates so called as through the long gate all vehicular traffic had to pass as the way through the short gate was only suitable for pedestrian traffic.

The flower seller making a roaring trade this day.

All in all it was a wonderful time much better than the last time I had occasion to visit Tallinn. Worth a visit? It most certainly is and should be on everyone’s bucket list when visiting the Baltic.

We then popped into the shopping centre whose basement serves as the Central Bus Station, Linda bought a new USB flash drive and I didn’t buy a new battery for my camera (it is getting a bit weary and loses its charge too quick), I tried but they didn’t have a one for my camera.. We caught our bus the 1A and it dropped us off at the exhibition centre and we just lazed the rest of the day away, Linda down loaded her photos onto the stick and I had 40 winks (or maybe a few more).

I enjoyed my return to Tallinn after 40 years of absence, the changes are amazing, quite amazing, it is a place I think we shall visit again, maybe on a cruise to St Petersburg, which had originally been on this tour but the Visa stopped us.

We had a Gin and Lemon (the last) a light supper, watched a bit of tele and it was time for bed ready for the trip to Finland.

Helsinki

We awoke to the sound of rain pitter pattering on the roof of the camper, needed also to do a bit of pitter pattering so got up and pitter pattered. I then decide that as I was up may as well do something useful so I got out my laptop and resized a load of photos and finished off writing up the blog in word. We decided we would get down to the ferry early and get topped up with diesel and fill up the reserve canister.