Crossing the Finnish line to Tallinn

To sum it up, our four day stint in Helsinki and Tallinn was one of our best holidays yet. We were always going to be happy with four days off work, but we really were blown away with these two places – Estonia in particular.

We arrived in Finland on Wednesday evening and despite the light drizzle, we decided to walk to our hostel after we caught the airport bus into Helsinki’s city centre. I’d printed out a map before we left London and it really was the perfect way to start the trip – strolling through an empty city centre, passing the beautiful Helsinki Cathedral and famous Russian Orthodox Church en route to our hostel, which had its own sauna. Regretfully, when we got there we were informed that their sauna was out of operation and had been since March – bit of a bugger as it was the key reason we had decided to stay in this place, but nevertheless nothing could dampen our trip, least of all a dysfunctional sauna!



Given the two hour time difference from London, we slept in the next morning until 9am, when we got up and headed off to the ferry terminal to pick up a couple of ferry tickets to Tallinn, Estonia for the next day. With the chores out of the way, we ventured into town, this time via the tram as we had the good fortune of seeing Helsinki on ‘car free day’, where tram tickets are heavily discounted to encourage locals to leave their cars at home. Brad had been up half the night before studying up on the local sites so he led the way, but not before we stopped off at a local supermarket and went mental buying all sorts of delightful Finnish baked goods for breakfast.



After stuffing ourselves silly we headed outside only to be greeted with pouring rain. Bugger – but to be fair, you can’t let the weather affect you in Europe or you wouldn’t see much at all, and we have been blessed with very good luck most of the time. So we decided to get saturated and to not care. First stop – the stunning Helsinki Cathedral, followed by our first experience of a Russian Orthodox Church, which also happened to be the biggest in Finland.



Helsinki was great. After a while you sort of come to expect the same thing from the Nordics, but Helsinki was a bit different thanks to its Russian influence through years of Russian occupation. I loved it, but it wasn’t as visually aesthetic as Copenhagen – not that it worries us, the Finnish eat reindeer and moose so what could be cooler than that?





We set off walking around the city, but soon turned to the 3T tram, which Brad had read was a great tram for sightseeing, after a sudden downpour. We followed this tram around the entire track, getting off at several stops to check out the sights – one of which was an amazing church which had been built into rocks. It was fairly new and so amazing – the walls of the church were complete rocks and the entire thing was underground, with an amazing wooden ceiling which was level with the ground. Pretty cool to say the least.



We then jumped back on the tram where we followed it around, gazing out at the old Olympic Village, ice-skating parks and the thousands of other sights we saw along the way. It was only after Brad dropped off to sleep while we were counting down from 20 that we decided we had best get off and get some caffeine into him, and where better than Helsinki’s oldest cafe – Cafe Ekberg? We rocked up to this bustling little gem and ordered up a storm, deciding to partake in a delicious slice of one of their most famous cakes, as well as numerous cups of coffee and hot chocolate. I even had a few sips of Brad’s coffee – my first time trying the beverage – and I must say that I felt quite ill afterwards. Not for me. We spent a glorious hour relaxing here, before venturing off to explore the little boutique shops and cosy corners this district of Helsinki was famous for. We stumbled across an old antique market, followed by a flea market where we found a delightful few postcards of old postcards and purchased a few for a future wall display.



We set off again, this time wandering around the outskirts of the city until we found our way back to the harbour and spent some time watching the huge old ferries come in dropping of passengers from Stockholm, as well as the navy docking their ships. Right by the wharf we found an old food market, where we gawped at the reindeer sandwiches and extensive fish stalls, before the smell became too over powering and we escaped back into the fresh air.



We finished our day’s exploring with a lengthy walk right around the waterfront and through seaside neighbourhoods, passing little Finnish families who were out for an evening stroll, before winding our way back to a hostel starving, chilly and very much in need of a beer. Here came the real trouble – deciding what to have from the delicious menu our hostel offered, but given we were in Finland we didn’t have too much trouble in making our decision, as the only option was Reindeer pizza (aptly titled ‘Rudolph Pizza’ and a plate of Elk (aka MOOSE) sausages – both of which were delicious.

The next morning we headed straight to the ferry terminal, expecting to go through a rigorous customs check given we were leaving Scandinavia and entering the Baltics. We needn’t have bothered as they didn’t even so much as check our Passports, so instead our time was spent munching on Finnish treats at the terminal cafe, before fighting thousands of people for a seat on the ferry. Thankfully our Sea France ferry training came in handy and we managed to secure a window seat, which provided lovely views of the Fortress Island and cityscape as we departed Finland for Estonia. The ferry provided endless entertainment as we each took turns going up to the Finnish buffet and purchasing a few snacks for us to slowly devour and before we knew it, two and a half hours later, we were pulling up to Tallinn, Estonia – a place I didn’t even know existed until we had an Estonian exchange student come to our high school. I had no idea there was even a country called Estonia so visiting it was a bit of a dream come true really, albeit a pretty low brow one, but a dream all the same.



Our first thoughts of Estonia were nothing but positive, but as we walked from the ferry terminal and turned into the old town, we were utterly speechless. To say it is beautiful is understating it significantly – it is amazing! Imagine stepping back into medieval times and you’ve come some way to experiencing Tallinn. Our hostel was right in the thick of it and we anxiously dropped off our bags and practically ran down the stairs ready to explore. I was overcome with one of those ‘oh my god, oh my god’ moments where I was almost stressed by its amazingess! After chatting with one of the workers at our hostel for a wee while, we had a list our arms length of things to do and places to see, that weren’t on any of the tourist maps. First stop, an amazing medieval restaurant set in the 13th century beneath the old town hall, where we stuffed ourselves with moose pastries and moose soup for 1€ each. It goes without saying that this became a staple for us and we frequented this joint at least twice a day!



The guy at our hostel had told us of this little market in the Russian section of town, which was like ‘stepping back into 1950s Ukraine.’ Given Estonia was under Russian influence for so long, Tallinn has a huge Russian community but after the revolution they were either told to bugger off back home, or stay under one condition – you learn to speak Estonian. They tend to stick to specific sections of town and this market was the most peculiar thing – I’ve never felt so far away from home. We were told not to take any photos as they can get quite annoyed and you don’t want an angry Russian having a go, so needless to say the camera stayed in the bag, but not to worry as this place will probably be forever engrained in our minds. We were wandering around this sad, peculiar, unsettling little market when we stumbled across a stall selling.... wait for it.... Nazi and Communist paraphernalia straight from the days of WWII, from medals to matches to alarm clocks – you name it, he’s got it, provided it has Stalin or Hitler’s face on it of course. We were intrigued, nervous and appalled at the same time, but of course we had a good gawk and even managed a stilted conversation with the old man selling the goods. Trying to work out whether it was weird or acceptable if we brought something to remember the experience by, we decided it was probably a bit inappropriate, but bugger it – so we purchased an old Soviet war medal and a pack of communist matches with Stalin’s face on them. I’m a little nervous of how we are going to get them through NZ customs when we return, but it’s worth a few raised eyebrows I guess.







After we got out of this unsettling little place (like something out of the Hills have Eyes – it felt like all eyes were boring into our backs) we spent a glorious three or so hours wandering through the cobbled alleys of the medieval old town, climbing old church spires for glorious views, walking the city’s fortress walls, shopping in the old market selling everything you can imagine in knitted form, stuffing ourselves with more moose pies and taking 101 photos. Full of moose, we decided to try another one of Tallinn’s famed eateries – Compressor, a huge creperie where you can get any type of crepe you imagine for around 4€. Let it be said that even the hungriest of fat kids couldn’t finish their plate and ask for seconds. This became an utter staple for us and alongside the moose pies, we didn’t eat anywhere else! My first round of crepes were apple and vanilla sauce, while Brad opted for bacon and smoked cheese, but any combo you could imagine you could essentially get, including peach, brie and cottage cheese – what a combo!



By this stage it was getting late, so we headed back to our hostel past a shop aptly titled Alko to pick up a few beverages and headed back to our hostel where we met our lovely roommates and had a few drinks in anticipation of the big pub crawl that evening. Tallinn is also famed for its nightlife (it truly is the world’s most perfect city – what isn’t it famous for!?) and we were keen to experience it. We met a ton of people on the tour, including a great bunch of English lads who just happen to live a road or so away from us! We had a great night dancing and drinking the weirdo local drinks, including Fizz – a sort of blueberry fizzy cider which didn’t leave much to be desired. It felt so foreign as we watched the locals dance – everywhere we go is obviously foreign, but Estonians just looked and dressed so completely different that it was all a bit of an experience. The night finished off with a trip to McDonald’s – we must have needed a taste of the ordinary after watching all those Russian dolls and pouty blokes dance.



The next morning we didn’t have the luxury of a sleep in – why you ask? All Blacks versus France of course. Brad had done his research prior to departure (after a near miss in Manchester no doubt) and had lined up a pub called Molly Malone’s which promised to be playing all the games. So off we trot, walking through a traditional market smack bang in the middle of the square alongside an all day cultural concert. Tallinn has been named the 2011 Culture Capital of Europe and they’re really living up to their name. It was a perfect time to visit and everywhere you looked they were laying on a visual treat.

Anyway, we made it to Molly Malone’s where we were instantly befriended by some British and Welsh men who despite the early hour of 11am were already sloshed from celebrating England’s win over Romania. We were soon joined by a 6”4 Finnish man built like a brick sh*thouse, who after smiling at us for an intermittent amount of time, eventually came over to us and explained that while he couldn’t speak much English, he would very much like to talk and sit with us. Lovely chap, pull up a pew we cried! We talked him through the rules of Rugby (well Brad did while I leaned closer to Brad feeling a little uncomfortable with the lack of personal space – Europeans have a different idea to this than we do, well the Finnish anyway) and it was then that he confided in Brad that he had actually played American Football for 17 years.... professionally... for a little team called the Dallas Cowboys! Well as you can imagine, Brad’s face registered the shock and I had to politely chat away to the Finnish man mountain while Brad came to. The conversation soon took a different direction and the man talked us through his life experiences, expectations and how he is finding life after being a professional football star – interesting to say the very least! He still earns a bit of money through sponsorship from Adidas in Finland, but on the money he was earning a year (a tidy $4.5 million), money is the least of his worries. He was such a nice guy and our real regret was not learning how to spell his completely Finnish name so we can Google him. After the rugby we had grand plans of hitting the streets but we were easily persuaded into having another drink with our new multicultural friends, but just the one mind you and we had to forcibly insist on leaving, otherwise we would still be there chuckling away.



So off we set straight back into the sightseeing where we explored the city –churches, supposedly haunted bunkers and buildings, monuments – the works! After walking around for a few hours we had worked up an appetite so off we set back to our beloved creperie restaurant where we stuffed our faces once again, eating ourselves sick until we swore we wouldn’t ever touch another crepe again (until the next day of course).

Because Tallinn’s old town is so beautiful with more than enough to keep you occupied, 95 per cent of tourists never leave it. As you can imagine when Brad and I heard this stat we vowed to be one of the 5 per cent who see a different side to the city, which is how we found ourselves boarding a tram and hotfooting it to Kadroig Park – a huge beautiful park just out of the city. Wandering through the grounds with lots of little Estonian families showed a real different side to the city and as the park is home to the Presidential palace it also provided a spot of sightseeing. It was pretty chilly and we can barely imagine how freezing it would be in winter.



Next stop was our hostel where we lucked out with an empty room and managed to grab a couple of hours of sleep before our new roommates arrived (creepy old Finnish man and very young Chinese girl prone to baby talk – sick). Still full from our crepes feast we decided to have a light dinner with just a few bowls of moose soup and pastries to tide us over until breakfast. Once again we marvelled at out little stone, candlelit favourite as we ate ourselves sick, before heading out into the town square where we stumbled across an abstract light and music installation. Not keen to party yet not keen to retire, we spent a few hours wandering around the city after dark, stumbling across places we hadn’t noticed before – including an amazing Moulin Rouge style cafe where I had the best hot chocolate I have ever had! Just before midnight we headed back to our hostel where we chatted to our friends from the night before while they had a few drinks before heading back.





The next morning we awoke early thanks to the Chinese baby-girl rustling through a plastic bag for half an hour. Next thing you know the creepy Fin is up and asking us loudly whether we wanted the window open. To try and make my message clear I said groggily – ‘no, we just want to sleep’, only to have him declare ‘no, the air is thick – we will open it’, before he waltzed out leaving us with a wide open window on the main street of Tallinn with an icy breeze streaming through the room. While it made my blood boil, it provided good material for the book I am going to write when I get home titled ‘Hostel Etiquette’. It might seem an obvious thing but you’ll be absolutely blown away at how many shmucks there are out there who don’t think twice about turning on the lights at 3am, despite eight people who moments before were sleeping soundly, or don’t give a moment’s consideration to giving their family in South Africa a call from their bunk bed at 5am while everyone else is jolted awake to the sound of Afrikaans. So anyway, we were awake thanks to a pervey Fin and his creepy child bride, so we had no choice but to get up and hit the streets of Tallinn. This time we had decided to once again venture out of the beautiful old town to visit a less explored part of town. As Tallinn is the 2011 European Culture Capital, they have mapped out a few different walks so we decided to give a lovely scenic walk a go which took us past the beach and an old soviet prison, where thousands were tortured and killed. It was very chilling and eerie and we were quite keen to get out of there quickly.



Next stop, you guessed it – back to the creperie for one last feed. Old habits die hard! After once again eating ourselves sick we stumbled across a big folk concert happening in the town centre which we watched for an hour, before taking one last walk around beautiful Tallinn. Next stop – the airport, where we flew Estonian Air back to London.

Sigh – the dream has to end somewhere I guess. Mind you the next instalment will follow pretty quickly as all bar two weekends from here on in and chocka block full of amazing trips right up until January 2012! Next stop, Budapest!

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