More Boats and Another Country
| | 21-May-2012 | Woke up to another beautiful, sunny morning today. After a quick breakfast at the hotel buffet, we were off to the harbor again to get the Linde Express ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. Crossing time from Helsinki to Tallinn is about 90 minutes. The exterior deck was packed as we eased our way out of the harbor but once we hit open water and got up to cruising speed, we had the area at the stern to ourselves except for people popping out for a quick smoke break. |
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We wandered Tallinn for about five hours taking in the sights, a lovely break for coffee and cake and an excellent lunch at Crayhills Gastropub. It was probably 70-degrees today so after all the walking around, it was all we could do to stay awake on the ride back to Helsinki. Wrapped up the day with ‘za for dinner. A successful Day 4 – two thumbs-up for Tallinn. Tomorrow, bum around the city a bit and scope out a day trip for Wednesday. |
 Our vessel: Karolin. Length: 45.4m (~145 feet), Max Speed 37 knots (~ 42mph). Today’s marine forecast called for light winds and calm seas. Interesting note – the sea air is surprisingly not salty. The Gulf of Finland is mostly fresh water and ranges from 125 – 330 feet deep. It freezes in the winter! |
Leaving Helsinki harbor for the open waters of the Gulf of Finland. |
Fueling up on Caramel Cake and a latte before taking in Tallinn. Is this monkey for real? |
The top of the Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin (“Dome Church”). The structure dates from the 1200s and is the oldest church on the Estonian mainland. |
Orthodox Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky built in the late 1800s is modeled after Muscovite churches of the 17th century. |
A side street between the castle wall an interior structures. |
Come on, you know it’s just a matter of time before pizza shows up! We stuck to our “usual” toppings, but there are some crazy combos available here, such as Ham/Shrimp/Blue Cheese, and Goat Cheese/Grapes/Honey. |