After four great days in Helsinki it was time to head over to the last destination on my Scandinavian adventure. Estonia is technically not part of Scandinavia but is considered a nordic country. I decided to add it on as it was so close to Helsinki. I debated visiting Latvia and Lithuania as well but I decided almost four weeks of living out of a suitcase was long enough. As it was I was getting to the point of thinking "London, London, London"....
This is what greeted me as I walked into the park.
This was the Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia....as you can see with guards outside all very official. This is as close as I got!
I had to take this picture over a wall as the gardens of Kadriog Palace were closed for a private event. (don't worry we'll be back another day..) Kadriorg Palace was built on the order of Tsar Peter I back in 1718. It is now an art gallery.
Here is a view of the other side of the palace.
This is a sculpture of Jaan Poska who was a lawyer and the mayor of Tallinn between 1913 and 1917. His most important contribution however was securing a peace treaty with Soviet Russia in 1919. Afterward he continued working as a lawyer as well as being involved in writing the constitution of Estonia.
It was just a short visit to the park this time as my stomach was growling - it had been a long time since that coffee and croissant!! I visited a nearby Italian taverna that Markku had recommended (can't tell you what I had but it must have have good as I didn't moan about it in my journal!) and then on to the supermarket he had told me about. It's always fun to visit supermarkets in other countries. With a bag full of muesli, yogurt, bananas, chocolate (of course) and cider (uh..huh..) I headed back. First, though I stopped to take a few pictures of some of the wooden homes that the Kadriorg area is famous for.
I bade a fond farewell to my awesome Airbnb host Ani and made my last ten-minute trek to the metro station for my last trip where I disembarked at the Central Station. I managed not to get misplaced at the station this time (yay!) and headed outside to hop the tram that would take me to the ferry port. Helsinki has four different ferry terminals so I double checked I was heading to the right one! I'd never have seen this chappie if I hadn't gone on this particular ferry...
Remember him? I am glad I took that "trial" run a couple of days previous so I could walk back and get a picture of him. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to do that with luggage and a ferry to catch.
I got there in loads of time (as I tend to do) and had a coffee and croissant as I had skipped breakfast although Ani had made me a strong cup of coffee while I sat on the balcony for "one last look at the view".
My "ride" pulling up!
Once onboard I found a comfy place to sit and was startled when we started moving at around 10:23 a.m. I double-checked my watch as it wasn't scheduled to leave until 10:30. I admit I had a moment of panic and even asked someone nearby "this is the ferry to Tallinn isn't it". They assured me it was and said the ferry left early if everyone was loaded up. Okay...that was a first!
The two-hour journey was smooth and before I knew it we had docked in Tallinn. My Airbnb hosts had given me instructions on how to walk to their place from the ferry terminal (about a 15-minute walk) but it looked a bit complicated so I decided I would take a taxi over to make life a bit easier. Taxis were waiting and five minutes later I was there. I texted Markku my host who pulled up five minutes later. He had come over on an earlier ferry from Finland where he and his family were staying at their summer house. He showed me how to use the keys (I always insist on letting myself in and out while the owners are there because it seems many locks have their little quirks - and ooh boy this one did...) and told me about nearby places to eat. We sat and had a bit of a chat and he seemed like a nice fellow. I had the flat to myself which was kind of nice after sharing accommodation for a while although it was kind of scary to realize if I had issues it would be difficult with them so far away. They run their summer house as a bed and breakfast so he told me I should come there sometime. You never know!
I wasn't totally alone though...there were these characters....
After he left I dumped my stuff in the bedroom and headed off to nearby (as in half a block away) Kadriog Park. This huge park is the most palatial in Estonia with construction beginning in 1718 on the orders of Tsar Peter I. (Estonia was part of Russia at that point)
This is what greeted me as I walked into the park.
This was the Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia....as you can see with guards outside all very official. This is as close as I got!
I had to take this picture over a wall as the gardens of Kadriog Palace were closed for a private event. (don't worry we'll be back another day..) Kadriorg Palace was built on the order of Tsar Peter I back in 1718. It is now an art gallery.
Here is a view of the other side of the palace.
This is a sculpture of Jaan Poska who was a lawyer and the mayor of Tallinn between 1913 and 1917. His most important contribution however was securing a peace treaty with Soviet Russia in 1919. Afterward he continued working as a lawyer as well as being involved in writing the constitution of Estonia.
It was just a short visit to the park this time as my stomach was growling - it had been a long time since that coffee and croissant!! I visited a nearby Italian taverna that Markku had recommended (can't tell you what I had but it must have have good as I didn't moan about it in my journal!) and then on to the supermarket he had told me about. It's always fun to visit supermarkets in other countries. With a bag full of muesli, yogurt, bananas, chocolate (of course) and cider (uh..huh..) I headed back. First, though I stopped to take a few pictures of some of the wooden homes that the Kadriorg area is famous for.
I am so glad I chose to stay in this beautiful leafy area as not only is it close enough to the city centre to walk (if you so choose) but it is just so darn charming.
Back in the apartment I put my food away and unpacked as much as I needed for three nights. Then it was off to the land of nod as I had a big day ahead of me!
Comments