We had to set an alarm to get up this morning and we weren’t impressed when it went off! But, we were off to Estonia this morning to explore the walled medieval city of Tallinn, so up we got. (It’s Andrea’s birthday today, so getting up early was even less desirable than usual!)

We had a nice breakfast at the hotel before getting a taxi to the shipping terminal to board our ship, the MS Megastar, for the two-hour cruise to Tallinn. We were very surprised by the size of the ship: 10 decks, a 2,800 passenger capacity, and great shopping! We travelled in the business lounge section of the ship, which was extremely comfortable. We had a very enjoyable meal and then wandered around the shops for a while.

Andrea relaxing on the ship on the way to Tallinn.
Andrea relaxing on the ship on the way to Tallinn.
Keith on the ship on the way to Tallinn.
Keith on the ship on the way to Tallinn.

Before we knew it, we were pulling in to Tallinn. As we disembarked we couldn’t believe how many cars and trucks were driving off the ship on the dock.

Once we were off the ship we walked toward the old town of Tallinn. We weren’t exactly sure of how to get there so we just headed toward the tallest old church we could see and that did the trick. We had no agenda in Tallinn other than to just sight-see so we just wandered around the town’s very pretty streets. Shortly into the town exploration Keith started to regret wearing a pair of brand new boots; apparently 800-year-old cobblestone streets are not the most ideal terrain for the first outing of new footwear!

In the Tallinn old town.
In the Tallinn old town.
In the Tallinn old town.
In the Tallinn old town.
In the Tallinn old town.
In the Tallinn old town.
The Tallinn town square.
The Tallinn town square.
Andrea in the Tallinn old town.
Andrea in the Tallinn old town.

We spent a few hours just taking in the old town’s streets before heading into the historic museum. This was quite interesting. It was also heated, which was a nice bonus! The weather in Tallinn today wasn’t really too bad, with a top of 2C and no snow, wind, or rain. But after being outside for a few hours, the cold does become a little more noticeable.

The museum comprises above-ground and below-ground sections. The above-ground sections are located in the old fort walls and towers. Below ground is the system of bastion tunnels that dates back to the late 17th century. The tunnels weren’t ever used for their intended military purposes and eventually abandoned in the 19th century. But, in preparation for bombing attacks in WWII, they were re-purposed as bomb shelters (and were used extensively to safeguard civilians). After the war, while under Soviet rule, the Soviets installed air filtering equipment in the tunnels, worrying that they might need to be used in the event of a gas attack during the Cold War (which, thankfully, did not happen). The tunnel system is huge and its restoration is an on-going project.

The fort in the Tallinn old town.
The fort in the Tallinn old town.
A view from a tower in the fort.
A view from a tower in the fort.
In the Tallinn fort.
In the Tallinn fort.
A view from within the fort.
A view from within the fort.
Andrea in the bastion tunnels underneath Tallinn.
Andrea in the bastion tunnels underneath Tallinn.

After leaving the museum we walked by the very pretty St. Nicholas’ Church.

St. Nicholas' Church.
St. Nicholas' Church.

After leaving the church we walked a little more around the town. We watched night fall over the city from a high vantage point in the old town and we then walked back down to the present-day city.

Keith in Tallinn!
Keith in Tallinn!
A glögi vendor in the Tallinn old town.
A glögi vendor in the Tallinn old town.
Keith in Tallinn.
Keith in Tallinn.
Looking over the Tallinn old town.
Looking over the Tallinn old town.
Entrance to the Tallinn old town.
Entrance to the Tallinn old town.

The walk back to the (very modern and comfortable) shipping terminal took us about 20 minutes and, once back there, we sat down for a well-earned rest.

We boarded the ship around 6:50pm and decided to have dinner straight away so we could just sit and relax for the journey back across the Gulf of Finland. By 9:30pm we were back in Helsinki. We caught a taxi back to our hotel, pretty tired after a big day.

Tomorrow we are flying to Kittilä, in Finnish Lapland. Kittilä holds the record for the coldest temperature in Finland, having recorded temperatures below -50C! Thankfully, the current winter is relatively mild and the forecast suggests that it will only get down to -17C tomorrow! From the airport we’ve got a short drive to our hotel in the nearby town of Levi.