Tallinn, Estonia

As this trip to Finland is for 10 days and we're sticking mainly to the southern section, there was time to pop down to Estonia on an overnight ferry. It's a quick trip and yet you spend the night onboard, getting off early morning to explore all day before leaving in the evening. For the Finnish it's a shopping trip normally, stocking up on cheap products compared to their expensive country. Jukka, Sini and I have been road tripping around in a car, seeing small Finnish towns so it was time to use the feet and see a city of 440,000. 

We disembarked at 7am to wander through Tallinn. Such a fun, medieval dirt with a great heart and lots of history. Sadly the town doesn't start coming alive til 10am so we had some quiet streets to ourselves. Felt like a Sunday morning. We had an awesome walking tour all over the old city, learning the country's history (conquered numerous times over the centuries and 8 different flags ruled in the 20th century). They're finally independent for the second time (first time lasted 16 hours) and have a good attitude in life. 

The city walls and towers are surprisingly intact for a place that was attacked several times. A major church didn't survive a major bombing and when they wanted to rebuild it, the only way the then in charge Russians would let them, was as a museum to atheism, in an old church. Lots of character around this place. Including their huge freedom tower made of indestructible glass that cracks with the difference between hot summers and freezing winters. 

The old town is fantastic, full of historical buildings, towers, churches and a couple of hills with great views. It's easy to get around and get in some good sightseeing. For lunch we got off the tourist trail and found a Georgian (yes, the country) restaurant and I had one of the best sandwiches of my life. Unbelievable spices mixed in with pork belly and roasted vegetables. Plus the inside section of the restaurant was a staunch reminder of communism with its decoration. Another good spot. 

All in all, it was a great trip to Tallinn. A super fun city with lots to do, buzzing with life in the summer and with cheaper prices than in Finland. The ferry trip is pretty sweet too. Getting your own cabin felt deluxe and the duty free and other shops were entertaining. Solid outing!