For the last full day in Finland we are planning a day trip to Tallinn in Estonia reachable as a day trip by ferry from Helsinki. After waking up early and with almost no breakfast we rush to the Linda Lines terminal which is the fastest of the different ferries to Tallinn (1 1/2h one way) while all the other ones take 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 h. We are the first in line and then we get the bad news, the only return available is at 9 pm with the latest ferry. Given that we are flying out the next day this is much too risky so we decide to try for the other lines. After running from terminal to terminal we come to the conclusion that all the other lines leave too late on Sunday or return too early to make a trip worthwhile so we decide to skip the trip for now and return at a later date.
And so we have one more day in Helsinki, we feel like we have seen almost all the interesting sights so we decide to ask at the information center if they can give us some ideas how to spend the day. Before that we eat our breakfast sandwiches in the sun as it is cold and windy that close to the sea.
We pass once more by the Uspenski cathedral and take a few more pictures in the morning sun and then go through a stroll through the kauppatori/open market and buy a few souvenirs, not reindeer hides though, as well as something quick to eat.
The girl at the information center is really helpful and she directs us to a lake and the Parliament further north and gives us a new set of Helsinki maps as ours are in the hotel and we have just Tallinn maps with us. Given that all stores open only at 12 on Sunday we decide to make a stop at the hotel first and then go to the lake and Parliament through a less touristy area and also explore a few more stores.
Returning to the hotel we pack in preparation for our return flight the next day and then it’s off in the other direction as usual, inland, and promptly find another open market that also has a closed market near to it. No tourists here and we stroll through the vendors before moving on through the more residential area to the north. After a bit of a walk we arrive near a giant movie multiplex so we decide to rest a bit and go inside and get some coffee and pastries. Right after exiting we notice an interesting building nearby with giraffes lounging on the balcony, after closer inspection we notice it is the Museum of Natural History, quite fun.
Continuing inland towards the lake we pass an impressive building on the left which is the Parliament according to our map and then we see the National Museum of Finland which has an interesting church like exterior. Arriving at the lake we rest a bit with a nice view of the lake and the ducks and then it is back to the hotel to finish packing.
And this is the end of our Finnish adventure as our departure is smooth given that we already know the way to the airport quite well. So what will we be remembering from our trip? Is it rain and mosquitoes? Is it the unending forest of the north full of reindeer, berries and mushrooms where it never gets dark? Is it the impressive castles? Is it the beautiful lakes? Is it the cities? Only time will tell but my bet would be on the forest and reindeer part😊.
