To Helsinki

Monday, October 8

We dropped off our rental car at the airport and took a bus to the ferry terminal just outside Tallinn’s Old Town.  We were impressed by the huge ferries making the crossing to Helsinki every couple of hours.  There seemed to be an endless stream of cars and big rig trucks streaming onto the vehicle decks as we joined the pedestrians on the upper decks for the 10:30 sailing. The ship seemed like a cruise ship – bars, lounges, restaurants, duty-free shops, a supermarket, and cabins.  We found ourselves seats and the two-hour Gulf of Finland crossing passed smoothly and quickly.

We took a tram to a large shopping area and transport hub near our apartment.  Because we knew we’d be unable to check in until 4:00, we checked our bags into a storage locker and set off to spend the afternoon getting oriented.  The address we had for the local TI was incorrect (by a lot!), but it did bring us near the local port-side fish market, so we checked out the offerings of everything from herring (It’s herring festival time in Helsinki!) and salmon to reindeer skins and moose burgers.     

As the rain continued on and off, we took a tram to the actual location of the TI, conveniently (and logically) located in the central train station, very close to where we’d left our luggage  some time earlier.  After chatting with a gracious and knowledgeable lady at the TI, and loaded up with maps, we took a Tram for a loop around the city.  This enabled us to get some sense of the lay of the land and – not incidentally – to get out of the rain.

By the time we completed our tram circuit, the rain had abated and we took the Metro one stop back to the transit and shopping center where we reclaimed our luggage and made our way a few blocks to our apartment before the rain began again.