Today we were up bright and early to drive to Helsinki and catch a ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. It’s about a one-hour drive to Helsinki, and since our ferry was at 10:30 am, we planned to leave at 8:00 to arrive by 9:00. In the end, we left at 7:00, and still only made it there at 9:00! We got a bit lost along the way. Finland didn’t exactly make it easy to find the ferry terminal.

The ferry was super big and super flash. It was also super crowded. But we managed to find a seat at the rear of the boat which was covered in glass. So, out of the wind and cold, but still with a nice view.

It was a 2 hour crossing to Estonia, and it went very smoothly. When we arrived we parked in a carpark in the main city of Tallinn. It was a paid carpark, but we were able to stay the night and it wouldn’t cost us more than 18 euros for a 24 hour period. And it was right on the edge of the old town so that was ideal.

We walked up a steep hill and the first thing we saw was the old Russian orthodox church. But first, a little history about Estonia. Estonia’s been passed around a bit over the centuries. First, it was taken over by Danish and German crusaders in the 1200s, then ruled by the Teutonic Order – a German religious-military group. After that, the Swedes took over in the 1500s, followed by the Russian Empire in the early 1700s. Estonia declared independence in 1918, but during World War II it was occupied by the Soviets, then the Nazis, and then the Soviets again. It wasn’t until 1991 that Estonia became fully independent, and it’s stayed that way ever since.

So that’s why there’s a Russian Orthodox church sitting at the top of the hill. It was really striking with its bulbous onion domes and it’s got to be the coolest church I’ve ever seen. It’s called the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and was built in the late 1800s when Russia was still in charge. 

Tallinn is such a neat town full of charm, cobbled streets, and medieval towers that make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. We spent the day wandering around, taking in the old stone walls, colourful buildings, and hidden courtyards. Every corner had something interesting, whether it was a quirky shop, a creepy pub, or a view over the rooftops.  It’s the kind of place that’s perfect for our type of exploring with no real plan. And the guys here talk with a kind of Dracula accent which makes it extra cool!

I wanted to go for a medieval feast at one of the tourist restaurants, where they all dress in character from the period. A guy with a Dracula accent almost talked me into it, but Mike reckoned it would be too touristy, so we opted for a normal restaurant just on the edge of the old town. It was actually really good. 

We had a great day being tourists, and exploring the old town. It was just so nice to be able to walk around and see something other than trees and not get attacked by mozzies.