Trip Finale in Finland

After taking the ferry back from Tallinn, we arrived in Helsinki for the final day of our trip.

Uspenski Eastern Orthodox Cathedral

We probably didn't give Helsinki the time it deserved -- we were literally here for only 24 hours before catching our plane home.  But we did our best to see what we could in that short amount of time.

Yayoi Kusama's installation "Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees"

The Finnair Skywheel dominates the waterfront.  One of the cars is actually a sauna (it's the wooden one in the upper right).  Very Finnish.

Nearby, the Allas Sea Pool complex was a very popular spot.  It had just opened the week before and there was a long line to get admission into the pool.

I'm not sure if this was unusual or if it's just something that happens regularly in Finland, but there was a team of synchronized swimmers doing a routine in the pool.  We just caught the tail end of it.

Then we enjoyed some beers and a great view of the Helsinki harbor area.

I think this wistfully sad statue pretty well sums up our feelings about leaving this beautiful corner of the world.

The name of the statue is "Havis Amanda"

We will certainly miss the bustling cities, friendly people, and awe-inspiring natural beauty of the Nordic countries that we've visited on this trip.  While we are looking forward to coming home after our long journey, we'll treasure all the wonderful memories we've made here.

Touring in Tallinn

We didn't have much time in Tallinn -- just a little over two days -- so we made the most of it by taking a guided walking tour, then walking around on our own, and even taking those dreaded Hop-on Hop-off buses.  We are used to "slow travel" so this was a whirlwind tour for us!  We learned a lot about Tallinn's impressive history, and had a chance to see most of the main tourist attractions despite only being here a brief time.

Here are some highlights:

Tallin's 14-century town wall is 3 meters thick in some places

Here we are at the Great Coastal Gate

View of a tower through the twisty trees

Creepy monk sculptures in the Danish King's Garden

Kevin loading a torpedo on the submarine "Lembit" at the Seaplane Museum

Paks Margareeta, a massive 16th-century defensive tower affectionately known as "Fat Margaret"

Saint Catherine's Passage

A skyline view with the spires of St. Olaf's church and the Church of the Holy Ghost

Tallinn, Estonia

The old city of Tallinn is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.  A 12th century wall encircles the old town, and towers of various shapes and sizes can be seen in every direction.

We arrived just in time for dinner, so in keeping with the whole middle ages theme we went to a place called "Ill Draakon".  The service and menu is modeled on the alehouses of yore.  Here is the counter where you order food:

They serve ale (well, obviously...), soup, pasty pies and ox ribs.  Or should I say "ox rib" since one is plenty.  It looked like something straight out of The Flintstones.

The food was excellent!  Those enormous crocks that look like vases are our beer mugs.  The only utensils available were sharp knives and skewers.  Very medieval.

The whole town is just taking the theme and running with it.  We came across this guy in the town square as well...

"Bring out your dead!"

We didn't have much time for exploring today, but we did take a short walk to see the Toompea Hill area topped by the domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

As it got dark, we walked back to the hotel.  Tallinn is very pretty at night, too.

City Hall Square at dusk

Farewell to Stockholm

Well we have had a wonderful time here in Stockholm but now it is unfortunately time to say goodbye.  Or as they say here, "Hej då"!  We went to the overlook at the Gondolen restaurant to have one last look at the city.

We are leaving via overnight ferry to Helsinki, then catching a connecting ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.  Our cabin on the ferry was pretty spacious and had some free drinks in the fridge.  Here's to you, Sweden -- skål!

As we left town we went out on the aft deck.  We just had time to take a few snapshots before it started pouring rain on us.  Maybe that was Stockholm's way of saying it was sad to see us go...

We did have some nice views of the archipelago at dusk after the rain cleared up.  We really enjoyed our visit and the friendly and kind Swedish people we met while we were here.  Hopefully we can come back someday!