Ferry experience from Sweden to Estonia

Last day before I head to Tallinn, Estonia.

This came as a surprise to me when I first visit Sweden years back, I found out that I can travel to Estonia via ferry. And at that point, I don’t even know the existence of Estonia, let alone the location of this charming little country (blur giler dak?!?!). When I ask Elaine on Estonia, I remembered she clearly and briefly told me that it is an old medieval like country and that the capital is called Tallinn. Still in a daze, she continued “This is the country that invited Skype!”. Hemmmm…. Me still blur leh. Hahhahahahhah... I bet I annoyed the hell out of Elaine.

During that first visit, there was this promotion going on and the ferry was at RM50 per pax but as you might have guessed it, I missed the chance lar. But this time around, I will not make the same mistake twice, I make sure that Estonia is in my Scandi trip list (waima diarang bukan negara Scandinavia, gwe ngak peduli!). I told myself, the next time I am in Sweden, I will make a point to take the cruise to Estonia. And here I am, all excited for my next destination. Estonia. And I paid few hundreds jugak lah for this cruise, ada sedikit menyesal disini.

Bye-bye Stockholm.

In order to save accommodation cost, we took the overnight ferry, arriving Tallinn in the morning with the hope of watching sunrise on a Baltic Sea. Not.

We were so lazy and the weather is so very very cold that we purposely miss it; convincing ourselves that maybe there wasn’t any sunrise due to cloudy day. 

Few things that fascinates me, our ticket which looks like a normal Malaysia parking ticket is also our key card. The fact that theirs is made of paper instead of the normal hotel plastic key card type intrigues me. Other than that, our B-room comes with WC and TV, it is fairly small but cozy enough for 2 of us; we have to close/keep one bed when performing our solat. Oh yah, there's no mini fridge what-so-ever, I mean… not that we need one with the weather this cold. Overall, I am pretty happy with my room.

Other facilities they have is supermarket (besar lah jugak), casino, few types of restaurant (we can only afford cafeteria – sedih giler ok), clothing store, sauna, playroom for kids, etc. FREE wifi is available ONLY at public places so you’ll see people linger around (even on floor) in the spirit of getting connected.

It was 15 hours journey and I pretty much enjoyed it being my first overnight cruise experience (the one in Te Anau was on a small yacht), as much as I know what to expect but the fact that I am in one and doing it on Scandinavia land makes it really cool (riak takkesudah. Hahhahahha….). The only drawback was that the upper deck it was super freezing cold, like Frozen movie cold, cold.

Unloading Optimus Prime.

Dah sampai!

There are a few ferry companies that you can op for, we took Tallink Silja Line.

#TravelTips | Tallinn City Walls Walk, Estonia

Another UNESCO site checked.

Tallinn Old City in Estonia. The Dancing Eesti.

Gaining popularity from travelers visiting Scandinavian countries, Estonia is merely 2 hours ferry ride from Helsinki, 16 hours from Stockholm and one can also travel overland from St. Petersberg, Riga and practically everywhere. 

We decided to circle the whole town and walk along 'the great wall of Tallinn', and later walk around its medieval town. It was certainly pleasant and fun while embracing the history. I have also shared some tips at the end to ease those who wishes to visit Estonia.

Historical background

Estonia was eventually occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, only to be conquered by Nazi Germany (1941-44) and then retaken by the Soviets. In World War II, the city was quite extensively bombed by the Soviets, although luckily the medieval town remains. The Soviet Union undertook a program of massive Slavic migration, and just over 40% of Tallinn's current inhabitants are Slavic (compared to an average of 28% for the entire country). On Aug 20, 1991, Estonia declared independence and Tallinn became its capital once again.

From Wikipedia.

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Viru Gate

26 towers out of 45 still remains todate, guarding the city of Tallinn, Estonia. One prominent and best preserved of them all (and also the closest to my hostel) is Viru Gate. 

Viru Gate from the outside.

Stalls selling winter attire.

Hellemann Tower

Named after Laurentius van der Helle, this is the oldest sections of Tallinn's city wall and was the largest and strongest defence systems in the entire Northern Europe for 3 centuries.

Time : 1^st May  - 30^th Sept - 09:00am - 7:00pm. 1^st Oct – 30^th April - 10:00am - 6:00pm

Entrance Fee : €3

View of Tallinn Old Town.

Climb up the tower to get the Tallinn Old Town view.

Great Coastal Gate and Fat Margaret's Tower

Still a mystery to the locals on how the tower got its name  - Fat Margaret's Tower. There were saying that it was named after one of its larger cannons aside from the story of a person called Margaret who once worked here. Having said that, it was used as a storehouse for gunpowder and weapons as well as a prison before. Today, it has been transformed to an Estonian Maritime Museum.

Time : 10:00am - 06:00pm (close on Monday)

Entrance Fee : Adult €5, Family ticket €10, University student €3, School student €3

Wooden Stairs Tower

Found this unique tower with a wooden stairs at the side, however it is not open for public. Anyone who knows the name of this tower, please share with me *smile*.

Destroyed wall.

Köismäe Tower

The surviving five storey stone defense towers built in 1360 are still in existence todate, now they are stamped in many Estonia coffee table books, travel sites and postcards – a picture perfect of the Tallinn medieval town.

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Tallinn’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is dedicated to the Virgin with Three Hands.  The Virgin is the protector of all living beings who have been falsely accused or unjustly persecuted. She also protects those who have suffered innocently, without cause. 

The church fuses together both Catholic and Orthodox religious traditions and is subject to the authority of the Pope. From Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church website.

One of the many walls.

Kiek in de Kök or Peek into the Kitchen Tower

The story behind its name is that back during medieval period, the guards joked around that they could see through the chimney hole and into the kitchens of the houses below, thus Kiek in de Kök or Peek into the Kitchen came about. It is famous for the hidden tunnels (Bastion tunnels) that run underneath the old bastions of Toompea hill. They have also opened a café for traverls to sip a cup of coffee while enjoying the great views of the upper town Toompea and the harbour.

Opening hours : Close on Monday

Entrance Fee : Adult €4.50, Child €2.60, Family €9.00 (FREE with Tallinn card)

Maiden’s Tower

This tower have been converted into a museum, exhibition hall and café, traveler can visit the tower, enjoy the great medieval old town view with a cup of jo. Maiden's Tower is located on a higher ground and I find it extremely beautiful at sunset and during the blue hour.

There is a tale saying that the tower was used as a prison for prostitutes and that it is supposedly haunted by the spirits of the prostitutes who were once imprisoned.

#TravelTips 1 : You can walk the whole city, probably takes you half a day.

#TravelTips 2 : If you wish to check-out their museums inside the Tallinn Old Town, the price is very much reasonable. Best to allocate one full day for this.

#TravelTips 3 : There is many ways to enjoy the old town, either museums visit, walls city walks or theater watching. Whichever to one's preferences.

#TravelTips 4 : Souvenirs here are cheap and can been found everywhere.

#TravelTips 5 : The locals are superbly friendly and helpful. Ask away if lost despite that I personally think it is very hard to get lost in this small and quaint old town *wink*.

#TravelTips 6. Try to capture the blue hour in some of your sunsets photographs. It is truly beautiful.

Together but alone.

Estonia - Dancing in the Rain (UNESCO)

Dilemma.
Camera easily jammed up due to cold weather (yeah, I own an old junk but trustworthy camera)
Gloomy and rainy day (Mr. Sun decided to shy away).
What mode should I use?
Nostalgic of course!

Since it is a medieval town, nostalgic mode seems like the best choice. There is so many stories on the hiccups I faced but I think I will share it in my next blog entry, this; I will share what I saw and some tips.

Of all the countries I covered during this trip, Estonia was the only one that rained, by rain I mean, water pouring down like nobodies business (kata orang hujan berkat ia idak?) and wind from all directions, yet, I absolutely love the feel. Earlier on the lady from our hostel said Tallinn old town was covered with snow just 3 days back, simply whimsical I bet. I told her that I'll pray for snow on my last night so that I can experience both special moments. That statement tickled her, weird Asian she might think of us. Ahaks.

After dumping our luggage, we roamed the old town, adding this gem into our UNESCO check-list. This post-Soviet state somehow jerked my thought for a fair bit; safety, cost of living, accessibility, the list goes on. Well guess what, the worries was thrown out the instant I saw this quaint little old town with its range of souvenir choices *eyes gleaming* and the nut seller (medieval much heh). 

We even asked her, what was the recipe and this was her answer.

"14 types of sugar, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and yes, love." Yeah, so I got myself a pack, how can you not buy when someone cooked you with their heart poured into it *smile* (pandai sangat ambek hati tourist kan).

The Raekoja Plats or Town Hall Square is 5 minutes walk from my hostel.

#TravelTips 1 : Highly advise for travelers to book hostel or guesthouses inside the Tallinn Old Town. You can walk everywhere hence save cost.

#TravelTips 2 : Since it is called old town, please be mindful that most of the buildings doesn't come with escalator or elevator, pack as light as possible as you might need to carry your knapsack 2-3 floors up.

There is no cars in the old town, you can walk anyway you like (meniarap pun boleh asal tak nyusah orang), and everything else is exactly like the pictures I am sharing. 

#TravelTips 3 : If you feel like walking the whole old town, allocate half a day for yourself. 

#TravelTips 4 : If think you'll enjoy visiting a museum or two, or perhaps cehck out their local theater scene, then a full day will be ideal.

One thing I like about this country is that how they are able to integrate modern and old harmoniously, without loosing the feel and depth of their history. Unfortunately no wifi in the McDonald.... yikes!

As the weather changed dramatically when I was there, rain poured heavily at about 3ish or so, stubbornly insisting that it will stop, we pursued our quest to take night photos of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. In the midst or heavy rain and darkness, we walk up the street (agak kerja giler gak sebab licin, basah and sejuk).

Passing by the Raekoja Plats Christmas Market.

Moving up street, into the lonely lane.

Accidentally found Maiden Tower Museum-Cafe inside this defense wall.

Still wondering on hot wine. Hemmm...

We finally found it - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

#TravelTips 5 : It was abit tiring at first until we found few ways to getting here. The old town is so small, that at the end of 24hrs you'll remember all the lanes and shortcuts. Felt like local.

Background

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. It was built to a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. 

From Wikipedia

Another path that leads back to the Old Town Square.

Alleyways.  

#TravelTips 6 : If you are from either Helsinki in Finland or Stockholm in Sweden, you can easily reach Estonia via ferry or flight. My suggestion will be ferry... more fun *wink*.

#TravelTips 7 : Sweden to Estonia takes approximately 16 hours.

#TravelTips 8 : It takes 2 hours from Finland to Estonia.




That's all for now, will share on the drama I had when sourcing for accommodation in Estonia in my next entry.

10 Things Why You Should Visit Estonia

1. One word. Cheap. From souvenir to accommodation, attractions, food, taxi and everything else are cheaper than other Scandinavia countries. So, do plan to drop by at this new developing country.

2. One huge village. Yup, it is a small city, Tallinn is. You can probably walk everywhere especially in the old town. 2 full days trip are sufficient.

3. They use Euro currency (strange because I always thought otherwise).

4. Christmas decor and celebration lasted longer in Tallinn, Estonia. It started from the last week of November to the first week of January the following year. 

5. You can reach Estonia via ferry from Baltic region countries. It is that easy.

6. Passport is not required if your enter from any one of the Scandinavia countries (maksudnya tak de chop-chop kat passport).

7. It is a medieval town, do not be surprised if you see shops or establishments wearing medieval costume and living up to the theme and mood.

8. Skype originates from Estonia. Yup! Skype = Estonia. Don't play play.

9. Estonia is also known as Dancing Estonia or Dancing Eesti. Am not gonna tell you why, google it *smile*.

10. Theater is at abundance, go watch one. Adakah ini bermakna mereka pandai 'berdrama'? Hemmm.... (Cultured sangat kan)


It is a safe and interesting country, I highly recommend you to pay this country a visit. I believe it will look exceptionally beautiful when the whole town is covered with snow or during spring/summer where you can just laze around at the pier and take a stroll at the old town.