Toby and Allan in Helsinki and Return to Greece 2025

Monday September 29 was a bit cooler but sunny with a high of 11C.  We walked down to the Viking Line dock where we caught the 10:30 a.m. ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.  It is a 2.5 hour trip.  Tallinn is only 80 km (50 miles) south of Helsinki. Leaving Helsinki harbour-- lots of small islands off the coast We passed by Suomenlinna, which we visited on Sunday. Suomenlinna Church in the distance View of the old submarine from the ferry Great waterside view of the King's Gate Very close to the fortifications on Suomenlinna We headed out on the Baltic Sea.  It was very calm and we saw only a few boats in the distance.  The ferry had good WIFI.  Very pleasant trip.   The calm Baltic Sea We docked at Tallinn on-time at 1:00 p.m. Tallinn has a population of about 450,000 and is the capital of Estonia and the country's cultural hub.   Our Viking Line ferry  The Port area was very modern.  We decided before heading to the Old Town which was abo...

Sunday September 28 was a sunny day with a high of 14C.    Allan with his new birthday hand-woven scarf! We walked to the City Centre to catch a ferry to Suomenlinna, Helsinki's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Helsinki City Hall en route We got on the small ferry and I took a picture of the sauna on the waterfront in front of the ferris wheel which we had visited on our walking tour.  It is only a 15 minute ferry ride to Suomenlinna. Suana with lots of folks sunning themselves or taking a dip Heading out on the ferry-- passing the ferris wheel Passing the Viking Line Ferry we will be taking to Tallinn on a day trip on Monday Looking back at Helsinki and the Helsinki Cathedral on high. Nearing Suomenlinna View of Suomenlinna Church from the ferry We got off the ferry and headed to the Visitor's Centre located in the pink Jetty Barracks. The fortress of Suomenlinna is spread across six islands.  It was built in 1748 by the Swedes to protect the Kingdom of Sweden from ...