Instead of 3 days in Helsinki and 3 in Russia I wound up spending 7 in Helsinki enjoying the comfort. It was sad leaving, but I must admit the air was very fresh Sunday morning and my feet felt good on the road. I caught a morning ferry for Tallinn, Estonia. How many of you know where Estonia is?
Quick lesson, it's the northernmost Baltic country, which puts it maybe 20km south across the ocean from Finland and flat against Russia's border. From WWII until 1991 it and Latvia and Lithuania were part of Russia. Nowadays Estonia seems to be doing -very- well for itself despite the recent independence and fact it is 30 krone for 1 euro. It may have something to do with it being a favorite tour stop for Finns. I had the pleasure of walking from the international bus station (had to buy a ticket) through the "new town" into the Old Town. The transition was like stepping from a yacht in Cannes to a chinese junker. Kind of...Estonia is growing immensely with dark glass skyscrapers casting shadows over wide, clean streets and sweeping pedestrian strolls. It looks like it will be quite a metropolis someday. But then you reach the end of construction and see two fat guard towers covered with red ivy protecting a wide arch. Inside the still completely intact city walls is the Old Town, a maze of cobbled streets and clean, colorful shops, churches, homes, and more. It's untouched by war. The pharmacy even dates into the 15th century. I watched a fine sunset from the top of the hill where the fortifications of the original Danish castle still sit around the 'new' royal palace. I saw a useless little monastary (4 rooms of it) that supposedly houses a Pillar of Energy for spiritually inclined. And I learned all of Tallinn's history in a superb museum. All I didn't go to see was the large city park that houses a russian palace where the president resides. I recommend Tallinn. It's clean and comfortable, if not much cheaper than scandinavia.