The Baltic Tour
May 13-17, 2015
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| 8 families - 34 people |
Straight away I'll tell you the ship, St. Peters Line/Princess Anastasia, on this trip is nothing glamorous. It's where cruise ships go to die... it's called a ferry because it carries cars on the bottom decks. The food is just okay and the 'Funny Bunny Bar' is creepy. What makes it fun is the friends you travel with, it's an economical way to see the main cities/countries on the Baltic and the ship takes care of the Russian visas. All that said... we had a blast. Gordon's mom, Lorene, was also visiting and got a bonus trip!
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| the ferry... it is not called a cruise ship around here |
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| a basic cabin |
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| Funny Bunny Bar |
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| Fien and Sofia watching the show in the lounge the first night |
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| waiting to disembark in Tallinn.... a waiting game while the ship clears customs, etc. |
Our walk to lunch...
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| first impression of Tallinn... a very Soviet looking throwback |
We were so delayed disembarking (we cleared customs around noon) we were about an hour late for our lunch reservations, luckily the restaurant was very accommodating for our crew of 30+. Lunch was at
F-hoone, a very cool restaurant with great food in an industrial, up and coming area of Tallinn. Our waiter was gracious and got all our orders correct! It was definitely the best meal we would have all day!
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| F-hoone |
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| the floor at F-Hoone - painted map of Tallinn |
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| our crew |
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| F-hoone industrial decor |
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| creamy truffle pasta |
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| grilled goat cheese with honey and mustard seeds and beetroot pesto |
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| falafel with quinoa-green bean salad, hummus and vegan mayonnaise |
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| kitschy, quirky countertop decor |
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| sculpture outside F-hoone |
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| mural outside the restaurant |
Thank you to Kayla Carter for making our lunch reservations and booking our afternoon tour. Our guide met us at F-hoone and led us on a historical walking tour of Tallinn. Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million, was under Communist rule from the 1930's-1991 when they gained independence from Russia. Parts of the city still have a very Soviet feel. The Estonian flag is blue, black and white to symbolize blue sky, black soil, and white purity, hard work and commitment. Socialism is frowned upon, reminds Estonians too much of Communism, Personalism (right wing) is preferred.
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| transportation school |
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| traditional wooden Tallinn house from early 1900's |
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| Pikk Herman Tower - first built in 1360 |
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| Alexander Minsky Church built in 1900 but a Russian czar to be intimidating |
Wandering through Old Town Tallinn.... old buildings, streets and cool details. Not having done any research before the trip, a guided tour was great for an overview of the city. I would love to return and spend time just wandering the Old Town streets and hang out in the square for lunch and shopping.
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| Panso - an Estonian director and actor know for his grand gestures |
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| The Old Town of Tallinn became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 |
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| our guide said some locals dress up as like this guy wearing what looked like an actual bear skin suit, with mask, to pose with tourists.... he's barefoot, dirty and left a slimy deposit on the ground! |
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| Old Town Tallinn Square - Claudette Clapper says the Christmas market here is magical! |
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| Old Town Tallinn Square |
We boarded the ship again around 5pm before setting sail overnight for our next destination.
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