Scandinavia - Finland & Baltic States Tour 2013

[XCovlov70]

Stage 25 Punkaharju – Helsinki (201 Miles)

Huomenta! (Good Morning!)

As the ‘Building/Camp Site’ reception did not open until 09:00 this morning it was for us a bit of a lie in and late start today but it wasn’t long before we were rolling along again with Flamenco Red purring quietly as the Km rolled under the wheels…..



Then we spotted our first ‘oddity’ of the day…
A water tower the top of which looks like a flying saucer has landed on but it actually an observation deck, presumably to keep an eye out for forest fires….



As today was a long trip we designated Flamenco Red as ‘Chef for the day’ so set up a Beef Curry to be cooked in the slow cooker as we rolled along, and yes it was very nice when we came to eat it as you will see later the weather turned rotten on us as we went South….



Not long before we started to come onto Motorway type roads around the bigger cities…..





While travelling quite close to the Russian Border the road signs started showing the names of the nearest town/city if you came off and turned left, but with no Visas we just kept going South, but we did see a number of vehicles from Russia travelling along or the owners were doing some shopping in the local supermarkets before presumably going back home ….







Section of cross country road between motorways to get across….



With the ‘Giants’ golf tee and ball from ‘Jack & The Beanstalk’ which was rather good…



The Sun meanwhile had disappeared and the ‘spots’ started to appear on the windscreen…..



While a few kilometres further on…..



With quite a drop in temperature that was the end of play for today, but the curry was a nice ‘body warmer’ as we arrived at our friends place near Helsinki for a bit of R&R.

Hyvää yötä! (Goodnight)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 26 Helsinki – Tallinn (Estonia) (58 Miles)

Huomenta! (Finnish “Good Morning”)

After a very refreshing and relaxing stay with our good friend outside Helsinki we set off this morning for the trip to Tallinn in Estonia on the next stage of this tour…

While it wasn’t long before we were back on the motorway….





It wasn’t long before we were heading to Helsinki City Centre and then the Docks area for the ferry….





Arriving at the check in area after a short while we presented our ticket and went into the queue for embarkation….



Then the ‘Tallinn Shuttle’ arrived showing a nice coat of paint….



After turning through 180 degrees and coming astern to the dockside, even as the vehicles were coming off they started the loading process of cars etc going onboard!



The Volvo on the far left was actually coming off with a line of cars behind also disembarking, unbelievable in the UK!



Got into place then it was up on the top outside deck for a quick look around before we departed, as we spotted the P&O Cruise ship Aurora….



While inside the Tallinn Shuttle it looked like this up in the bow, giving the impression of a nightclub with a show stage in front and a massive window looking out over the ocean…







Just under 2 hours and we found ourselves approaching Tallinn…..



With the ‘Old Town’ up for a visit tomorrow as we understand that Pensioners get to ride on the Public Transport for free….



Not long after getting in we are disembarking….



No Customs or Border Security to pass through so it was straight out onto the rather bumpy roads to make our way to the campsite…..







Having arrived and checked in the rain started to drop which has had a temporary halt on any more pictures for today…

head ööd (Estonian “Goodnight”)

[ssicarman]

Looks like you are still enjoying the trip despite birds and rain. At least things are looking greener and warmer(?).

[XCovlov70]

Looks like you are still enjoying the trip despite birds and rain. At least things are looking greener and warmer(?).

In three words: 'Yes' 'Yes' & 'Yes' or should that be four words?

After a rather stormy night when the fog horn did not stop sounding till around Midnight today as you will see has been rather pleasant, which was very nice!

[XCovlov70]

Stage 26A “A day in Tallinn Old Town”

tere hommikust (Good Morning!)

As promised a couple of pictures of the campsite for starters which is also a Yacht Marina and Olympic Park ….









While very close by are these old houses and now offices….







Outside the complex was this reminder of the Olympics in Tallinn….



While I got those pictures last night after we had a very heavy rain storm it was quite different this morning with a sea mist that even the Estonians were surprised to see and gave a few different views of things…..



This was another very large cruise ship coming into the harbour but looked a little weird as it came in through the mist.…



After a very short wait along came the Bus, while the free tickets for pensioners we found have been stopped in January of this year, the single fare to the Bus Terminal at €1.60 was a lot less than the parking charges that we saw later….



Off the bus and making our way to the Old Town of Tallinn….



Then we saw the Car Parking Charges and were very glad we decided to give Flamenco Red a day off!



It wasn’t long before the outline of the Old Town appeared in front of us….













On one side of the church were these carvings set in the wall which were attracting quite a bit of attention from the tour guides escorting the cruise ship tourists….



Part of the old town walls…



While we meander passed some old warehouses that are now shops and restaurants…



Down the end of this lane is one of the old theatres…



A little chapel along one of the main streets….







This is the Brotherhood of Blackheads building….



While further along the street we see a few more decorated buildings….





Next stop was…..



With some very interesting displays inside….





















Guesses permitted as to what this is?



This is the answer….



Bone carving….(No Satellite TV in those days!)



Out of the Great Guildhall and down another narrow street….



Brought us into Reakoja Plats…







While as we made our way across and out we nearly get run over by the City Train….



Next stop after spotting the ‘Onion Domes’ was Alexander Nevsky Cathedral…











While outside we found a plan of the area….



Opposite Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is….



Which is…..



While it is closed to the public you can walk around part of the outside….





We then set off to make our way to ‘Vabaduse Väljak’ (Freedom Square) passing some more of the outer walls…





While it was not long before we arrived at Freedom Square…..





Tucked under a tree on the far side was the reminder of….



While a bit further along was another of the Old Town Gates….



With the Flower Market on the outside…..



With a final look back as we made our way back to the Bus Terminal and the trip back to the campsite…..



Hope to get to some of the outer parts of Tallinn tomorrow if the weather permits…

head ööd (Goodnight)

[giorgio]

Very nice girl in Tallin ! Isn't it ?

[XCovlov70]

Stage 26B ‘A day in some places outside Tallinn’

tere hommikust (Good Morning!)

After a very nice day yesterday exploring the Old Town in Tallinn we set off this morning on foot for a look further afield, but started in the Marina as it was the home of the Olympics….

Not long before we found the Olympic Flame now extinguished but the structure was in stainless steel so no signs of any rust, while it had winners of the sailing events on the plaque on the front wall as they took place from 20th July till 2nd August 1980…..



While the plate at the bottom of the flame shows the old ‘CCCP’ having been made in Russia…



Directly behind was the event control tower….



While down in the Marina is this rather small but authentic ‘Pirate’ vessel….



Up on the quayside is this rather strange but totally capable crane for getting your boat out of the water….



With a final view of the marina as we crossed the river bridge….



We made our way to…..



This is the first Abbey that was a combined convent and monastery in Estonia, established to bring Christianity to the Merchants of Tallinn….



As you get to the front wall that is still standing….



Just to the right of the entrance door you see a plan of the place with all the outer rooms identified (You are at the little red spot on the plan near the bottom, and you have to turn your head on its side to read the numbers, sorry!)…



Then you can match the numbers to the description in the next picture….



View looking down the right hand side from the front….



View looking down the left hand side from the front…..



View looking straight through the front entrance door into the Abbey….



Looking back from the rear wall to the front. Notice the square holes in the walls, we think these held wooden joists and there were floors built into the Abbey although there are the remains of large pillars on the floor….



While at the rear is the kitchen, well and provisions rooms…..



With a large rear wall of the Abbey that had a corner tower, but the gate inside was chained and locked, so no entry…..



Looking back across the rear rooms….



From the left side it is a very large building…..



Looking through the centre rear doorway towards the front of the Abbey….



While on the left hand side are these upper and lower walkways along the wall of the Abbey…



Make a note of Number 4 in the next picture…..



While this is it in the graveyard at the front of the Abbey.



The majority of gravestones were unreadable as the concrete had deteriorated so you could not read them, but a couple of iron headstone crosses gave the dates of 1845 on a couple of the graves, as we understand that the Abbey was burned down.

By this time we were running a bit late for lunch, so we headed back to the campsite where there is this nice little café…..



So we settled for a Feta Cheese Salad and a Russian Meat Soup which were quite nice….



Followed by a dessert of 2 ‘Marsipani Küpsis’ half coated in dark chocolate, but I think that the chef had run out of ‘Marzipan Essence’ as I could not taste it…



Back on the road tomorrow when we head South East to a small place past Tartu…

head ööd (Estonian “Goodnight”)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 26C ‘Last evening in Tallinn’

tere hommikust (Good Morning!)

Just after I posted the last update we were provided with a ‘show’ on the water in front of the camping and dockside for the boats which we had never seen before……











This is a picture of the Boots/Water Tube and other bits that are worn by the person who ends up ‘standing on water’….
I believe it’s called ‘Flyboarding’



With our last Tallinn 'Sunset' at 22:30hrs



head ööd (Estonian “Goodnight”)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 27 Tallinn – Elva (Estonia) (134 Miles)

tere hommikust (Good Morning!)

A last look this morning as we ‘roll along the prom’ at the ferries and rather large next cruise liner to come into Tallinn Harbour …



As we pass this garden piece on the other side of the dual carriageway while on our way into Tallinn Centre….



Then a bit further along is this statue….



Next up was ‘Lane Control’ as we made our way into the centre with a couple of left hand turns to get onto Road Number 2 in the direction of Tartu….







Passing the airport in the process of ‘getting out of town’….



Also passing one of a number of Storks and their nests that we did not expect to see this far North….



Must admit that the 4 lane dual carriageway was in much better shape than the equivalent roads in Norway, with far less undulations and no potholes….



While further along the road building program or ‘upgrade’ is continuing, which caused us to really slow down to 30Kmph as we swung around 90 Degree Left & Right Hand Bends….





We think the ‘Ring & Cross’ was part of a topping out ceremony for this as yet unfinished bridge….



Back to ‘normal roads’ but still a good surface…..



With a rather nice windmill, now a restaurant on the right hand side….



Oops our first bit of ‘wobbly’ road….



Nice green fields and rape seed being fertilised as we pass by…..



We must be in ‘Farming Country’ as we see this large statue of a Horse and Plough….



Still on road no 2 so need to make a right turn…..



Then short while later we enter the city on the outskirts.…



We arrive at ‘Waide Motel’ that also has a camp site at the rear with good facilities (WC, Shower, EHU and Internet –Wi-Fi that you can get on the pitches, however the temperature is high along with the humidity so the Mosquitoes are out in force!!!

It was a fast set up on the ‘Tin Tent’ followed by lunch then a trip over to Elva for some food and diesel fuel that turned into a very pleasant afternoon….





New roof on a house in the town….





Blocks of flats needing a bit of TLC on the outside….





Description of Elva Church that was locked up…..





Completely new house under construction….



Ex Camper earning its next load of ‘Holiday Pay’ for the next ‘Winter down South’…



With all the trees in the area there is a lot of wood carving around….







Old large wooden house…..



Elva Railway Station that also has the Tourist Information Office inside which was open and full of information for the area and transport to and back from Tartu…



At the rear….



Down the line….



Up the line….



Tonight’s ‘Dessert’ a result of shopping in the Konsum Patisserie….



Off to see the Ex KGB Cells tomorrow in Tartu, so if there is no update, then you can guess what has happened, and that will be the end of that!

head ööd (Estonian “Goodnight”)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 27A “A Day in Tartu”

tere hommikust (Good Morning!)

While today has been nice for the visit to Tartu it has also been a harrowing but very humbling experience after our visit to the KGB Cells Museum …

On the 08:30 Bus to Tartu, while it wasn’t long before the tarmac ran out and we were ‘On the Piste’ as we passed through the small villages before making our way back to the main road to the city….





Terminating at the Bus Terminal it was a few steps and we were in the Outdoor Market, that was Bread, Cakes, Biscuits and Clothes ….





While not far away was the Indoor Market that was more ‘Meat & 2 Veg’…..





Back down at the river was this Pedestrian Bridge that had a Norwegian aspect to it….



With the Viking Longboat at the top….



From the bridge looking down river….



Then looking up river….



Making our way along the river front we turn left and after a few yards we find ourselves in the Town Hall Square….



While up at the top in the fountain is the statue of the two kissing students, well this is the biggest University City in Estonia….



A bit further down the Town Hall Square is this building that looks decidedly out of alignment, even to the walkway…..



Meanwhile up at the top around the corner is this rather nice mural that is of the main University Building….



That happens to be a bit further along the street…..



With a building on the left that has pictures in the windows of people…..



Further along we find ‘Tampere House’ as this town in Finland has been twinned with Tartu since 1993 which between the two towns restored the building….





Then on the right hand side is…..



Showing some of the 1000 Figurines around the walls and tower…..





Old house in the town now unoccupied….



Turning left at the top of the road we come to….



With the Theatre on the corner….



The next picture is of Gustav II Adolf the Swedish King who signed the founding charter of the University of Tartu in 1632….



While a bit further along and around the corner is the monument to General Field Marshal Barclay de Tolly who became famous during the Napoleonic Wars…..



While in the ‘playground’ were these bent pipes that had water running out of and on a hot day were used by the schoolchildren for water pistol fights that invariably soaked you to the skin……



By this time our main destination was open, and I must admit that I had to borrow this image from Google Earth as the address for the KGB Museum is for a nondescript building at 15 Pepleri Road….



As you go through the entrance door and down the stairs to your left you can feel a coldness and silence start to move into you. At the bottom of the stairs you turn right and there is reception, from there you walk along a corridor and enter a large room that has been set up as an exhibition room of propaganda pictures….





As you then come out you look down the corridor with the cells along the sides….



At the far end on the left is a fairly large room that is in the bottom left corner of the next picture, (Room ‘5’ in the picture below that) it measures about 14 feet by 12 and held between 40 and 50 prisoners who were not allowed to sit down or lean on anything including the person next to them, if they did the guard who was watching through the ‘peephole’ banged on the door and issued threats, which were carried out if you continued….





Leading into that large room along the corridor was this iron grille gate…



While at the end of the corridor was the Guard whose eyes were very lifelike.
As you walked forward you heard a recording of banging of cell doors, then screaming and finally a gunshot, followed by an eerie silence…..
Another of the 2000 people who never came out alive had just been terminated….



On the right hand side of the corridor as you looked at the guard were the solitary confinement cells…..
Note how much room you got. Then see what you got to eat every 3 days…..



The Solitary Confinement Cells.....



A closer picture of the Interrogation Chair where both arms and your legs would be restrained before the interrogation started…..



The cells in the rest of the corridor had been modified to hold the exhibition and here are some of the pictures of the exhibits on display…..













While listening to a recording of one of the ladies held in the cells with other prisoners male and female in with her, we learned of her daily routine which was quite harrowing.
She would be woken in the morning after very little sleep with interrogation being carried out any time night or day.
While mattresses were on the beds during the night they had to be moved to the upper bunk during the day and were not allowed to be used, the prisoners had to sit on the wires of the bed base when they were allowed to sit down, light in the cell was from a window high up in the wall that had an iron grille and wooden boards covering it, so the light came through the cracks in the wood.
Exercise was 10 minutes in a yard with a guard, while everything else you did, and I mean everything, was monitored continuously by a guard via a sliding cover over the peep hole in the door.
Breakfast was a small square of bread about 10cm with a sprinkle of sugar on it.

“The fish soup in the evening was the worst meal as it was full of bones and very little fish.
To drink we had a bucket with brown water in which we called our coffee break”



While the lady on the ticket desk told us that the whole underground complex had been refurbished, and had it been in the original ‘non colours’ we would never have gone down the stairs. I must admit that it was extremely refreshing to once again be able to climb the stairs up from ‘The Grey House’ open the entrance door and step out into the sunshine and fresh air, something that a lot of prisoners there never did again.

It really brought it home as to what ‘FREEDOM’ is as we passed through this park and saw the faces & colours on all the different Pansies in the flower bed…..



While the Flower Sellers went about their business outside the gardens….



Our next stop was to be Tartu City Museum after our lunch, purchased from the Outdoor Market that consisted of homemade cheese pizza that was really nice followed by a couple of very ripe nectarines and a coffee…



Inside the first floor depicted various events in the history of the city with information in each room being provided in English on plasticised sheets of paper that you could have spent several days reading and digesting, we had a couple of hours before the bus back to Elva….



















After a quick return to the Indoor ‘Meat & 2 Veg’ Market to purchase a very nice loin of pork it was time to head back to Elva and the campsite after a very interesting day….

head ööd (Estonian “Goodnight”)