Day 9 Tallinn and Helsinki

So we were up early today to catch the 8:00 boat to Helsinki. Even though it is another EU country, our passports were checked, but not stamped. Noting on the other end, just walk out into town.
We found the City Tour bus where you get some pablum in your earphones, but they drive you around to see the stuff in the city center. There really isn't an "old town" as in the other cities, but this was a City. Lots of cars and hustle bustle. The people were very nice. The most interesting thing we saw was a church. Not just another church, you might say (as did we). This was call the Church of the Rock (not to be confused with the dome of the same name)' and was literally carved into the side of a rock. 3 1/2 walls were solid rock, with a wooden dome over top. OK, there was a dome. Sue me. This was fascinating to see. I'm not sure what they do in the wintertime, since it was already significantly cooler inside than the 58 it was outside.
We hopped on the bus and went to the Contemporary Art museum. This was a total bust. Not only did none of us understand what any of the exhibits were about, we weren't drawn in at all. There was one movie on 3 screens of a girl going schizophrenic which was semi-interesting, but that was all. The building itself was very interesting with all white walls and curving ramps between floors.
Pizza and beer on the street for lunch. Helsinki is much more expensive than any other place we've been.
At this point I was whipped, as my cold is still with me. We made our way to Kokelli's, a swank bistro on the main park, the Esplanade.
5 o'clock boat back to Tallinn, and we made our way back to the old town for dinner. Pasta and salad.
Tomorrow to Russia. We are leaving early, so we can get the jump on another tour group that is here. The border can be anywhere from 1-4 hours, depending on the whims of the guards. Because of the G20 meeting next week just after we leave, security is likely to be tight. If this trip had been a day later, we would have been screwed, since they are closing the airport for 3 days, starting Tuesday.


Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad