Day-Trippin' on the Baltic! How to Combine 2 of Europe's Finest Cities: Tallinn and Helsinki
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- Опубліковано 24 лис 2024
- I wrap up my wee Baltic adventure with a day trip from Tallinn to Helsinki, taking Viking Line across the Gulf of Finland. This video will also feature some fun adventures in both great cities. I hope you enjoy!
Filmed on location in Estonia and Finland on 9th and 10th May 2022.
I sailed on the Viking XPRS for 32.80 Euro return. There was also a (approx) 90 Euro ticket available which included an overnight in on of the ship's cabins on the return, but this would mean exiting the ship around 6am, so I declined the opportunity, however good it would have been for the video! :)
Music courtesy of epidemicsound.com
'Nordic Vision' by Christophe Gorman
'Michael Row the Boat Ashore' Artist Unknown
'I'm Coming' Home' by Scott Panther
'Hot Dos in a Row' by Mac Taboel
Hi, I’m Steve. I am a travel reviewer and post my trip reports here on UA-cam. I pay for my own travel and produce my own videos. If you have any questions about my journeys or travel advice in general, please drop me a comment - I do read every single one. I’d also love to hear any recommendations you may have for future content, or why not challenge me to try something a little out of the ordinary! If you are looking to collaborate on any type of project, I’d love to hear from you - email me your ideas and hopefully we can work together in the future.
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#Tallin #Helsinki #VikingLine
Fun fact: Suomenlinna also has an open prison and many of the groundkeepers you saw there are inmates serving their sentences.
In suomenlinna most people are turist.....you dont see inmates i bet
@@Apina79 If you see a groundskeeper there he might or might not be one. You cannot tell because they all wear the same clothes. And some of the inmates go to the mainland to work or study for the day in plain civilian clothes. That is how an open prison works. 🤷♂️
@@Apina79 you deffinitely bump into inmates while you are visiting, they might be groundkeepers just like OP said. This is coming from someone who used to live there.
@@Apina79 The people working there aren't tourists lmao
@@jeremyroenick2202 I always thought you lived in Chicago. :O
As someone who works for Viking Line: This brought a smile to my face. 😍
No way! Hi there!
@@steve-marsh Yes. I work on a similar but smaller vessel named Rosella between Sweden and Åland Islands. You should try out some of Viking Lines other and bigger ships like Viking Glory and Viking Grace. :)
Im with your comment man! Tjenis from Amorella! 😏
Да ,у Викинга новый флагман ! 👍
The Soviet Submarine, in the museum, EML Lembit Coincidence My Grandads Cousin Was Working at the same shipyard when it was being built, In the mid 1930s
A bit closer to your part of the World Than Murmansk or Vladivostok. Barrow in Furness !! About as Freezing 🥶 as well.
It's very pleasant to listen to your trip, no exaggeration, no "oh my gosh" (like Americans), no fake laughing...just straight forward content! I live in Helsinki now and live 3 years in Tallinn!
Hey! I'm American.i don't say oh my gosh. That's stupid!! I don't fake laugh. Only say ha ha. We are not as bad as the idiot Americans you ran into.
Did this a few years ago.
Business trip to Tallinn.
No flights available, so flew to Helsinki, caught the ferry the next morning, did my business and returned the same day.
Had a good evening meal and flew out in the morning.
Very relaxing.
Me and my wife used to do a trip to Tallinn about once a year. Just the two us with kids staying at my parent's place. Always one night in the boat and usually two in a hotel in the city. Now that she has passed away, I really miss those trips.
We did the ferry trip a fortnight ago from Helsinki to Tallinn and spent the whole day in the older part of this marvellous city. Beautiful views, old buildings, churches and lots of inviting narrow lanes. And BTW your old friend the seagull was still walking up and down the ledge. Most enjoyable was having a meal in one of the rustic, medieval restaurants. Later we had some delicious cakes in the oldest cafe in Tallinn, which brought childhood memories back from glorious days gone by.
Some years ago I stayed with a friend & his family in Espoo, Helsinki's neighbouring city. When he drove me to Helsinki airport it was snowing heavily. But the main roads were being ploughed as the snow fell. And the snow didn't stop the flights. The runways were all clear. My friend told me that the icebreakers were constantly working throughout the winter. When you have the kind of climate where you just know it is going to be very cold in the winter, you can prepare for it! On another trip one March I flew up to Oulu up north on the Gulf of Bothnia. Snow was on the ground and the sea was frozen! Now I fancy a trip to Tallinn!
Your trips there sound magical to me!
Well the highways are kept clean of snow as well as you´d expect but smaller roads, streets, alleys are mainly left for climate change or spring sun to melt clean.
There IS No Hurry at Winter - If You Are not in Sports ! Its slippery everywhere - and Only foreigners think that They can manage Finlands roads and Streets ? R.I.P to Those - that didn't listen !
When you mentioned "bald and bankrupt" I couldn´t help but think there may be a relatively high amount of viewers watching (enjoying !) videos of both channels.
Thanks so much! :)
What can I say?, what a wonderful trip. Lighthouses, Light ship & a Church Lighthouse, plus that brilliant seaplane museum. Great one again Steve, thank you
Cheers Peter! So many cool places I had no idea existed a short while ago!
Every time you go outside up high my feet tingle. I'm just watching & I can't deal with it..
I just want to thank you for sharing everything that you do. I've watched you from the beginning and will continue as you are my favourite travel UA-camr ☺️. Thanks Steve, keep up the good work buddy
Richard I really REALLY appreciate it! Thank you so much!
I agree. Steve is a terrific travel companion. I have been binge watching his channel for the past month. I almost feel like I know the bloke, which isn't true! Awesome channel, subbed a while ago.
I enjoyed this, but mostly your sweet sincere nature. Our 2022 world needs more people like you. Cheers fr Canada❤️
Thanks so much! Really appreciate it!
Yes Finland is a great country and yes you can drink anywhere at any time! Suomenlinna is in fact a fortification and yes some folks live there but it’s very popular in the summer with Helsinki residents. You should try the beer tram! There is also an Orthodox Church near the harbour which is worth a look. Also there is a large market near the presidents palace which has lots of interesting things to see. Next time you plan to go, let me know!
I sure will, thanks so much! I struggled a bit without my phone, but then again it's sometimes nice to just wander and find places by chance, but definitely need to come back soon! :)
10:48 That car is probably the ONLY restored Checker A2 in the world :D There is another working one in rough original condition too in Finland, those are about the only survivors of their kind because the taxi companies in USA scrapped the old ones when they were replaced with new models. Nice that you caught such rare vehicle on video.
They imported used Checkers for the time of Helsinki olympic games from Chigago and New York since Finland did not have enough cars after the war and they were needed to move the olympic guests around but those Checkers were in bad shape and whole deal was a huge mess.
Fantastic video Steve of 2 great cities. I'm tempted by Estonia now and I have always wanted to go to Finland as my uncle lives there. Helsinki looks great. I'm certainly enjoying all that you're producing. Keep it up sir!
Loving the videos mate they just keep getting better and better, and congrats on reaching 30k subscribers, that's amazing.
Thanks so much Martyn! Really chuffed with how the channel is going :)
I am also skeptical with heights. Thanks, Steve, for climbing them for us!
Thanks for inviting us along Steve, 😊
And to you for coming mate!
Tallinn has been one of my favourite cities. I'd been there 3 years ago. Thank you, Steve. You bring back my memories of this fine city.
Wonderful city eh!?
Another interesting fact about Sveaborg, the small island of the coast of Helsinki: there’s an active prison on that very island. You made note of all the people sweeping -> I wouldn’t be surprised if those people were actually prisoners whose job it is to maintain the island.
Ahhhh! That would make a lot of sense! Thanks Linda :)
Fascinating visits to two beautiful cities, and a ferry ⛴ trip! It doesn't get much better than this. Thanks Steve.
I read somewhere that "fear of heights" or whatever it is, is due the conflict between a vestigial avian memory from a much earlier time in our history still buried in our subconscious, which is telling us " Yes, you can fly if you let yourself go", while our rational side is firmly telling us the opposite.
My cycling training partner's father was a Geordie from Tyneside, and in the Depression when the choice was going down the coalmines or working in the shipyards, he went for a job in the shipyard, and was told by the foreman that if he could walk around the top of the unprotected scaffolding, he'd got the job. He did, but his mate couldn't, so had to go down the pit.
No way! That's the worst job interview I could imagine - I'd be down the pit with him!
@@steve-marsh Me too!
Excellent video as always!
Interesting fact - the Silja Europa ferry you film at 02:00 in Tallinn Port played a major part in the rescue operation of the MS Estonia Sinking in 1994. It was the first ship to receive the Mayday call.
I love seeing the beautifully clean cities. Not in America, most folks are pigs , throwing trash everywhere. Quickly becoming a 3rd world nation, SADLY.
Yes the captain on Silja Europa made a tremendous job that night. Stayed calm and communicated with the fellow ferries very professional. 💙
When you got off that Viking ferry in Helsinki it was the same journey on foot that I took when I landed there in 1990. I didn't know then that I'd stay for 25 years, mostly in Vaasa on the west coast.
I too get vertigo in unsafe high places, but I'm fine in aircraft and in enclosed towers. I'm also quite claustrophobic which means that canal tunnels bother me because there's usually no towpath inside - so no escape route! I also have your passion for travel.
Vaasa is worth a video too, with a ferry crossing from Umea in Sweden. It has become the Nordic energy hub of progressive green production and is also rising out of the sea at a rate of nearly 1cm a year due to glacial rebound - the fastest in the world!
lovely video Steve - I only just came across it. I was in Tallinn this summer, but not around the harbour. I'll be spending a day in Helsinki in December on the way from Oman to London, so this was very useful. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Your filmimg on that skinny path at the top of the building made me feel like I was there too and I am very glad I don't have to walk it in real life
Great video! Tallinn and Helsinki are real nice places, and you brought out the best in them…plus I like your style of humor!
Thanks Ken!
Brutalist heaven, you are not alone on that one. I love concrete, steel and brick architecture.
The maritime museum looks impressive and I like the way they put a small aperture in the fence on the tower, so your camera doesn’t get the fencing in the way of taking photos
Nice video! Love your commentary style, very easy to listen to. This would be a cool trip to make some day
Thanks so much!
Great video Steve. You have a knack of gaining access to all of the interesting areas that I would expect to be closed to the public.
Love your adventures your filming and mostly your love of the animals also your great sense of humour 😊
Hi just to let you know that I have just started to watch your videos of you and your partner and it is nice to see all the places you both have been to and camping and sleeping in your van
Glad you enjoyed the Linnahall, it's my favourite place in Tallinn too. I was lucky enough to have somebody show me around the inside about 10 years ago, it's a stunning building.
Two beautiful cities! Thanks, Steve!
I remember The Viking Line from the Eighties, it used to sail from Ramsgate to Dunkirk and we sailed on it a few times, when we used to go camping to the Continent, it was a great company and have many happy memories of it, Steve.
I knew I recognised Viking Line from somewhere!
Ahhh continental camping, awesome!
@@steve-marsh France, Belgium and Holland 🤣 we didn't go that far, Steve and it was called Sally The Viking Line at that time. No Go Pro's then, maybe just as well.
Such a cool video.. even though I live in Finland and have been in Tallin before, but so great to see familiar spots "through visitors eyes".
What a great video! Thanks, Steve! I know we are here for the Scotland videos but you really do amazing ones in other places as well because of your unique, charming and funny commentaries.
So much to mention:
1) That Viking ship was not a “wee” boat. I don’t understand the appeal of those huge generic ships and I’m even more confused about those massive cruise ships. It’s better to be closer to the water.
2) You are going to give me a heart attack with going up those towers. That last one in Tallinn, well, I was peering at the video through my fingers. Not good for those of us with a fear of heights.
3) Both cities are stunning with so much open space, stunning and unexpected buildings, especially those churches, and they are so clean. I love the trams and the green and yellow ones remind me of the colours of the old trams in Melbourne.
4) I’m a great fan of “Brutalist” architecture which gets a bad rap these days, unfortunately. It’s sad to see how many of those buildings are being demolished.
5) I have to mention my city’s (Montreal) favourite Finn, Saku Koivu, who was the great captain of our hockey team (Canadiens) for years.
6) I have no idea what “Bald and Bankrupt” or “Aquacolics” might be. I’m Canadian, lol.
Thanks Heather! Glad to see we agree on so much! :)
Love the videos Steve - Helsinki looks beautiful and love the lighthouses, trams and buildings; tallinn seems nice abeit spoiled by Graffiti ( like most European cities now).
Thanks so much! Although, to be honest, it's more about the places I went in Tallinn, but I know what you mean about graffiti in the outskirts of European cities!
Really interesting and enjoyable presentation. Thanks Steve.
Thanks Geoff!
Tallinn old town looks beautiful!
Great video Steve, when i saw the Viking ferry it reminded me of my time in Sweden. They have a crossing between Stockholm and an island of the west coast of Finland where you can buy duty free. They call it the Love Boat as it's all about parties and its an overnight thing too. Enjoy all your videos cheers pal.
I'll need to give it a try! (but with earplugs!)
The island is Åland, not as much in the west of Finland as between Finland and Sweden and a semi independent part of Finland (and Swedish speaking). Pretty much all ferries between Finland and Sweden stops there very briefly so they can sell tax-free on the trip. Some ferries stay longer to take and leave passengers, but most do not.
They call those ferries drilling rigs rather than love boats, to be precise.
@@samil5601 I get it lol.....good one
Beautiful places - thanks for sharing this wonderful trip!
Like the music over your end credits. Oh! and the rest of the video too, Steve.
I have been to Helsinki a couple of times. I was working with colleagues at the University and weather bureau. I always enjoyed my time in Helsinki. Loved the area and really enjoyed the people.
Great to see your videos especially this one as it reminds me when I traveled from Helsinki to Tallinn over the Baltic Sea. Love both cities. Keep up the good work Steve 😀
Thanks so much! Glad to bring back some happy memories!
@@steve-marsh Do not be mistaken, Scotland is my favourite country and great to watch your travels around your country and islands. I've no excuse not to see more of Scotland. I only live in Belfast.
I've visited that tv-tower in Tallinn right before it was closed for renovation in 2007. There was an old scary elevator back then, a real soviet style equipment! I was scared the floor was going to give up..
The area where the tower resides is called Pirita. There's a beautiful beach and the old Olympic rowing stadium as well.
For someone who struggles with height, you do put in the effort for us to get those shots - and it's appreciated (even if it does make my legs go to jelly sometimes)!
I passed through Helsinki for pretty much just overnight in the winter back in the 1990s, so your one-day tour was a great quick look around; it's been on my bucket list ever since I first went!
Hey Tom, that city sure gives a great first impression eh?
The funny thing is that I also have a fear of heights but have had jobs that shouldn't be for me. I have worked a lot at high altitudes but you get used to it quickly. But always after the holiday month, the fear is back.
That was stunning! I never had any idea how nice these cities looked! And I never knew there was a church anywhere that actually was good for something either! 🤗
Surprised me too! :) Beautiful cities and can't wait to return!
Have You seen The Light - many People would like to The some Light - in Their lives ! At Russian era - The Church served as Russian Orthodox ! Suomenlinna had More People than Mainland Helsinki ( 4.000 ) - as IT was The Swedish STRONGHOLD vs The East !
This same route in reverse is very popular among finns for alcohol tourism. It is quite literally cheaper to buy the cruise ticket and a single 24-pack onboard than it is to just buy the same pack in helsinki, not to even mention the liquor prices in Tallinn vs Helsinki.
Excellent vlog again. I always enjoyed my work trips to Helsinki, it's a lovely city. Kiitos!
Not surprised mate! What a city!
Great video Steve! Looking forward to getting back to Finland soon, loved the tour of Tallin here!
Good thing you had a big coat....it looks baltic out!
Haha it was indeed :)
23:25 it's actually an Estonian submarine, originally commissioned in 1937 by the Estonian navy, later captured by the Soviets after they occupied the Baltic states and then it served in the Soviet navy until 1979.
Great info, cheers!
There's a Russian sub in the marina at Zeebrugge, the ticket also entitles you to visit the lightship and extensive museum all grouped together ...
British built by Vickers & Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness.
@@lroke2947 Yes, it was built in Britain.
I think there should've also been a Finnish Navy submarine somewhere in Suomenlinna that I guess he just missed. Basically a German design that was built outside of Germany secretly as a part of the interwar German submarine program to bypass the rearmament restrictions placed on Germany after the 1st World War.
And you entirely missed the Suomenlinna historic fortress!! You should have walked to the southern island for the real deal. Now you only walked the area people live in.
You could have walked to the walls of the super narrow pass that you sailed through (twice) from the Viking XPRS ship. It is a amazing place - You could almost touch the passing ships!
Fun fact: That huge Tallink ferry was formerly called Silja Europa, and when she was laid to sea, she was the biggest passenger ferry in the world.
And it has an indoor pool at the front of the top deck!
What a really enjoyable video! I visited both Tallinn and Helsinki as cruise stopovers in 2018 as part of a Baltic Cruise but wish I had had the time to visit the fantastic places you featured here - perhaps next time.
We both have plenty reasons to go back Colin!
Another super video Steve i don't like hights either so i just close my eyes :)) Thanks a lot for taking me with you.
I'm glad to have filming to distract me in those high places :)
The Suomenlinna church (a very popular wedding church!) is also quite special as the tower actually conceals parts of the original orthodox church's domes (it had five when it was built). It is possible to climb between the two roofs, on the old roof and under the new roof. The church was redesigned when Finland gained its independence and the orthodox church was marginalised (the old church was seen as a symbol of Russia). Fun fact: The Finnish army actually owned the church briefly, as the the Suomenlinna islands were a military area.
And yet again a very nice informatiive video. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Henk! :)
Nicely shot and well edited. Well done! This was a nice preview of what my wife and I hope to experience in 4 months.
Thanks so much!
Another wonderful video! I think I've said this before but I agree with you about height and there is nothing about height that will make me easy. No amount of ledges or even backs-to-the-wall. What wonderful places you find in each town to bring us to. Thank you for all of the work that you do for our entertainment. I still need to figure out something else to say besides "wow"! Say "hi" to Alicja for me. Be well, stay safe, love from Texas.
Thanks so much Kate! I wish Alicja could have been with me on this trip!
I have been living in Finland for 18 years and this is a funny video, because I have done that trip so many times. You should do it again on a Friday afternoon. Drunk Finns are something to behold
Haha I'll be interested to see it :)
The Silja Europa was actually the first ship that responded to m/s Estonias Mayday call in September 1994. Her and a couple of other cruiseferries were co-ordinating the rescue effort that stormy night.
When you write 'responded to'- do you mean acknowledge? Mariella was of course the first on scene and became the co-ordinator for the search.
@@derektaylor2941 Yeah as in the Mayday call. And yes, Mariella was first on scene. :)
the commentary captions are some of the funnest things about your videos
the football stadium is actually right next to an even more historic stadium, the birthplace of Finnish football…
This ferry ride is definitely on my wish list :)
edit: 1 year later and I've been on the ferry :)
Excellent video as always Steve, really want to visit Tallinn and Helsinki (and Tondi!) after that! Need to tick off Viking Line and Tallink too
Well worth a trip, I'd love to take the ferry there from Stockholm next time :)
Nice video from Tallinn. Great city which I have been so lucky to visit many times during the years.
Cheers, can't wait to go back for longer!
I am like you Steve absolutely terrified of heights yet I have flown for thousands of miles in all sorts of weather and didn't bat an eyelid, these cities are magnificent and the first thing I noticed was how clean they where makes a great change from where I live with discarded soft drink cans and rubbish in the city center, maybe it's just that the people of Tallinn and Helsinki take pride in their town and a good thing too, All the best to you and stay safe,cheers.
So true Simon, you instantly notice a nice clean city! Cheers
Fun Fact: The Port of Helsinki and the Port of Tallinn are the 1st and 3rd biggest maritime passenger ports in the world, with 12.1 million and 10.2 million travelers annually respectively. That's about 30k per both for daily.
Wonderful exploring Steve. My poor old body won’t let me explore like this anymore but I love watching others. I, too, don’t like heights…like being on the edge 🙀. I have not given up traveling but I do have to travel with a mobility scooter which does restrict where I go. I will be in Tallinn at the end of Sept as one of the ports in my Baltic cruise so that’s how I found your channel. Thanks for taking us along with you. 🥰🇺🇸
It is hilly but was one of my favourite stops on a Baltic cruise I did - enjoy it.
I crossed the Baltic from Tallinn to Helsinki for a day trip back in February - same ferry and same sailing times as you, but just a lot more icy! Really good value for money and a very easy way to travel as well. Great video which really gives you a flavour of these two wonderful cities...
Oh I love winter Ryan, would swap for your trip!
Also as kids in Bermuda my younger brother and I liked to chuck paper aeroplanes from the highest lighthouse's balcony. Probably it annoyed the neighbours but good fun! That tallest point in Estonia reminded me of that naughtiness!
Your once around the churchtower... amazing sight. I felt it right in my sphincter.
I love your trips. They are full of so many different venues and transport and beautiful views and out of the way places. Mostly, you let the 'print do your talking' and that works out well. You sure must be in good shape....I 'lost it' on about the 3rd flight of stairs up that tower. Like the tour of the first ferry nicest ferry I've ever seen.
What a great video really enjoyed watching it. Don't know where you get the energy from to walk and climb all these stairs. Thanks for taking us with you
Cheers Alister! I always need a day of complete rest when I get home from these trips!
Thank you for sharing such a unique video, and thanks for taking one for the team going up all those stairs to the heights! 😂
The things I do for this channel almost always go against my instincts :D
Thanks for this, Steve. My wife is Estonian, and so we go there fairly often. Tallinn is a beautiful city, but next time (if there is a next time!) visit Tartu and maybe Haapsalu where the Russian Tsars used to holiday. It's a wonderful, mainly unspoiled, country where, luckily for me, most people speak excellent English. Thanks again, and greetings from Tenerife.
Helsinki IS GREAT too... The Olympic Stadium was build to Host The 1940 Games - Right after Berlin 1936 Ones ! 12 long years - and All The Atleths - were gone... Helsinki Games were The Ones - that Russia Took Part For The 1st Time ! NOTE - Finland had an exhibition game - called Finnish Baseball - that was seen by international audience - very first Time ! - and almost everybody wanted FB to join The Olympic FAMILY and at Melbourne 1956 - Have already several Nations to play The Game ! Australia is quite faraway - so They said that IT would be too expensive - with all the equipment and rules to learn - just in 4 Years Time ! Today The Sport has World Cup - with 8 Nations ! They Do play The game Down Under - after All These years ! There are many Americans - that never heard or seen this - before UA-cam came along ! FB IS a bigger sport - that soccer / football - during Summer Time ! Some of The Games Are Even Played at Costa DEL Sol - Mainland - Spain !
Love the video Steve. Brought back great memories of when I visited Tallinn and Helsinki in 2013. Basically did all the things you did…maritime museum and TV tower in Tallinn, ferry to Helsinki, took the ferry out to the island you did and climbed the tower at the Olympic stadium. Did you visit the Finnish museum of sport which was inside the Olympic stadium? They’re 2 really beautiful cities. All the best and keep posting the videos! 😊
Awesome Martin! Nooo, I didn't realise it was there, bet I walked right past it!
First comment, no way! And I'm viewer number 16. Nicely done video. As far as height's, I suppose I'm in the same boat as you are Steve. Afraid I'd drop something too. In the last tower, when you stepped over that clear glass and showed how far it is down, yeah, that played tricks on me. Got what we call 'the willies', a fright. Very clean ships and ferry's. Way cool! And I'm the first comment!
First comment but took me ages to reply! Well done Frank :)
Fabulous trip, Steve! Especially all the lighthouses! The one atop the church was the best. I, too, share your "high anxiety". My insides clenched up just watching you walk around that narrow tower. And the folks sitting on the edge of the outside shelf.....my stomach was churnin'! Your videos are the best!
Thanks so much Cindy! I think we have a 'healthy' aversion to heights ;)
Once again allyour hard work has paid off on the making of this upload well done & good luck on the next adventure 👍👍👍
Cheers Michael!
Funny, I went in to see this 2 year old take from Talinn-Helsingfors (Talinn is estonian for Tanska linna, Danish fort, but shortened to Taliina. Helsingfors means Sound (as in narrow sound) waterfall, so the Waterfall Narrows would be an acceptable translation. Helsinki is the Finnsish form, it means nothing, it is just based on the Swedish name, but no one says that, they say Hesari, another short form. With all the long words, finns use short forms of at least 70% of their words (my estimate) I was taking the Talinn ferry dozens of time in the 80s, russian shipowners, ferry called Georg Ots, thenit was part of the Soviet Union, and the sailing marina was operative, we went there for icecream and to look at the sea. After it became independent again, I have only been there a half dozen times..... I liked the Soviet style, it gets less and less exotic.
I used to buy books in Norwegian, Swedish and Polish( I Still can't read Polish...) and Russian at laughably low prices. I went to the post office and mailed 50 kgs of books in several parcels home, cost about one Euro in todays money. Me and my Finnish girlfriend laughed at the watery icecream that actually became more watery every year untii the Soviet Union broke. In 1986 it was OK icecream, in 87 it was thinner, if you let it melt a bit , you could se they had added ice from water into the ice cream, and it became more every year....I miss the 'fake civilisation' they set up.
Well, that is Putins dream, I do not want him to succeed, people in the Baltics deserve their countries, but there is a little bit of missing. I don't have to go far to find it, the Russian countryside is very Sovietic still, and some areas in the Baltic as well.
Sveaborg is the name of the fortress, it is swedish and means the Swede Fortress, when they wanted place names to be finnsish, they translated it to Suomenlinna, which means the Finns Fortress, both names are official.
I am not sure, but I think the fortress never came into battle since the commander capitulated without fighting in 1809....however British warships bombed Helsingfors during the Crimean war in the mid 1800s. It was after all a part of Russia. Other Finnish towns east of Helsingfors were also bombed (that is being shot grenades at) from British ships, and several British writers have wondered what the Finns thought of the Brits when they came in let it rain grenades on a country that never had a disagreement with the Brits....In the 1980s I went to a lecture with an 89 yr old man who had heard his grandfather tell him about the day the Britsih frigates and destroyers anchored up offshore and started bombing the mostly wooden town, and how her had thought of this story when the Soviets came bombing the same town on the 30th of November 1939, when Soviet attacked Finland, and how England again declared war on Finland 5th of december 1941....
At the railway station in -Hesa (a shorter still shortening of Helsinki) thre used to be a Russian ticket sale, a Russian part of the station that sold tickets to Peterburg and Moscow, and a kiosk that sold Russian magazines and sweets and tea and such, don't know if that is still there.
Fascinating to watch this trying to do catch up on all your videos
You're not alone. Love brutalist architecture as well, and I'll probably never get tired of watching russian urban exploration videos on UA-cam.
Congratulations to 30K btw. Looking forward to the kilt. 😀
Haha you have a good memory! Trying to work out what to do for that video - cheers!
You are like the Scottish version of Bald and Bankrupt -- and I love it.
I also stayed at Citybox in Tallinn Harbour. Great hotel.
And the Tallink ship was better than I had expected.
What a lovely video, Steve! Well done showcasing interesting places in both cities that don't get much love on UA-cam.
And to think, in your quest to follow in Bald and Bankrupt's footsteps you ended up right next to my house. 😂 Sorry to say the famous steps of Tondi are no more, though. The railway crossing's being reconstructed into an underpass. On the bright side, there's a nice wee pancake place close to the station if you ever end up retracing your steps.
Hey Steve. You're not alone with your love of Brutalist architecture! I enjoy the channel even more now! 😂 22:02
OMG! Those safety railings are to prevent you from falling off! They are nuts for sitting on the ledge!
Lovely vlog - I did a day trip to Talinn from Helsinki many years ago - I can't remember which line, but the boat was like an old cruise ship and they had an 'all you can eat buffet' on the evening return that was excellent value for money... especially if you liked fish! 😀
Oof sounds good! I was put off by the food prices onboard, but an all you can eat - I'd be happy to give that a go!
@@steve-marsh mind you it was a long time ago, but as it included beer and wine it seemed well worth the price and I don't have a lot of cash to splash as a rule! :)
Love the varied content on your channel Steve. Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much David!
Excellent video! Keep them coming! BTW, the 2nd to last tower you went up with the spiral staircase and the narrow viewing platform gave me the willys watching on my computer, I can imagine what it did to you in person! Cheers!
Hey, an Estonian here. 4:52 the island is just called Aegna, also Viking Line doesn’t usually have many passengers, they either choose Eckerö Line, which provides a few euros cheaper and faster service, or Tallink which is the most luxurious and fastest service between Tallinn and Helsinki. I personally prefer Eckerö Line & Tallink over Viking Line, because they have a bit more entertainment. Although awesome video! Feel free to ask me about the ferries anytime. :)
Superb info, thanks so much! I have many more adventures to do over that way so really appreciate you helping out :)
On the Sweden-Finland crossing, it's between Viking and TallinkSilja, and honestly, I preferred Viking. Main reason was the food. The beer option on TallinkSilja was a bit better, the cabins, too, but I absolutely loved the buffet at Viking.
traveling east in a few weeks ... and, i wished i had you as my guide. you are funny and make the experience the more revealing. i so much appreciate that. no working phones? perfect! spare of the moment finds are the best. yay *for obvious reasons, initially, tallim was removed from my list of places to visit. with your guidance, a day trip (from helsinki) changes that. thank you.
Brought back great memories from last year this. I went over on the Eckero Line ferry and back on the XPRS (which I preferred tbh). Agree Tallink seemed more like cruise ships but were a tad more expensive. I missed a lot of the places you went to as I was catching the train from Tallinn to Riga (via Valga) - that was an amazing trip. But I did go to Tondi AND walked up the steps 🤣 Cheers Steve, great video as usual 👍
Your video was a big part of my research ;)
@SteveMarsh Haha, glad someone watched it!😂
Had a great time in Tallinn, when I went there a few years back. The viewpoints are awesome, but I didn't go to the church top. Scary height! Got to the Hellemann Tower though and walked on top of the town wall.
Considering how fancy the Olympic venues are nowadays, the Linnahall place is indeed a brutalistic place.
"Better drink it fast" 🤣 amazing tour, i guess it's great for kids too that one day trip.
I have the same fear with heights! My wife calls me weird😂 glad I’m not the only one. Thanks for yet another brilliant video Steve!
We have a 'healthy' fear I'd say :)
@@steve-marsh definitely healthy!
I'm also the same with heights I get worried about falling or dropping my phone or something
You may have mild vertigo triggered by looking down, as opposed to a fear of being up high.
Thank you so much, the places you went to+ your videos + narrative, made me feel like i was there ! It's a beautiful world out there! Cheers from the #Poconos #Pennsylvania #USA
Where at Poconos Pa ?
Fantastic Vlog @SteveMarsh
Two lovely ciyies. And those ferries. I have watched a lot of Bald and Bankrupt. He really goes to some strange places.
I was happy to use him as inspiration for some of these places Rupert :) Cheers!