CRUISE: "BALTIC EXPRESS 4 Capitals of the North" Tallinn - Helsinki - Stockholm - Riga
Cruise ...hearing this word, any romantic nature imagines shots from such and such a beloved, necessarily learned by heart, film about distant warm countries ...I was going on a cruise in November and to the north, 6, and he beckoned me no less than just warm the sun, and warm water, went there purposefully for a fairy tale, and I received this fairy tale. More lyrical digressions will not be done, all of a sudden someone needs specific information, this is the most important thing here.
TRIP TIME: 14.11. 2013 - 19.11. 2013
COUNTRIES: ESTONIA, FINLAND, SWEDEN, LATVIA, (BELORUSSIA - TRANSIT)
OPERATOR: DELTA TRAVEL
TRANSPORT: BUS, LINER( VIKING LINE TALLINN - HELSINKI, BALTIC PRINCESS Turku - Stockholm, ISABELLE STOCKHOLM - RIGA)
DAY ONE 14.11. 2014
ROAD to distant lands...
The road is not close and, of course, it is difficult to say that it is easy. Our route started from Kyiv, the neoplan bus departed at 8:30 from the southern railway station. 1360 km. are given to everyone in different ways, I personally endured the road 50/50.
The most unpleasant thing is when you are made sleepy to cross the border with a suitcase (transit from Belarus to Russia) in your hands, moreover, that there was no inspection of things! And so, the main thing is to put your feet up, do not forget the blanket and do not get carried away with tea, stopping every 4 hours is not allowed before. If you have the opportunity to spend a little more, you can buy a seat on the bus next to you, for a more or less comfortable sleep, or, as our employee did: lie down right in the aisle). Ukraine, Belarus, Russia did not differ much in terms of types, except that in Belarus the roads are a little better. A stop in Belarus was necessary for the stomach, we ate a very tasty mushroom soup (20 UAH) and real ice cream (there it is still made from whole milk, and not from chemicals) IT WAS delicious, someone even said such a favorite phrase “taste of childhood”. I didn’t buy condensed milk, but some people took this “taste of childhood” home from the bus.
Tallinn was ahead of us…
DAY TWO 15.11. 2013
ESTONIA, TALLINN.
TALLINN OLD TOWN – with a vintage soul… . All my fatigue after the so-called "far away lands" was taken away in the early morning, when we were taken to the terminal to drink coffee and show our liner, which tomorrow we were supposed to be transported to FINLAND together with the bus. An unforgettable sight, when buses and cars drive onto a huge vessel, you immediately feel like a small part of a huge world. At the terminal where the liners departed, it was possible to clean up in the WC (I especially liked the touch-sensitive taps and hyper powerful hand dryers, I immediately remembered a past trip to the future ...The UAE for a second surfaced in my memory, but now it’s not about that).
- PUT PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS in an easily accessible place on the bus so as not to get your suitcase, while throwing another 100 suitcases of other tourists.
- PUT hryvnia on the card in each country they will be converted into the currency you need
OLD TALLINN is listed in UNESCO. The tour starts in the Upper Town from the tower-symbol of the Old Town - Long German. Next - the building of the Estonian Parliament - the Riigikogu; Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, an example of Moscow architecture of the 17th century; Dome Church, the main church of the hill; observation deck overlooking the Lower City. Walk along the fortress wall; garden of the Danish king and along Short Leg Street. Continuation of the tour in the Lower City - Niguliste Church, where organ music concerts are held; Town Hall Square, where the oldest pharmacy in Europe is located; the "zero" point of the Lower City, where you can make a wish; the most romantic street where craftsmen's workshops are open. The tour ends at the Viru Gate, near which the flower market operates.
The narrow streets are paved with paving stones, each house breathes with its cracks through small windows, with mulled wine in your hands you can walk there for hours, just listen to the silence of every nook and cranny. For me personally, the tour only interfered, I wanted silence, this little treasure trove of history seemed so beautiful to me. Sometimes I listened to the words of the guide, sometimes my thoughts took me much further. OLD TALLINN is so beautiful that sometimes I forgot to press the camera button because of emotion. Bulgakov himself, having visited Tallinn and heard the legend of the haunted house, wrote MASTER and MARGARITA on its basis, namely the scene of the ball of SATAN. COMPLETELY converted for tourists, the OLD TOWN will please you with shops with a wide variety of goods and cafes and restaurants with venison specialties.
And of course, I can’t help but write about the absolutely amazing DRAKON restaurant, for just 2 euros you will plunge into the atmosphere of twilight lit by candles, no less colorful hostess, such a Tyrolean, at first glance, will treat you with this money to delicious meat stew and venison puff. Very tasty and somewhat fabulous looks like the dish itself, and the place itself. I really liked TALLINN, and ahead was a long-awaited vacation in the only hotel along this route, Pirita Hotel and SPA. (about him a separate review)
WHAT SHOULD BE SUPPLIED FROM TALLINN
- VANA TALLINN is an original Estonian liqueur made from Jamaican rum, citrus fruit oils, vanilla and cinnamon. (from 6 EURO)
-magnets (from 0.5 euros and above)
- wool sweaters with fancy Christmas prints (from 45 EUR)
- Kalev white chocolate with blueberry puffed rice (from 3.90 EUR)
16.11. 2013
FINLAND, HELSINKI
Check-out from the PIRITA HOTEL and SPA took place early in the morning, a huge plus for us to receive lunch packages.
Departure by bus to the port of Tallinn at 7:00. Landing and departure of the liner to Helsinki at 8:00. VIKING LINE TALLINN - HELSINKI JUDGING DELTA TRAVEL'S DESCRIPTION « Passengers of the liner will have a lot of impressions already on board, because the routes are laid along the coast. During the trip you will be able to admire the unique nature of Scandinavia. Just contemplating the coastal valleys, forests, and in many places the rocks hanging over the water will be enough to make you forget about your daily worries. On the ship you can arrange a festive dinner in a restaurant, as well as refresh yourself in a pizzeria, cafe or visit a bar. Everything was exactly as advertised. The ONLY thing they forgot to write is to take a pill from motion sickness with you, VERY SHAKE, respectively, people with a weak vestibular apparatus need to be stuffed with pills. The journey takes 2.5 hours.
There is DUTY FREE ON THE liner where you can do a good shopping, the main thing is that you are in a physical condition to do it).
HELSINKI, DIAMETERALLY OPPOSITE TO TALLINN, met us well. If you take a survey, you will have the opportunity to see the Cathedral and the Senate Square - a unique complex in the neoclassical style, the Town Hall building and the surrounding quarters, which until the early 1900s were the center of trade and social life, the Assumption Cathedral, Esplanade Park, and if YOU DO NOT TAKE A VIEW, you will see everything the same, and save 20 euros at the same time, arm yourself with a map and ask passers-by, you can read the street everywhere and see if you are going the right way. Helsinki positions itself as the HOMELAND OF FATHER FROST, each showcase hints at this, if not shouting.
VERY beautiful architecture, interesting solution of retail space, beautiful people with porcelain skin, blue eyes, blond hair and lack of complexes) I would especially like to mention the Church in the rock (Temppeliaukio) - one of the most popular attractions in the city. More than half a million people visit it every year. It was decided to build a church on Temple Square in the Tö ö lö area back in the 1930s, but construction had to be postponed due to World War II. In the 60s of the twentieth century, the construction of a church was again discussed, but they decided to abandon the original plan. A new project, striking in its unusualness, was proposed by the brothers-architects Timo and Tuomio Suomalainen. Why was this project so amazing? The fact is that in Helsinki in several places rocks come to the surface. One such formation was just at the site of the construction of the church.
The architects suggested blowing up the rock, covering it with a dome, and the church is ready. And so it was done. And what is most striking is that the effect of such construction exceeded all expectations! On the reverse side, the dome of the church, recessed into the rock, resembles a flying saucer. When you are inside the church, the distance from the floor to the ceiling seems simply huge - there is so much light and air here! In fact, the height here is small - 12 meters. The church has excellent acoustics - Mstislav Rostropovich called it the best in the world. That is why the church often hosts concerts of classical and organ music. At the same time, services are held here daily in Finnish and English (at 10:00 and 14:00). The space behind the altar is limited by a stone wall, which arose naturally after the melting of the glacier. Between the dome and the stone walls there are windows - only 180 pieces.
The church has a 43-pipe organ made by Veikko Virtanen. There are no bells here, as in traditional churches. Their sound is imitated by loudspeakers on the outside of the building. Often the church in the rock becomes a venue for rock concerts. Famous rock performers play fragments of the Lutheran liturgy at such concerts. Young people are very fond of such performances. Church hours: Monday, Wednesday - from 10 to 17 hours. Tuesday - 10:00-12:45 and 14:15-17:00. Thursday, Friday - from 10 am to 8 pm. Saturday - from 10 am to 6 pm. Sunday - 11:45-13:45 and 15:30-18:00. THE ENTRANCE IS FREE.
AFTER a walk around HELSINKI, we were waiting for a transfer to Turku (160 km). Additional sightseeing tour of Turku - 5 euros. Boarding the ship and departure to Stockholm at 20:15. LINER BALTIC PRINCESS (Turku-Stockholm) is the most beautiful of all 3 on which we sailed.
Here we already had a cabin with a bathroom; what a beautiful way they waltz ...I had dinner in a cafe where for only 13 euros you could put everything your heart desires on 2 plates, the meat and grilled vegetables were excellent, but no one bothered to take another full plate of fish and all kinds of side dishes ...the main thing is that fit on two plates and in the stomach) we slept a little, the liner was really worth it not to sleep. Stockholm was waiting for us in the morning...
WHAT IS SUPPLIED FROM FINLAND
-COFFEE, this country buys the best coffees in the world.
The number of suicides (country first) lacks UV light and leads to extensive coffee consumption.
The authorities make all sorts of concessions to their residents, both with vacation (70 percent, if it is not the MALDIVES of course) paid by the state, and with studies, it is completely free.
- toys DEER ...well, where without the symbol of the new year (from 7 euros)
- sweaters with a clear New Year theme (from 50 euros)
- magnets (from 3 euros)
17.11. 2013
SWEDEN. STOCKHOLM
LUXURIOUS, IMPERIAL, MAJESTIC … well, what else can I say. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY in this four. Stockholm met us early in the morning, with empty streets that were waking up from sleep. It is such a miracle to walk without any fuss. We examined all the shop windows, photographed the empty back streets, even drank coffee and cake in a small wonderful cafe with painted walls, autographs left by tourists from different countries. OUR IDEAL INSPIRATOR is a woman who has already 7 times on this tour slowly with feeling, tact, arrangement led us through the streets of STOCKHOLM.
GENERALLY, I am against the “look left, look right” overviews, they do not convey either the soul of the city or its mood, you are lucky if a person lives for his work, if he is really in love with the city that opens up to you, and when it is a conveyor, then demand small. A HUGE MINUS OF THE WHOLE TOUR was precisely this conveyor, as soon as it became clear that our small group of 8 people would not bring THEIR hard-earned money ON THE ALTAR, OUR FATE WAS DETERMINED, WE WERE LEFT AT THE TERMINALS IN EVERY PORT, although before that (according to the IDEAL INSPIRATOR) they were taken at least until the first point of the excursion program. Visit to the museum island of Djurgå rden. We drove through the islands of the city, saw the palace square and the City Hall, which is known to many tourists as the venue for the Nobel banquets.
On the island of Djurgå rden, you can visit the Vasa Museum, one of the most famous tourist sites in the world, giving a unique insight into Sweden in the early 17th century. The museum houses the only ship in the world that has survived to this day, consisting of 95 percent of the original original structural elements. (Entrance fee for an adult is 130 SEK, for children under 18 - admission is free). Free time. Boarding the ship and departure to Riga at 17:00. We continue to enjoy a luxurious journey through the Baltic Sea.
18.11. 2013
LATVIA. RIGA
What is Riga, for example, for my mother or for my grandmother? First of all, this is, of course, the cosmetics of the most famous brand in Soviet times - DZINTARS. What is Riga for BALTIC EXPRESS travelers - this is the final chord of the journey, which was already coming to an end.
So Riga… this is not Tallinn and far from STOCKHOLM, the city is pleasant, sometimes touching, also making you smile and grab your camera. The only city in which it was not necessary to speak English, although we felt the cold attitude towards Russians, in some places hatred, in full. It was necessary to speak Ukrainian (advice sounded on the way home), perhaps, but I still liked RIGA! ! ! regardless of the little things. And how else, I brought my mother a full package of DZINTARS (lipsticks and perfumes) memories of her youth. Old Riga introduces you to the romance of the Middle Ages, the city of merchants and artisans, founded over 800 years ago. You will walk along the narrow cobblestone streets with churches and monasteries, past the Church of St. Peter and the Dome Cathedral, the large and small Guilds, the House of the Blackheads, the Swedish Gate and other historical monuments of Old Riga.
And especially warm memories associated with mint tea in the restaurant of an authentic building of the 13th century. I have never eaten such delicious lentils with meat) ...
The final stop is LIDO. NICE! ! ! NEW YEAR'S ALREADY SOMEWHERE quite close. HUGE SELECTION OF DISHES for every taste and budget and magnificent New Year's decorations. THIS is where the BALTIC EXPRESS ended. We were waiting for a 17 hour drive home!!! ! !
WHAT IS SUPPLIED FROM LATVIA
- Riga balsam
-cosmetics Dzintars
PROS: beautiful cities, liners!!!! ! ! , ridiculous money for a ticket
2 150 UAH along with visa
CONS: greedy driver, hard road
I don’t want to write badly about the accompanying group BABICH IRINA, I tried to the best of my ability.
RESULT: GO it's worth it.
