We needed to make an early start from Tampere as we had the ferry booked from
Helsinki, Finland to Tallinn, Estonia and weren’t sure how long it would take to get there.
Tampere is a mess with construction as they have all roads dug up installing a
tram car system which isn’t going to be ready until 2020.
In hindsight this turned out to be the easiest part of the
day.
As we approached Helsinki we were feeling pretty sure we had
it under control. Until we realized the road to the ferries (and there are
several companies that sail out of the small port there) goes all the way
through downtown, beside the tram cars, cobblestone streets, poor signs. The “girl”
(GPS) told us to turn left but right we went into a one way street going the
wrong way – again more cobblestones. A quick detour into a market – bringing
back memories of Sarajevo market ride – turn around with the ice-cream vendor
yelling at us, and back onto the right road. The helmet cam was filming the
entire time but no footage tonight. Explanation later.
Finally with just dead reckoning we managed to find the
correct terminal. The ferry trip was uneventful. The ship was an old cruise
ship, or at least that is what it seemed like, with sleeping cabins you could
book – it was only a 2.5 hour trip, slot machines in every corner, a huge duty
free shop, several bars and even a live band providing entertainment and a
place for people to dance.
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| Leaving Helsinki |
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| Ferry sun deck |
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| Live band on ferry |
Now for the departure into Tallinn! Getting off the ferry
was the easy part. We just followed everyone but again found ourselves in the
worst traffic snarl. Trying to watch road signs the GPS and traffic we ended up
many kms away from where we needed to be. Oh, well. We are adventurers.
Eventually we got turned around and made our way here. The thermometer on the
bike was reading 35 C so we were melting and disappointed to discover our
accommodation (we had originally planned two nights here) was like being in a
SMALL OVEN (and was advertised to be a “family” room). Thus no helmet cam footage
from today as it is just too hot to sit and edit video footage. Besides we
don’t know if we want to relive the Helsinki ride again so soon.
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| Our 100 ft square Estonian Oven |
Now we are going to ride into Latvia tomorrow. We are still
looking to plan another day off. Maybe tomorrow.
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