Birthday Bash in the Baltics - Tallin May 2017 - Part 2

BONZO · 1 Jul 17, 10:37 PM

Saturday 6th May

Cast:

Alison – early fifties, with wanderlust (but insists on travelling in comfort and style)
Me – Shaun, mid fifties, also with wanderlust (used to be happy to travel any how but the comfort and style option is more appealing now!)

Happy birthday to me!

We both slept reasonably well although Alison woke up very early. We enjoyed some lovely coffee made in the in-room coffee maker, before showering and heading down to breakfast. It was an amazing buffet with really good hot and cold options and a proper coffee area with staff to make lattes, cappuccinos etc

Really full up, we went back to room to brush teeth and freshen up before heading out to the tourist information office to join a free walking tour of Tallin. The tour guide was very good and engaging and did a good job holding people’s attention but it was a bit too much information for us, we really just wanted the executive version!

We lasted for an hour or so, up to Kiek in de Kok and Toompea castle, and then split off from the main group and went our own way.

We made our way to Toompea viewing platforms and then out towards Balti Jaam railway station (or Baltic Station in English), where you can get a train to Moscow or St. Petersburg (perhaps one for another trip?).

We stopped at a nearby kiosk and bought 2 x soft drinks to cool down and made our way across the road and got a taxi from outside the Park Inn by Radisson hotel to Seaplane Harbour (cost 7 euro including a tip). It was brilliant!

meremuuseum.ee/lennusadam/en/

A stunning and unusual place and well worth seeking out. The museum included a tour of a submarine, boats, guns, planes and movies. At the time there was an exhibition called Mayday Mayday Mayday! where they had an old rescue helicopter and an array of life rafts that you could try out.

There were lots of hands on exhibits all done in a modern style and plenty of things to do for all ages. A 5 star attraction in my book.
We had coffee and a sandwich before looking around outside and then heading for Fat Margaret’s, which we had added to our admission ticket.

Fat Margaret’s Tower was full of Estonian commercial shipping memorabilia, fine if that’s your bag but it didn’t really have the same “Wow” factor as the seaplane museum.

We walked back through the Old Town, taking in where we were eating tonight just to make sure we knew exactly where it was and to get an idea of time to allow for walking there. It was really warm and we were a bit dehydrated so we stopped off in an Irish bar for a couple of beers.

Once back at the hotel Alison went off and had a swim while I had coffee, typed up notes and had a nap (Alison here: it must be his age!).

We showered and changed and headed out to the old town and Hell Hunt for a meet up with some travel minded FlyerTalk forum members.

hellhunt.ee/eng/headquarters
Well, we had a really good chat and chewed the fat with some people off the internet (some of whom we had met before), finished off nicely with some excellent food and local brews, as well as shots of Vana Tallin (the local spirit) which was really quite nice.

We didn’t stay too late as we wanted to try the casino opposite our hotel. As we were new customers they wanted photo ID before we could start. So, after a quick shuffle back to the hotel to get our passports we returned.

We handed our passports over which were duly processed and the manager said “Oh, it’s your birthday, have 5 euro credit each on the house”. Very nice so we ordered a couple of hefty Gin and Tonics at the bar when the manager said “oh, have those on the house too!”

What a nice man, we spent a few euros each but had no significant wins so we staggered back across the road to hotel to crash for the night.

Sunday 7th May

We had a good night’s sleep and went down to breakfast reasonably early this time and settled down for another hearty breakfast option.
We headed back to the room, packed and then checked out, saying a cheery goodbye to the desk staff. Outside we took a premium taxi back to airport as they were already lined up. We thought it may be much more expensive for a ride in the new Mercedes but it only came to 10 euro with a tip.

As we arrived at the airport it looked more like an out of town industrial unit (a bit like a small Ikea) than an airport but the airport it was all the same.

We checked our bag in and took the fast track security route, not that it really made any difference at all and eventually found the lounge and settled down with some drinks and snacks. We decided to go with hair of the dog and got some shots of the local spirit again! Eventually, some of the people from the meet up joined us – but they couldn’t face any more alcohol (amateurs!)

After a while we walked down to gate 2 and boarded the small turbo prop plane to Helsinki, phew what a squeeze again!

We had to really get a move on again (no lounge visit in Helsinki as there just wasn’t time) but we connected with flight ok with a little time to spare. However, the plane had a punctured front tyre that had to be fixed but it was relatively quickly fixed. This time our flight from Helsinki to Heathrow was on a regular short haul plane not the wide body flat bed style plane, but it was fairly comfortable and we’d managed to snag the front row which gave us more room.

The food was ok, a salmon starter, beef casserole with macaroni cheese and mashed potato then a chocolate pie. All washed down with gin and tonic, Diet Coke and coffee.

There was no IFE (as expected) so we did the Times crossword to pass the time, before landing at Heathrow only a little later than planned.

We only had a short wait for our bags, then a bus ride to the car park and quick journey home.

All in all it was a successful trip. We enjoyed Tallin, but felt we saw everything we wanted to in the time we had. If we were to go back I think we’d go for longer and travel a bit further afield.

Melbatb · 2 Jul 17, 05:58 AM

A great weekend - not a city that has ever been on my radar but it looks lovely!

BONZO · 3 Jul 17, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Melbatb

A great weekend - not a city that has ever been on my radar but it looks lovely!

Yes, nor me to be honest but a cheap deal, plenty of Tier points and the chance to try out a new plane was too much to resist.

I think they can get 7 months of snow a year on average so timing is everything.

shirley · 4 Jul 17, 10:02 AM

Very interesting trip, what was the prices lie I.e food etc. Lovely photos xx

BONZO · 4 Jul 17, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by shirley

Very interesting trip, what was the prices lie I.e food etc. Lovely photos xx

Obviously depends on the Euro / Pound exchange rate but prices were slightly cheaper than the UK.

1 Jul 17, 10:37 PM	#1
	1 Jul 17, 10:37 PM BONZO Imagineer
BONZO Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	Birthday Bash in the Baltics - Tallin May 2017 - Part 2 Saturday 6th May Cast: Alison – early fifties, with wanderlust (but insists on travelling in comfort and style) Me – Shaun, mid fifties, also with wanderlust (used to be happy to travel any how but the comfort and style option is more appealing now!) Happy birthday to me! We both slept reasonably well although Alison woke up very early. We enjoyed some lovely coffee made in the in-room coffee maker, before showering and heading down to breakfast. It was an amazing buffet with really good hot and cold options and a proper coffee area with staff to make lattes, cappuccinos etc Really full up, we went back to room to brush teeth and freshen up before heading out to the tourist information office to join a free walking tour of Tallin. The tour guide was very good and engaging and did a good job holding people’s attention but it was a bit too much information for us, we really just wanted the executive version! We lasted for an hour or so, up to Kiek in de Kok and Toompea castle, and then split off from the main group and went our own way. We made our way to Toompea viewing platforms and then out towards Balti Jaam railway station (or Baltic Station in English), where you can get a train to Moscow or St. Petersburg (perhaps one for another trip?). We stopped at a nearby kiosk and bought 2 x soft drinks to cool down and made our way across the road and got a taxi from outside the Park Inn by Radisson hotel to Seaplane Harbour (cost 7 euro including a tip). It was brilliant! meremuuseum.ee/lennusadam/en/ A stunning and unusual place and well worth seeking out. The museum included a tour of a submarine, boats, guns, planes and movies. At the time there was an exhibition called Mayday Mayday Mayday! where they had an old rescue helicopter and an array of life rafts that you could try out. There were lots of hands on exhibits all done in a modern style and plenty of things to do for all ages. A 5 star attraction in my book. We had coffee and a sandwich before looking around outside and then heading for Fat Margaret’s, which we had added to our admission ticket. Fat Margaret’s Tower was full of Estonian commercial shipping memorabilia, fine if that’s your bag but it didn’t really have the same “Wow” factor as the seaplane museum. We walked back through the Old Town, taking in where we were eating tonight just to make sure we knew exactly where it was and to get an idea of time to allow for walking there. It was really warm and we were a bit dehydrated so we stopped off in an Irish bar for a couple of beers. Once back at the hotel Alison went off and had a swim while I had coffee, typed up notes and had a nap (Alison here: it must be his age!). We showered and changed and headed out to the old town and Hell Hunt for a meet up with some travel minded FlyerTalk forum members. hellhunt.ee/eng/headquarters Well, we had a really good chat and chewed the fat with some people off the internet (some of whom we had met before), finished off nicely with some excellent food and local brews, as well as shots of Vana Tallin (the local spirit) which was really quite nice. We didn’t stay too late as we wanted to try the casino opposite our hotel. As we were new customers they wanted photo ID before we could start. So, after a quick shuffle back to the hotel to get our passports we returned. We handed our passports over which were duly processed and the manager said “Oh, it’s your birthday, have 5 euro credit each on the house”. Very nice so we ordered a couple of hefty Gin and Tonics at the bar when the manager said “oh, have those on the house too!” What a nice man, we spent a few euros each but had no significant wins so we staggered back across the road to hotel to crash for the night. Sunday 7th May We had a good night’s sleep and went down to breakfast reasonably early this time and settled down for another hearty breakfast option. We headed back to the room, packed and then checked out, saying a cheery goodbye to the desk staff. Outside we took a premium taxi back to airport as they were already lined up. We thought it may be much more expensive for a ride in the new Mercedes but it only came to 10 euro with a tip. As we arrived at the airport it looked more like an out of town industrial unit (a bit like a small Ikea) than an airport but the airport it was all the same. We checked our bag in and took the fast track security route, not that it really made any difference at all and eventually found the lounge and settled down with some drinks and snacks. We decided to go with hair of the dog and got some shots of the local spirit again! Eventually, some of the people from the meet up joined us – but they couldn’t face any more alcohol (amateurs!) After a while we walked down to gate 2 and boarded the small turbo prop plane to Helsinki, phew what a squeeze again! We had to really get a move on again (no lounge visit in Helsinki as there just wasn’t time) but we connected with flight ok with a little time to spare. However, the plane had a punctured front tyre that had to be fixed but it was relatively quickly fixed. This time our flight from Helsinki to Heathrow was on a regular short haul plane not the wide body flat bed style plane, but it was fairly comfortable and we’d managed to snag the front row which gave us more room. The food was ok, a salmon starter, beef casserole with macaroni cheese and mashed potato then a chocolate pie. All washed down with gin and tonic, Diet Coke and coffee. There was no IFE (as expected) so we did the Times crossword to pass the time, before landing at Heathrow only a little later than planned. We only had a short wait for our bags, then a bus ride to the car park and quick journey home. All in all it was a successful trip. We enjoyed Tallin, but felt we saw everything we wanted to in the time we had. If we were to go back I think we’d go for longer and travel a bit further afield. __________________ http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sign...igpic534_1.gif 1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon 1989 ~ Off site 1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe 1999 ~ Off site 2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti) 2003 ~ WL & HRH 2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary 2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay 2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF 2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL 2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL 2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL Edited at 10:42 PM.