Sunday, August 25, 2024
After breakfast and checking-out this morning, Jeff and I joined a van that included English and Spanish speaking tourists and guides. We all had selected the optional excursion to Lahemaa National Park before boarding the Tallinn to Helsinki ferry.
Our first stop along the way to the park was Jagala Falls, the largest natural waterfall in Estonia, 160 ft. wide and 26 ft. tall. We walked from the van to an overview of the falls, then took a short trail to view the falls from below.
—— Jagala Falls ——
Lahemaa (Land of Bays) National Park is located about 45 miles east of Tallinn covering 185 acres of forested land along the coast of the Gulf of Finland. During our tour, we visited three manors and one small fishing village in the park.
We started at the Palmse Manor. This manor was constructed by a wealthy Baltic German family in 1697 and renovated in the 1780s. We were allowed to wonder through the house interior and estate grounds. Additional buildings located on the estate grounds included a distillery, brewery, greenhouse, and barn. The estate stable and coach house had been converted into a national park visitors center with displays about local flora and fauna.
—— Palmse Manor ——
We then proceeded to the rococo-style Sagadi Manor, built in the 1750s and renovated in the late 20th century. This was a brief stop where we did not enter the manor house but were allowed time to walk around and enjoy the well-landscaped grounds.
—— Sagadi Manor ——
Our last manor stop was at the Vihula Manor. This manor was established by an aristocratic Baltic German family in the early 1500s but the current manor house was rebuilt in 1892 with a Neo-Renaissance style following a fire. Presently, the manor house serves as a country hotel resort with spa. In the past, there had been an operational vodka distillery on the manor and one of the outbuildings currently houses a Vodka Museum that we visited. Inside, we learned about the history of spirits and vodka production and the development of vodka production in Estonia including at the manor. Hundreds of bottles of different vodkas from around the world were on dispaly. After the museum, we had free time to wander around the beautiful estate grounds before reboarding the van to ride to our next stop.
—— Vihula Manor and Vodka Museum ——
Our last stop in Lahemaa National Park included a walk to a typical seaside fishing village on a peninsula. This village, named Altja, was a nice change of pace from manor-viewing and an opportunity to appreciate nature. I became engrossed in watching a lot of active water fowl along the coast when I suddenly realized that my group had already departed on the hike back to the van. I scurried back and caught the group just as they were boarding the van.
—— Altja Fishing Village ——
On the drive back to Tallinn from Lahemaa National Park, we made one final stop at Kiiu Tower, touted as the smallest Baltic castle. This solitary tower was constructed for defense during the 15th century. We were able to climb the short tower and view the interior living quarters complete with furniture. After this quick stop, we were driven directly to the Tallinn Ferry Terminal.
—— Kiiu Tower ——
At the terminal, we followed our guide, Alexander, who is multi-lingual (six languages). I was overwhelmed by the proficiency with which he switched back and forth from English to Spanish. Even more impressively, he had been guiding the Italian-speaking group during most of the Baltic states tour. Alexander purchased and distributed our group’s tickets to Helsinki and then led us to the boarding gate.
Once onboard, Jeff and I went to an upper deck, claimed a window table, and were enjoying beers when several women from our group spotted us. Most of the seats on this deck were full so we invited then to join us. The 2.5-hour long trip was pleasant and we took turns switching off from watching luggage to exploring the large ship. Following Alexander’s advice, we all gathered near the departure gate on the second level 15 mintues before docking. Thus, we were some of the first passengers to disembark. We followed Alexander to a waiting bus that drove our group to our hotel in downtown Helsinki.
—— Ferry Ride & Helsinki Terminal ——
In Helsinki, we abandoned the Radisson Blu theme and checked into the GLO Hotel Art. The lobby building was impressive. It was built as a castle in 1903 with an Art Nouveau flair. I was too exhausted for photography as we checked in but hope to get some good pictures tomorrow. Our rooms were in a more conventional attached building. With luggage in tow, Jeff and I followed signs through a maize of halls and an elevator to find our rooms which were across the hall from each other at the end of a hallway.
After freshening up, Jeff and I sought to find a place for dinner. In the lobby we meet a couple of women from our group that joined us. We followed directions of the hotel staff to an area with many dining options. We had been told that many Finnish restaurants were closed on Sunday evenings. The first couple that we tried did not have room because their local patrons had reserved all the available tables. Hungry and discouraged, we finally were able to be seated at a restuarnat named Manhattan Steakhouse. This actually turned out to be a great choice as the menu selection was good (even for a pescatarian) and the food good. Ironically, one of our dining colleagues was from New York. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and turned in for the evening.
—— Our First Dining Venue in Helsinki ——
