Despite a lifetime of taking the ferries back and forth between Stockholm and Helsinki, and forcibly becoming acquainted with Tallink, the Estonian ferry brand, after their acquisition of my beloved Silja Line, the Finnish cruiseferry brand, I had never headed south across the Gulf of Finland for a daytrip in Tallinn. Until I turned 23.
While I’m still getting over the shock of walking by a Forever 21 and feeling very far past 21 (it’s a significant difference from my younger days of being 22), turning twenty-three in Tallinn was very agreeable.
My first views of Tallinn occurred as the clouds from a few morning showers were clearing away, unveiling the Old Town’s skyline against a fresh morning sky. Then, what would become our greatest enemy for the rest of the trip, flaunting its (I cannot call it a her, that would be a cruel use of a maritime tradition for beautiful sea-bound craft) obnoxiousness from port to port appeared. What is this seafaring monstrosity? It’s a sight that can give all the horrid fictional beasts of the ocean pause. It’s the Tallink Shuttle.
There! Through the masts!
Viking Line has always been the “ketchup line,” always red and white, and graciously so. Silja Line, the supreme ferry line in terms of aesthetics with its adorable seal mascot and Finnish blue and white colors, also sails the Baltic and Gulf of Finland with a grace that makes it worthy of ship names such as “Symphony” and “Serenade.” Then there’s Tallink, the black sheep of the family, which used to just have run down looking ships, most likely secondhand from when Silja and Viking upgraded, sometimes red, sometimes blue, but now has decided to opt for the wildest paint jobs on all the seven seas. There’s the lime green and swirls shuttle. We passed one with clouds painted on it. I have nothing against the Estonians, but I have everything against Tallink. The people at St. Peter Line seem reasonable at least.
Anyway, back to Tallinn! The weather forecast firmly predicted that morning showers would continue, and indeed they did. To take cover but still take in the city until it stopped, we took one loop on the Hop On, Hop Off bus that was just a brisk walk away from the ship. We hopped off at Toompea Castle, at the top of the hill of Old Town, just after the rain ended, and began our stroll through Old Town with our end goal being Viru Keskus at the bottom of the hill, just outside the Viru Gates. The streets are small and winding, and beautiful old buildings and churches surprise you at every turn. We meandered down into the Town Hall Square, which is the main eatery (and hungry tourist) centrum, where you get recruited to sit in open air café seats almost as vigorously as in Piazza Navona. After discussing Tallinn so far over drinks and appetizers, we continued down the hill towards the main gates.
Knowing a certain lawyer who had been involved in the development of the hotel adjacent to Viru Keskus, we had to drop in for drinks and wifi for a certain dad of mine and a mother-daughter shopping extravaganza. It’s a great mall with a diverse selection of shops. Many staff members at the shops speak Finnish, some Swedish as well, and all speak English if you wish to take a little detour during your time in Tallinn.
More photos of Tallinn are in the gallery below. Birthday cheers to all of you!
Photos: Nikon D3200
anchored & adrift 
One thought on “Turning 23 in Tallinn, and a Tirade about Tallink”