Linda Line Catamaran--Our Boat to Tallinn

Sunday afternoon we drove to the Helsinki harbor and traveled the 80k across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia in 1 1/2 hours. As temple missionaries, we have Mondays free and can travel anywhere within the temple district which stretches from Siberia to the Baltic States and Finland. We strolled around Tallinn Sunday evening, had dinner, and stopped by an outdoor rock concert for a veryshort while and then stayed overnight at the Scandic Palace. (Next time we will make sure the hotel is air-conditioned before making reservations.) We spent Monday walking in the Old Town shopping and looking at historical sites--stopped to eat lunch and enjoy the sun at an outdoor cafe. A young Russian-Estonian we know from the temple dropped by the cafe to visit with us for a little while and accompanied us for about a half hour as we explored some of the city. It was a unique experience. The city seems to not have suffered from World War II bombings as much as other places we've been. Our tour book says: The contrast between modern Helsinki and the turrets and spires of Tallinn's compact medieval Old Town is like chalk and cheese. We had a wonderful time there and recommend it to all who are tempted to visit. If you can avoid it, don't go on Mondays though.