The Scrap Heap

There’s something about ports, boats, and lighthouses that draws me in like a moth to a flame. It’s horrifically ironic considering I have these vivid memories of days-long seasickness off the coast of Maui from a snorkelling adventure gone awry when I was eighteen. It sincerely taints my lifelong aspirations of sailing.

Every time I step onto a boat I’m convinced something will go wrong, but I’m determined to overcome it.

Maybe I just need more experience.

This is, partially, how I ended up running onto a ferry a little before seven in the morning eight of my colleagues. We, along with a fair amount of Finns on holiday, were taking the weekend migration across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia.

I affectionately called this cruise ship-type ocean liner “the party bus”. With several decks, a full club, a karaoke bar, multiple cafés, bars on both the forward and aft decks on multiple levels, and slot machines, this 82km journey over the bay was anything but the rickety sloop ferries I was used to.

I’d pocketed some nausea medication anyway because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stomache the sea journey, but there was nothing for me to worry about. It was less noticeable than flying, so long as I didn’t look anywhere outside.

Because it was so early, we planted ourselves on deck six and ordered from the coffeehouse. Having spent a few weeks in Helsinki, we all knew a little Finnish, at least enough to be congenial.

Finnish is really hard, one of the hardest languages in Europe to learn, but you if you can learn “Moi”/”Moiika”/”Hei” and “Kiitos”/”kiitokset”/”kiitos paljon” then you’ve already gotten a leg up on most visitors to the region. That’s hello and thank you. Add in “joo” for yes and “ei” for no, and you’re on well on your way to getting around.

Turns out, that’s almost all you need. Most Finns speak English, and a surprising amount also speak Spanish, at least the ones that I met.

We had almost no trouble wherever we went and could always find a middle ground. Of course, we stayed in pretty urban areas, and only struggled a handful of times. Between all the groups of folks I was with, there was usually someone who knew some language that could get us through the conversation.

You get enough folks together in Europe, and it’s like the Tower of Babbel. We will figure it out, just give us a minute.

Anyway, we all grab some coffees and I convince all these folks from the States that we’re going to sit for coffee and enjoy ourselves. There’s nowhere to be and nothing to worry about. We had two and a half hours. That’s just enough time to properly wake up with a solid morning visit.

We land in Estonia and it is hotter than it should be in the Baltics in May. 28 degrees, humid, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and I’m wearing a jacket because of how strong the wind was on the ferry.

Wind-blown and tired, I pull out a backpack and bundle up my jacket. Off we set into the city.

tallinn, old town

Tallinn dates back to the 13th century, founded somewhere around 1219ish by the knights of the Teutonic Order.

I brought my colleagues here because Helsinki, while being old and built on history, had very little to no pieces of that old Europe cobblestone feel.

I felt that there was no Europe trip without experiecning the medieval side of Europe, so we set out to find the tallest steeple or the oldest thing we could. It was a necessity.

The minute we hit cobblestone, it was like we struck gold, and I felt at home.

Living in southern Spain for the past few years, I’m always surrounded by ancient history. I adore cobblestones and believe all roads lead to the next church or cathedral somewhere in the middle of town.

I told my colleagues with all confidence that if we follow the road, we’ll eventually find the middle of town somewhere on a big square and there will undoubtedly be a church or a map or something, and from there we can base all of our adventures.

Lo and behold, I was right.

Unfortunately, because it was still May and tourist season hadn’t officially started yet, most things were still closed, including tours of the central church area.

Not to fear, we still managed to snap some great shots in the central square, including several in these swinging chairs where it felt like the sun was baking us like cookies on a baking stone.

eating estonian

We split off into smaller groups for lunch. Off the main square are several restaurants with hawkers standing just outside of their shaded tents complete with menus in many languages and ushering you inside.

Is that authentic food? Of course not. It’s meant for tourists and will cost you more than you need to spend.

But keep in mind, I was with first-time travellers to Europe who didn’t know any better and had not walked all day on cobblestone before. They were tired, hot, and hungry.

We were prime targets for tourist traps, and I personally don’t mind them very much. Some of the more famous restaurants around Tallinn include Rataskaevu 16, Pegasus, III Draakon, Olde Hansa, and Peppersack.

Did we eat at any of those places? No. A few were too crowded. Rataskaevu 16 you have to book out in advance, Pegasus you have to get there super early, III Draakon you eat with your hands, Peppersack was crowded, and we couldn’t find Olde Hansa.

That is true-to-life experience, and we grew tired of looking, so we ate off the main square with the first menu that looked good.

During lunch, the temperature continued to rise, but we were unfazed and our spirits remained high.

In the early afternoon, we ventured to one of the most famous candy stores, Kalev. Here, we were able to purchase as much toffee and sweets as we liked for very little money. Personally, I purchased six bags of sampler candy for under 5€. Like a good partner, I purchased at least two of everything in the store and then several handfuls of toffee.

To this day, I regret not buying more and stuffing my entire backpack full of toffee until I couldn’t fit anymore. It was a mistake to be so stingy with it and I should’ve filled my entire backpack.

After the candy store, we all took a break and purchased frozen pistachio pops, which has become my favorite flavor of ice cream.

By then, we were all looking for somewhere to relax and a break from the crowds. We had a few more hours to kill, but no ideas on what to do.

I convinced most everyone that we should find the nearest museum. So we all met back up and headed out into the heat to find the actual gold during a European summer: centralized A/C.

maritime museum at fat margaret

Eesti Meremuuseum, the Estonian Maritime Museum, is hosted on two different sites, one of which is inside the tower affectionately dubbed Fat Margaret.

Our ferry back to Helsinki left at 5:30pm, and we didn’t wish to miss it, so we trekked up to the castle and popped into this museum as our last stop.

Little did we know it would be the best part of our trip, at least for me.

Tallinn has been a part of the shipping world for a very, very long time. Its history as a port is essential to understanding its place in the world.

One of the most interesting parts of this portion of the museum at Fat Margaret is in the recovery of two 14th century cogs that were discovered in a construction site in 2015.

These two medieval ships, discovered with hundreds of intact artefacts in and around them, form a large part of the museum’s historic collection. Over 100,000 pieces now form the permanent collection, many of which are intricately preserved and provide a window into life during the 1300s.

Items include pots, dishes, coins, weapons, and even softer materials such as this shoe with intricately cut detailing.

Five stories of artefacts and mini replicas of ships surrounded us as we walked through exhibit after exhibit with the full intact hull of the cog suspended above our heads.

Never in my life had I seen such an incredible piece of maritime history. We were provided more than a 360 view of it from both above, below, and along either side as the museum was built entirely around it with exhibits talking about the people who might have been on it.

If you ever receive the chance to visit Tallinn, this is the place to go.

so, where to next?

That evening on the party bus cruise back to Helsinki, I sat with a limoncello spritz on the aft deck watching the horizon line completely disappear.

The sky became the sea, and the sea became the sky.

I wondered what it was like for those sailors 700 years ago, and if they saw the water much like I did now.

The Gulf of Finland is cold year-round, and it would’ve been even colder for them, averaging at 0 degrees Celsius but perhaps 2-3 degrees at the surface. This is a little above freezing at all times.

Would they have been scared to sail this way? Or would they have chased that horizon anyway?

It’s hard to say. All I know is, it was an adventure I’m not soon to forget, and I cannot wait for the next one.