Travels with Spaniels: Disappointment at the dog park, an unexpected marathon and playing chicken with the LPG

I have to admit that we are not early risers on this trip. A leisurely hot drink and biscuits in bed are an essential start to the day, even if one of us has to get up to let Max out. His bladder is not as strong as Elsa's. However we had an early start for our last morning in Finland, having booked the 0900 ferry to Tallinn. The plan had been to get up at 0630 and take the dogs up to the nearby dog park (see post passim) to give them a good game of ball before we boarded.

Possibly a metaphor of some sort

Our plans were foiled by a late-rising municipal employee who had failed to turn up to unlock the gate to the dog park at the advertised hour of 0700. Accordingly we returned to the car park, passing the statue of a naked male figure urinating on the ground. Apparently this is Helsinki's so called 'Bad Boy" by local artist Tommy Toija. Presumably it appeals to some sort of Finnish humour which has, alas, escaped me.

Undaunted we checked in on the quay in time to board the Finlandia for the two hour trip to Tallinn. We leave the spaniels in the van on the car deck for these sorts of trips. We think they are happier in their own surroundings and ferries in this part of the word are not particularly dog friendly unless you book a kennel or a separate cabin. The ship's main purpose at that time on a Sunday morning seemed to be to offer the opportunity for breakfast to the many people that were travelling with us. We decided to spend a bit of time on deck before finding a seat in the quiet portion of one of the bars.

The 16th century gate is modern by Tallinn standards

Avid readers of this blog will possibly recall that we were unable to obtain any LPG to fill up our gas cylinder in Finland. By the time we docked at Tallinn we were pretty keen to drive to the nearest fuel station with a gas pump and get topped up. Unfortunately we arrived in the Estonian capital on the day of their annual Marathon which had closed a number of major roads in the city and not provided any diversions. After trying numerous times and various routes, (I could write a thesis on roads around Tallinn housing estates) we decided to give up and parked up in a gravelled area that offered 24 hours for €2 and gave us a fine view of the sea. Fingers crossed the gas might last until morning.

They do nice doors here

We had been told that the old part of Tallinn was an architectural gem and so it proved. The various wars in Europe over the last five centuries have devastated many medieval town centres. However most of the centre of Tallinn escaped this fate, despite some bombings by Russian forces in WWII, and the streets are a delight to wander. Among the many buildings we saw were one that was described as the oldest apothecary shop in Europe. It began operating in 1422 and was run by just one family between 1582 to 1911. Among the medicaments sold over the years were burnt hedgehogs’ powder, bat powder, snakeskin potion and rhino horn powder. Today the shop is still trading although it has switched to more modern cures.

Marzipan is a local delicacy. Looks like this church

was made from the confection

We wandered the cobbled streets with the spaniels, dodging the hordes of tourists who
had disgorged from one of those giant cruise ships that blight many of the world's ports these days. It was moving to read a memorial on the war dedicated to Estonians who had died during the Russian occupation of Estonia and the subsequent years of communist rule. One cellar, in a building where the local KGB operated, was dubbed 'the room with the best view in Tallinn' because unwilling occupants 'could see Siberia from there'. Truly was the USSR the 'evil empire'. We were cheered by a plaque thanking the officers and men of the Royal Navy which had come to the aid of Estonia when it was first subsumed into the new USSR between 1918 and 1920. Unfortunately the Russians were back not many years later, and it was not until 1991 that Estonia regained its independence.

Eventually the steadily falling rain drove us back to the van where we decided that we really liked Tallinn and would therefore stay another night. After all we desperately needed some gas. The next morning we were able to drive to a local garage to top up with LPG, and popped into a supermarket next door to get some groceries. After six weeks in Scandinavia, we were delighted to be back to paying sensible prices for food and even more delighted that it was possible to buy wine in supermarkets at UK prices, rather than at inflated figures in state-controlled off-licences. Estonian supermarkets have a great range of fresh foods and sell vegetables loose at very low prices

This 1914 icebreaker was one of the maritime museum attractions

Spaniels don't mind wet weather walks

We had decided to visit the city's maritime museum (Eesti Meremuuseum) part of which is housed in a building originally constructed as a hangar for seaplanes in 1916. It has been completely renovated and boasts an amazing interactive experience, the centre of which is a 1936 submarine, one of two built for the Estonian navy at Barrow in Furness by Vickers Armstrong. Unfortunately the annexation by the USSR meant that she was transferred into the Soviet Baltic Fleet. She only survived because the Soviets wanted an example of the excellence of British submarine engineering and is now seen as an example of the pride the Estonians have in their own maritime heritage.

Tonight the weather has improved and we can look across the Gulf of Finland and watch the ferries departing. Tomorrow we will be heading east to explore one of Estonia's national parks and enjoy a country that is now finding its feet after decades of Russian domination