Flying Buccaneer

It’s been awhile since I have started a trip report, and even longer since I finished one. As much as I enjoyed writing them, I found myself spending so much time working on them during my trips that I sometimes got stressed writing them. So I decided to wait until after the trip—like some of my favorite trip report writers do—before doing this one.

The planning of this trip dates back to March 1. I was looking for business class AAward space between TPA and PRG in December. Nothing. Then I started playing around with the search, and saw there was availability from MIA on December 23. I selected it, and it was in Finnair through HEL. Neither of us had ever been to Helsinki, so it sounded like a great option.

There was just one problem: There was no return availability in business from PRG except on BA with its excessive fuel surcharges. However, Finnair had availability from HEL on January 1, connecting on US through JFK and CLT to TPA. I put the itinerary on hold, and five days later spent 200K AAdvantage miles and $107.20 booking the two tickets.

In the 9+ months between ticketing the trip and the trip itself, there were a few more travel arrangements to make:

• Reserving a one-way rental car from Tampa to Miami, which (thankfully) did not include a drop-off fee.
• Getting one-way tickets for Mr. FB and me between PRG-HEL. I was able to use 30K Avios points + $159.88 to get two business class tickets on Finnair.
• Reserving hotels for 5 nights in Prague and 3 nights in Helsinki. The Prague part was easy: I wanted to stay near Old Town, so I used my remaining Hilton Honors points to book 5 nights at the Hilton Old Town. Helsinki was a little more complicated. I used 44K Club Carlson points to book 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Plaza (with 1 night free due, thanks to my Club Carlson Visa). For the other night, I used 12K Starpoints to get the Hotel Kamp.

So now, on to the trip!

Part 1: Driving to Miami and flying Finnair MIA-HEL-PRG
Part 2: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Prague
Part 3: Visiting Prague Castle on December 26
Part 4: Day Trip to Plzeň
Part 5: The PRG-HEL trip
Part 6: Day Trip Across the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, Estonia
Part 7: New Years Eve in Helsinki
Part 8: Flying Finnair/US HEL-JFK-CLT-TPA on New Years Day

Flying Buccaneer

MIA is not much fun to fly through, and even less fun to drive to. We woke up early on December 23, and we left home a little before 8:00 a.m. in the little Chevy Sonic we had picked up the day before. We made a detour to drop off our dog Lucy at the “pet resort” and a couple of pit stops, and we were at MIA at 12:30 p.m. After we dropped off the car, we took the people mover to the terminal and walked to Concourse F.

Hmmm, Finnair must be around here somewhere. Some signs would be helpful, but we finally found the Finnair counters after a visit to an info desk. We never would have found it on our own. There was a short wait at check in, but we were on our way to security before too long. No priority security at Concourse F, for some reason, but we made it through and were on our way to the lounge.

The agents at the Club America lounge seemed a little confused when we showed them our boarding passes. After they found a list that Finnair had provided, they checked our names off and welcomed us in. The place was deserted when we arrived, and only one other person showed up in the nearly two hours that we were there. I wouldn’t call it great by any means. The only foods available were fruit and snack mix, but there were self-service beverages. In addition, the chairs were comfortable and the wifi was fast. We had everything we needed.

Welcome to the lounge:


We had our choice of seats:


A shot of some of what was on offer in the lounge:


Boarding time came before we knew it, so we left for the gate.

Finnair 008
MIA-HEL
Scheduled Departure/Arrival: 3:55 p.m/8:45 a.m. + 1
Actual Departure/Arrival: 4:18 p.m./8:49 a.m. + 1
Airbus A340-300
Seats 1A and 1C

We got to the gate, and we waited. Boarding time (3:10 p.m.) had passed, and there were no announcements. Finally, at 3:35 p.m., I asked a gate agent how delayed we would be. She said that she would make an announcement soon. The announcement was mostly unintelligible, but we were able to hear the part that boarding would probably not start for another 20 minutes or so. I was concerned, because we only had a 50-minute connection in HEL. We walked around the gate area. Thankfully, we didn’t wander too far, because boarding started about 5 minutes after the announcement.

We were greeted on the plane by a few flight attendants and Santa Claus, and we made our way to our seats. The seating in business class alternated 2-2-1 and 1-2-1, and there were only 4 other people in our cabin. I don’t know if there was anyone in the mini-business cabin behind the entry door, but it was a light load either way. As a result, the service was incredible. There were two male FAs who were frequently assisted by a female FA.

The business cabin:


Pre-departure champagne:


Plenty of space for my 6’5” legs:


The door closed at 4:12 p.m., and we pushed back a bit after that. After taxi, we took off to the east and were on our way. We had ordered our meals through Finnair’s website, so we knew what we were getting. I chose Option 1, and Mr. FB chose Option 2.

The menu:


The amuse bouche and beer from Finland:


The vitello tonnato:


My roasted salmon:


Mr. FB’s beef:


Ordering fish on a flight might be like playing Russian roulette, but I was happy with it. It was not overcooked, and the vegetable sides had a great flavor. Mr. FB gave a thumbs up to his choice as well. When dessert came around, we each chose the ice cream, and the FA suggested we share a plate of petit fours as well. We didn’t resist the temptation:



After dinner, Mr. FB moved to seat 2A. I did a little work before putting my seat into the bed position:



and sleeping for nearly 7 hours. I woke just before the FAs came around with a huge breakfast (considering that I felt like I had just eaten dinner) of a cheese omelet, bacon, potato pancake, fruit, yogurt, and a croissant.

After the trays were cleared, it was almost time to make our descent into HEL. (Sorry, I couldn’t help that.) Helsinki (Vantaa, to be specific) looked cold from Seat 1A:





In spite of our late departure, we arrived only 4 minutes past schedule. I had been concerned about whether we would have time to make our 50-minute connection, especially if there were any delays. I needn’t have worried; we pulled up to gate 38, and 15 minutes later we were at our departure gate for Prague. Passengers arriving on flights from the US don’t require further security at HEL (at least ours didn’t), so immigration was our only stop.

Finnair 2715 (operated by FlyBE)
HEL-PRG
Scheduled Departure/Arrival: 9:35 a.m/10:45 a.m.
Actual Departure/Arrival: 9:29 a.m./10:45 a.m.
Embraer E-190
Seats 1A and 1C

Going from an A340 to an E-190, my expectations were low. For an intra-Europe flight on a regional jet, it was a pleasant experience. Even though the seats were the same throughout the plane, being in row 1 gave us some extra legroom:



We pushed back from the gate a little early, but the plane needed to be de-iced before we could take off.

At the gate:


Taxiing to de-ice:


Once airborne, we were served a breakfast. I was still stuffed from my first breakfast. Come to think of it, the two breakfasts were almost identical, with sausage on this one instead of bacon.



Most of the flight path took us over clouds, but I was able to get some nice shots as we descended into Prague, including this one:



We landed in Prague on time, and after making our way through immigration, getting our bags, and clearing customs, we met our driver from Prague Airport Shuttle and were on our way into the city.

ND76

Good so far; I was in both Prague and Pilsen in September, so I'll be looking forward to your commentary and pictures about both places.

Flying Buccaneer

Prague is one of my favorite cities in the world, but this was my first trip there since 2010. In fact, it was my first trip there without students since 2006 when Mr. FB and I visited for the first time. On that trip, we used Prague Airport Shuttle and were happy with their service. Therefore, we reserved a ride with them again this trip. As it turns out, our driver this time was the head of the company. Because Christmas Eve is a bigger deal in the Czech Republic than Christmas Day, he gave most of his employees the day off. We had a great conversation with him on the way to the hotel. The lack of traffic made it a relatively quick ride.

I had never stayed at the Hilton Old Town. Our first trip to Prague, we had stayed at the Marriott across the street, and on my 2010 trip with students we stayed at the Ibis around the corner. For my money, this area near the Náměstí Republiky metro station is the best place to stay in Prague. It’s a short walk to Old Town, it’s close to a lot of restaurants (that are more reasonable than the ones in Old Town), and it’s next to a huge shopping center.

Even though there were a few people in front of us at check-in, the wait was short. The young lady checking us in was very friendly, and she told me that, because of my Gold status, we had been upgraded to the Executive Level. I was a Hilton Diamond from 2007 – 2011, but I had not stayed at a Hilton in over a year. I had the Gold status through a promotion, and the points I used for the stay were points that I had allowed to expire. Thankfully, Hilton customer service restored them as a one-time courtesy.

We were assigned Room 835, which faced V Celnici. However, we were high enough that there was no noise. Our view was actually into rooms of the Marriott. The room was not huge, but it was comfortable. After freshening up a little, we walked to Old Town and saw that the Christmas Market was in full force:









The stalls were not only selling Christmas decorations, but also had foods such as grilled cheese on bread, sausages, roasted ham, candies, pastries, and all sorts of alcoholic beverages. We snacked on some of these items and enjoyed some fish soup from a stall that was giving it away.

The square was mobbed, so we decided to walk to the Charles Bridge… as if it wouldn’t be mobbed too? Of course, it was:



Regardless, there’s no better place to get pictures of Prague Castle:



After dealing with the human traffic jam on the bridge, we decided to find a place where we could enjoy our favorite Czech treat: beer! We went to one of the overpriced cafes on the square so that we could enjoy a couple of Pilsner Urquells with a view of the crowd.

Before doing anything else on Christmas Eve, we relaxed a bit in our room. When it was time to go back out, we stopped by the Executive Lounge. Until 6:00 p.m., there were just soft drinks, water, coffee, tea, chips, and nuts available. After 6:00 p.m., there was an open bar, and a little after that, more substantial snacks were available. The place got crowded in a hurry.

Out of the hotel, we walked through Old Town again. Most of the stalls in the Christmas market were either closed or closing, so we went back to the Charles Bridge for a nighttime photo of the castle:



Even though there were still quite a few people on the bridge, crossing it was much easier than it would have been during the afternoon. The view looking toward Malá Strana was beautiful:



We were ready for dinner, but not quite sure where to go. Walking back through the square, almost all of the stalls were closed (except for a few of the food stalls), but there were still quite a few people around. It was an excellent Christmas Eve environment:





We continued our walk back to the hotel, popping into some random places along Celetná that were still open to browse. To the left, I saw a restaurant through a passageway and decided to check it out. It was a place called U Templářů. Even though it was 41 degrees Fahrenheit and all of the seating was outdoors, there were heat lamps set up. We gave it a try, starting with a couple of Budvars, the real Budweiser:



I had the roast pork with bread dumplings and cabbage (sauerkraut), and Mr. FB had the Pasta Bolognese. The food and beer were fine, though the service was somewhat slow. We were in no hurry to get anywhere, though. After we paid the bill (which included an annoying couvert of 40Kč) we headed back to the hotel and turned in for the evening.


Christmas Day

We slept past 8:00 a.m. and went to breakfast in the lounge. At check-in, we were told that we could have our breakfast in the lounge or restaurant. The lounge was much more convenient. There was a nice variety of breads and pastries, meats and cheeses, fruits, yogurts, cereals, and a few hot items like scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, and potatoes. Even though the place wasn’t crowded, the set up made it difficult to access certain items even if there was only one other person in the u-shaped area.

After breakfast, we got ready to go out. We decided that Christmas might be the best time to visit the Jewish Quarter. Things would be closing early there the next day (Friday), closed on Saturday, and probably crowded on Sunday. As it turned out, Thursday/Christmas was pretty crowded too. Still, we visited all of the synagogues, except the one that was closed (Maisel, I think):

Klausen Synagogue


Old Jewish Cemetery


Staronova (Old-New) Synagogue


Taking pictures wasn’t allowed inside any of the synagogues, but each had a story to tell, from the simple but historic interior of Staronova Synagogue, to the Pinkas Synagogue with its stirring memorial to the Czech Jews killed during the Holocaust, to the exhibits in the Spanish Synagogue.

The time flew, and it was nearly 2:00 p.m. when we left. It was time to eat, but lunch options were limited on Christmas day. We first tried Vkolkovne, which had quite a few open tables. However, the only seating we were offered was in the bar area. No thanks. (Incidentally, this was the second time—the first being 2007—that I was only offered bar seating at this restaurant when many tables were available.) We decided to walk back toward Old Town to see what we could find on the way. Next we tried Kafka Snob Food, just because we liked the name. All the tables were occupied, and no one was waiting. However, a waitress came over and said “Full!” I told her we would wait, and she said “No, full!” Maybe there was a language barrier, but we left.

We had resigned ourselves to having to eat in the square, when we came upon a place with a Pilsner Urquell sign out front. It was called Pivnice U Pivrnce, and it looked like there was a line. However, it was actually someone using the ATM at the door and her entourage crowded around her. We walked past them, and the fellow behind the bar pointed us to a table. As soon as we were seated, he came over with menus. There was a special Christmas menu that included fried carp and potato salad (the traditional Czech Christmas Eve dinner), but we ordered off the regular menu. I wanted a cold beer, but after a day in the cold, I also wanted something to warm me up. I got a Pilsner Urquell, bowl of garlic soup, and goulash with bread dumplings.

Lunch for two with beers and a tip came to less than US$30, maybe a bit more than it would have been outside of central Prague but a lot less than it would have been a block away in the square.

Beer, garlic soup, and onion soup


Goulash and bread dumplings


We were nice and relaxed after our late lunch, and we walked back to the square. The place was really full of life, even more than the day before:



We walked around some, sharing a trdelník along the way:



and stopped for a warm beverage at Starbucks.

Next we walked over to Wenceslas Square, which had a Christmas Market of its own. It wasn’t as large as the one in the square, but it still had quite a crowd.

Wenceslas Square


Nativity Scene and Christmas Tree


Christmas Market


We walked back to the hotel to relax some. Because we had a late lunch, we just had snacks and beers in the lounge. The place was packed, and it had the atmosphere of a day care center. Kids were running around everywhere. We decided to go next door to La Gare for dessert rather than wait for the lounge offerings. It was a good decision!

Back at the hotel, we turned in for the night and prepared for Friday’s adventure: Prague Castle.

Flying Buccaneer

After breakfast in the lounge, we got ready for our visit to the castle. The first time we visited Prague Castle, it had snowed the day before. We were hoping for a snowy visit again this time, and the day got off to a promising start. It was snowing as we walked to the tram stop. While we waited for Tram #5, the snow got heavier. We boarded the tram. However, by the time we arrived at Malostranská to transfer to Tram #22, the snow had stopped. Maybe next time.

Taking the tram to the castle is the best way to get there. The other alternatives are taxi or taking the metro to Malostranská and walking up the hill. With a day ticket on Prague’s public transport costing 110Kč (about US$5), it’s a bargain.

The tram to the castle arrived, and it was packed. Somehow, we found space and made the 5-minute trip to the Pražský Hrad stop. We made the short walk to the castle, and we were greeted by a guard:



First order of business: Buy tickets. There are a few options that are listed at various places outside and inside the ticket office as well as online. With the long lines to buy tickets, there should be no confusion once one gets to the front of the line. The reason I mention this is because our 30-minute wait was a 30-minute wait primarily because of a foursome (from the US, unfortunately) who spent ten minutes at the front of the line—I’m not exaggerating—asking questions that were clearly answered by the signs in the waiting area. Then another couple (also fellow Americans) spent 5 minutes asking questions about changing of the guard, how long lines were at various areas of the castle, etc. It was frustrating, but what are you going to do?

We purchased tickets for Circuit B, which included St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower, and we made a beeline for St. Vitus. The line wrapped around the building, but we made it inside in less than 20 minutes. While it looked crowded inside



many of the people had not purchased tickets for the cathedral and were only taking a look around. A few—OK, more than a few—pictures from inside:

New Archbishop’s Chapel


St. Anne’s Chapel


Old Archbishop’s Chapel


Tomb of St. Vitus


Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk


St. Wenceslas Chapel


Mosaic in St. Ludmilla’s Chapel


View of the Nave looking toward the High Altar


After we left the cathedral, we walked to the Basilica of St. George, but we took some pictures of St. Vitus on the way:







Soon we were at the basilica, which was not as grand as St. Vitus Cathedral, but was still pretty darned impressive:



Next, we backtracked to the Royal Palace. This was the only place where I was hassled about taking photos. Repeatedly, someone would come up to me and say, “Sir, you cannot take a photo here,” I would show the photo license I had purchased for 50Kč, and all would be OK. Therefore, please understand that all of these pictures were taken under duress!

View of Prague through the Defenestration Window


Vladislav Hall


Me trying to be artsy


Crown of St. Wenceslas


All that was left was to stroll down Golden Lane and visit the shops that lined it:



We had done quite a bit of walking, and we still needed to walk down the hill. We weren’t quite sure what we wanted to do next. Going to Nový Smíchov Shopping Centre seemed like a good idea. We didn’t want to walk all the way there, nor did we want to figure out which tram would take us there, so we took the metro to Mustek station and connected to Anděl. It was probably a bit out of the way, but it was also probably be fastest way to get there.

There was a lot of activity in the area, but almost all of the stores in Nový Smíchov were closed. Thankfully, Tesco was open, so we bought snacks—including different cheeses and breads—and some beer to drink or bring home. Half liter bottles of Pilsner Urquell and Budvar were dirt cheap, less than US$1.

Getting back to Náměstí Republiky was easy on Line B. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was 6:00 p.m., so we went to the lounge. Unfortunately, the lounge was even more like a daycare center than it was the evening before. Kids were running around and crawling on tables, and every table was occupied. I never understand why people allow their children to run wild in lounges or restaurants, but it seems to be a problem of epidemic proportions. We grabbed a couple of beers and retreated to our room to enjoy them with our bread, cheese, and grapes.

After a short evening walk, we called it a night and rested up for an early departure to Plzeň on Saturday morning.

Flying Buccaneer

We woke up very early on Saturday so that we could catch the 9:14 a.m. train to Plzeň. What’s in Plzeň, you ask? Only the best beer (in my opinion) to be had anywhere. Pilsner Urquell is my favorite Czech beer, but the brewery in Plzeň brews an unfiltered, unpasteurized version that puts the regular version to shame. I had been on the tour four times, but this would be Mr. FB’s first trip to Plzeň and first tour of the brewery.

The walk from our hotel to Prague’s main train station (hlavní nádraží) took less than 15 minutes. We bought our tickets—two first class day return tickets were 880Kč (about US$40)—and looked around the station until we knew which platform was ours. We went upstairs to the old part of the station and admired the dome:



Before long, it was time to go to the platform and wait for our train to Plzeň, the Franz Kafka. We checked out this train on the opposite platform and were grateful that we would be on a Eurocity train:



When the train arrived, we boarded one of the first class cars and found two seats facing each other that weren’t reserved. The train’s final destination was Munich, and most of the seats in the car were reserved by passengers headed there. The train was running a little late, but the 90-minute journey was pleasant. One of the attendants came through offering bottled water, and another took orders for beverages.

We arrived in Plzeň around 11:00 a.m., and I got this shot of our train:



It took us a little time to orient ourselves, but we figured out (with the help of Google maps) how to walk to the brewery. The first tour in English was at 12:30 p.m., so we bought tickets. Hmmm, a little over an hour to kill. What should we do? How about a beer?

We got a table at Na Splice, the brewery’s restaurant. I decided to start slowly with a .3l mug of beer:



Note the beer was a little more an US$1. Because the tour would not end until after 2:00 p.m., we thought it was a good idea to have a snack with our beer. Mr. FB had cheese with a pretzel, while I had hearty bean soup:



This tided us over nicely until the end of the tour. I had been on the tour during each of my prior trips to Plzeň, so I knew what to expect. It’s a combination of history of beer in Plzeň, explanation of how beer is made and what makes Pilsner Urquell different, and opportunity to try what’s basically a microbrew version of the beer. Here are a few pictures from the tour:

The bottling area


View of the water tower


The old copper holding pots


The underground tunnels where the beer was kept cool


Beer fermenting in the barrels


Everyone’s favorite part of the tour


Na zdraví!


After the tour, we were happy but hungry, so we walked into the city center for lunch. We took a path that would lead us across the Radbuza River and by the fotbol stadium. By the way, it was a frosty day in Plzeň. I mention that because the bridge across the river was frosty, and Mr. FB slipped as we were crossing it. His knee hit the metal bridge, and he was a little gimpy after that. Therefore, I have to give him credit for toughing it out the rest of the day (and the rest of the trip).

Our first stop after the brewery was U Mansfelda restaurant, a place I had visited in 2010. It had all sorts of traditional Czech dishes and beer. Then we walked to Plzeň’s Náměstí Republiky and visited the Christmas Market as well as St. Bartholemew’s Church:





We then walked a couple of blocks out of the square to the Great Synagogue:



The Great Synagogue is no longer used as a synagogue, but it is the second largest synagogue in Europe. We were not able to go inside, but it is quite an impressive sight.

Before walking back to the train, we looked around the Christmas Markets a bit more and I enjoyed a nice warm svařák:



We made it back to the train station in time to catch the 17:08 train to Prague—the Karel Čapek. Back in Prague, we walked to Wenceslas Square and did a little souvenir shopping before having dinner near the hotel. After a long day, we were ready to relax.

Flying Buccaneer

We took Sunday easy. Mr. FB’s knee was hurting after the fall in Plzeň the day before. We met up with a friend who lives in Prague for coffee that afternoon, and stuck mostly close to the hotel the entire day.

Monday, December 29

We got to the lounge just as it opened and had breakfast. Overall, our experience at the Hilton Old Town was positive. The lounge issues—people camping out at tables and not controlling kids—were not really things we could blame on the hotel. The only really bad thing I can say about the hotel is that the wifi was borderline unusable. When speed tests actually worked, download speeds were almost always well below 1 Mbps. My roaming data plan was much faster. In an era when so many people need to be connected, it’s really inexcusable. The location trumped everything, though.

Between breakfast and a little after 8:30 a.m., an inch of snow had fallen on Prague, and it was still coming down. We checked out and, rather than wait in the packed lobby, waited outside:



Our Prague Airport Shuttle pickup wasn’t due until 9:00 a.m., so it was a nice surprise when our driver walked over a few minutes after we went outside to ask if one of us was the person whose name was on her sign. In fact, I was! We loaded her car, and we were off to the airport. We made it to the airport at 9:20 a.m., a little more than 2 hours before our flight:

Finnair 2716 (operated by FlyBE)
PRG-HEL
Scheduled Departure/Arrival: 11:25 a.m/2:40 p.m.
Actual Departure/Arrival: 11:32 a.m./3:35 p.m.
Embraer E-190
Seats 1A and 1C

Because we were at the airport a little more than 2 hours before our flight, the flight status boards didn’t show where we checked in. They still didn’t at 9:25; they just said “KIOSK” next to the Helsinki departure. So we asked at the info desk, and found out where to go. Once we got to the Finnair counters, check-in was quick. Using twice the Avios points for business class tickets on a regional jet might not have seemed like a good use of points to some, but it worked for me. (By the way, the departure boards still didn't give check-in counters for our flight.)

After immigration (which was very quick) and security (which wasn’t too bad), we walked to the Menzies lounge. While it might not have been a true premium lounge, it had plenty of beverage and packaged food options:

Beer fridge


Liquor “cabinet”


Czech wine “cellar”


Packaged snacks


Our flight was scheduled to board at 10:50 a.m., so we left the lounge at 10:40 a.m. We got to the gate and waited before boarding actually started. There was no priority boarding; everyone boarded at once.

We got on the plane, and there was one row of business class. In fact, the FA who was at the front told us that we were the only two pax in business, so each of us could have two seats to ourselves. That made it more of a true business class experience, so using twice the Avios seemed to be a smart move.

Another thing that made it worthwhile was our FA. She was incredibly attentive. An example: After boarding and before the door closed, the four pax in row 2 got into a very loud conversation. Mr. FB already had his headphones on, but I didn’t. Our FA brought me a pair of earplugs and said, “In case you need these.” It was a small, but thoughtful, touch. It just got better from there.

We pushed back at 11:32 a.m., but it would be awhile before we took off. Because of the snow, we needed to deice. There was a wait, and the deicing facility seemed to be a portable one. In fact, I felt pretty badly for the guy who was doing the deicing. I don’t think he was wearing enough protection, and the stuff was blowing back on him:



While we waited, our FA gave us menu cards. Again, keep in mind that it’s just Mr. FB and I in the cabin, but she did everything she could to make it a business class experience:





After our plane was sufficiently deiced, we taxied out to the runway and finally took off at 12:24 p.m. After the seat belt sign was turned off, our FA served lunch:



and drinks:



The food was actually well prepared. The chicken breast was a real breast, not an extruded patty of white meat. The tomatoes were especially well seasoned. It wasn’t gourmet by any means, but I would rank it above any domestic US first class meal. (I know, not that high a bar.)

The rest of the flight was pretty non eventful. I spent most of it reading travel guides and looking out the window. I got a picture of what I think was where Poland, Lithuania, and that little non-contiguous part of Russia meet:



A little before landing, it was almost time for sunset in Finland:



We landed about an hour late, but no biggie. We had no plans for the evening. However, we landed at a remote gate and had to get on a bus. Did I mention that it was cold outside? One degree Fahrenheit! Loading the bus took a long time, but the ride was short. Besides, bags weren’t out yet, and (like I said) we had no plans for the evening. We just hoped to make the 4:00 p.m. Finnair bus into the city.

Before too long, our bags came out and we walked to an info counter to ask where to catch the Finnair bus. The friendly young lady told us where to catch the bus and sold us tickets (€6.30 each). Considering that taxis from the airport to the city are €40 – 50, this was an easy choice for us. Without big bags, city bus 615 would have been an even better choice.

We missed the 4:00 p.m. bus, meaning that we would have to wait outside for about 15-20 minutes. By now, the temperature had fallen to 0 (again, not Celsius), so the wait was not pleasant. We were about 10th in line, and the line behind us was getting longer. A foursome tried to cut in front of us, but we stopped that. When the bus arrived, I instructed Mr. FB to board and get seats while I put our bags in the cargo area. Once I got on the bus, things got better. It was warm, there was wifi, we had good legroom, and we would be on our way soon.

We made it to the main train station around 5:00 p.m. By now, it was completely dark, but it’s not like we were in the middle of nowhere. Once again, we used Google maps to orient ourselves, and started the walk to the Hotel Kamp. Taking big bags through icy streets is not easy, but we made it without any issues.

Check-in was friendly, and I took the continental breakfast instead of the points for my Platinum amenity. We were upgraded to a Junior Park Suite, which sounded great. It was.















By this time, I was regretting not spending all three of our nights in Helsinki at the Hotel Kamp. However, the Radisson Blu Plaza was a much better value on points for the next two nights than the Kamp.

After we shed our bags, we did a little exploring and got dinner. Once again, we had a long day coming up and needed a good night’s sleep, so we called it a night very early. The temp had fallen to -4F, but Weather Underground promised the temperature would be 28F by 6:00 a.m.: a 32-degree warmup overnight? Really?

uclabruin82

Hopefully you had some time to enjoy the spa and the bar at hotel Kamp! Two of our highlights from a 1-night stay there a few years ago.

Flying Buccaneer

I really wanted to visit the spa, but our time was so short. Helsinki turned out to be a lot more interesting than I thought it would be, so I am sure I will get the chance someday!

Flying Buccaneer

After doing some research for our trip, we agreed that one full day would be enough for Helsinki. Therefore, we decided that we should spend one of our days in Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn was intriguing to us because neither of us had ever been to Estonia, or any of the former Soviet republics, for that matter. Also, Mr. FB’s parents had taken a Baltic cruise a few years ago, and they both enjoyed their time there. So a few weeks before our trip started, we booked a day trip on the Tallink Silja line, leaving Helsinki at 10:30 a.m. and arriving in Tallinn at 12:30 p.m. Our return would leave Tallinn at 5:30 p.m. and get to Helsinki at 7:30 p.m.

Next there was the matter of booking class. Regular tickets would have us seated wherever we could find seats. For another €20 each, each way, we could get “Comfort Class,” which included wifi, soft drinks, light snacks (i.e., nuts, cookies, veggies, etc.). More important, there was a special seating area. There was also a Business Class that included a buffet meal and alcoholic beverages, but we didn’t think that was worth another €60 each, each way.

There was also a logistical issue to consider, as well. Because we were only spending one night at the Hotel Kämp, we would either need to move our bags to the Radisson Blu Plaza early on Tuesday morning or wait until we returned to Helsinki Tuesday night, go to the Hotel Kämp, get our bags, and take them to the Radisson. We decided to take care of it all on Tuesday morning, so we woke up early enough to be at breakfast when it started at 6:30 a.m.

Breakfast at the Kämp’s restaurant was wonderful. Even though our voucher was technically for continental breakfast, we were told by our waiter that we could have anything on the buffet. I only got one photo:



It doesn’t do justice to the set up. For example, there were three types of salmon on the buffet. It had just about everything you could want. Because we would not eat again—at least not a real meal—until we arrived in Tallinn, we ate heartily.

Weather Underground was right: Things had warmed up considerably overnight, all the way to 27 degrees. However, it was snowing the wind was whipping up the snow. We decided that we’d be better off taking a taxi to the Radisson Blu in these types of conditions. It was probably the smartest €10 we spent on the trip. Thankfully, we were able to check into our room at 8:30 a.m., so we took our bags up and caught the tram to Länsiterminaali (the West Terminal). We used a kiosk to collect our outbound and return tickets, and waited for boarding.

Boarding was a free for all, but once we figured out where Comfort Class was, things got a lot more serene. We grabbed seats at a table by a window. I explored the snack area:



I just grabbed a big cup of soda water. I wasn’t sure if motion sickness would rear its ugly head on the trip, so I wanted to do whatever I could to keep my stomach calm. The seas looked choppy, and things got a little bouncy a couple of points during the trip. However, we arrived in Tallinn without incident or stomach issues. When I made a visit to the rest room, I realized my decision to get Comfort Class tickets was justified. The other areas of the trip were loud, and people were sitting on the floor, or the stairs… generally, anywhere they could find a place to sit down. Comfort Class was well worth the premium.

Getting off the ship was just as crazy as getting on, and orienting ourselves to Tallinn was difficult, even with Google maps. However, we finally made it to the Old Town and did a lot of exploring in the limited time we had:

St. Olav’s Church – According to our guidebook, the KGB used the tower to block TV signals from Finland.


Former KGB HQ, now being sold as luxury apartments!


A snowy park at the corner of Pikk and Olevimagi


House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads - According to the Visit Estonia website, this is the only surviving Renaissance building in Tallinn.


Great Guild Hall – Home of the Estonian History Museum


Town Hall Square


Christmas Market in Town Hall Square


St. Nicholas Church


Russian Orthodox Church


City Walls


View from Patkuli Viewpoint


Panorama from Patkuli Viewpoint


Back in Town Hall Square – Christmas Markets


It was around 4:00 p.m., so we figured we should try to find our way back to the ferry terminal. We must have had a directionally challenged day, because we had difficulty. However, we made it back before boarding started. Comfort Class was pretty empty, so things were pretty peaceful except for the two kids who were running back and forth while their mother sat glued to her smartphone. Sailing was very smooth, however.

I had read that many Finns use these ferry trips as opportunities to buy alcohol at much lower prices than they pay at home. This was confirmed by my visit to the alcohol section of the ship’s supermarket:



as well as the hauls that people were carrying when we left the ship:



Back on land, we caught the tram back close to the Radisson Blu Plaza, had dinner, and turned in for the evening.

krazykanuck

Looks great! I was in Prague - in fact many of the same places as you - just a month earlier! Unfortunately the day I visited Prague Castle, they closed St. Vitus early for maintenance reasons and I didn't get to go in, but saw everything else up there. I stayed in a hotel right on the street where you saw the 2nd Christmas market (the last photo in your Prague post). But I agree... HEL looks unbelievably cold!

I was lucky enough to be there on the day they did the tree lighting (obv. pre-lit!)



My report and pictures:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-combo-y.html

Travel K

Great trip report! I love, love Prague and really enjoyed your write up. I will have to try the brewery the next time I go. The bottle of Becherovka in the lounge made me smile. I haven't been to Helsinki, so I am looking forward to your next installments.

Flying Buccaneer

Thanks, Travel K!

Flying Buccaneer

The end of another year, and we’re spending this one in Helsinki. We did a little research to find out how Helsinki celebrates New Years Eve, and we saw that Senate Square was the place to be. Therefore, we decided to pace ourselves so that we would have no problems staying awake into the wee hours of the morning.

We slept until well past 9 a.m. and started the day with breakfast. Because I had booked a business class room, we could have breakfast either in the plaza lounge or the restaurant. We decided to go to the restaurant. The first order of business was coffee. Because I only drink decaf, coffee outside the US for me is usually either confined to a visit to Starbucks or using instant coffee. The Hotel Kämp had decaf, and I was happy to find the restaurant at the Radisson Blu Plaza had a Nespresso machine with decaf pods. It also had an extensive selection of foods, including a hot buffet:



In addition, there was a chef who was available to prepare omelets, eggs any style, and waffles. There was also another area with breads, pastries, meats, cheeses, cereals, and yogurts. It wasn’t as elegant as the Hotel Kämp’s buffet, but it certainly was as complete.

After breakfast, we took our time getting ready for the day and didn’t leave the room until a little after 11 a.m. The main thing we wanted to see was the Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church), and we thought it would be a good idea to walk there. Even though the airport is quite a haul from central Helsinki, the city itself is pretty walkable. The warm up during the past 24 hours or so had melted most of the ice on the sidewalks, which improved the conditions for walking as well.

Our hotel was close to Helsinki’s main railway station, so our walk took us past Railway Square. We both thought that an ice skating rink was a pretty redundant feature:



We continued our walk and saw the statue of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim:



and then, about 10 minutes later, we could see Temppeliaukio Kirkko. This was actually the first (and, come to think of it, only) place in Helsinki where we saw tourist busses and lots of souvenir shops.

I won’t go into detail about Temppeliaukio Kirkko (you can read more here) other than that it is a church built into rock. It’s quite a striking structure, and a feat of design and engineering:







After the church, and a little souvenir shopping, we decided to take a tram to Market Square. This would get us close to Senate Square so that we would get an opportunity to see where we would be celebrating the new year. In addition, it would be a great place to start our afternoon walk.

The tram arrived about 10 minutes after we got to the stop, and it didn’t take us long to get to the Market Square. I imagine that things are a bit more active during the summer months, but there were plenty of interesting stalls:



We looked around a bit, buying a few things, including a couple of trivets, a ski cap, and waffles:



We took a brief walk along the waterfront:



before heading to Senate Square:



Then we walked through Esplanade Park, getting a photo of the Runeberg Statue, with the Hotel Kämp in the background:



We checked out Stockmann Department Store for awhile, and were quite taken by this window display:



Then we saw the Three Smiths Statue:



As you can see, the sun was getting low in the sky… it was only 3 p.m. We figured it was about time for lunch, but we had just missed most of the lunch specials restaurants in Helsinki have. We were almost back at the hotel and decided to have lunch at Vapiano. It wasn’t too packed, so we got in and out pretty quickly.

We relaxed in the hotel room for awhile, and then paid a visit to the Plaza Lounge. Unfortunately, every possible seat was taken, and people appeared to be there for the long term. I don’t get it, but we grabbed a couple of beers and some snacks and took them back to our room. We stayed there until about 10 p.m. We got a small bite to eat and headed to Senate Square. The place was packed at 10:45 p.m., just as the festivities started:



At least, we thought it was packed when we got there. We noticed about 15 minutes after we arrived that a crowd had gathered behind us as well:



The ceremonies included personalities who are famous in Finland, including the Riku Niemi Orchestra and reggae singer Jukka Poika. It was entertaining, even though much of it was in Finnish, and we weren’t familiar with the artists’ work. Anyway, midnight came, and there was an impressive fireworks display:



Oh, and I forgot to mention, the temperature was quite warmer than you might have imagined: 41F.

After the fireworks ended, the stage went dark and the crowd all seemed to head for Aleksanterinkatu at the same instant. It created quite the bottleneck:



The crowd was very orderly, though. It was fun watching everyone celebrate the new year. In spite of the size of the crowd, we made it back to our hotel a little after 1 a.m. That gave us a little time to pack for our journey home before turning in.

DanielW

Wow, beautiful photo's of Tallinn. Looks almost like a fairytale, I keep looking for the Christmas Grinch to be in there somewhere.

Was there any ice when taking the ferry over?