Finnair ran an incredible ex-SIN promotion last August with sub-600 SGD (~440 USD) Y fare to several European cities (mostly in Scandinavia and the Baltics). Mrs and I bought tickets to Tallinn ,Estonia with an eye of combining a trip to the Baltics with watching a few matches at FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Day 0

There was no queue at all when we arrived at SIN T1 two hours before departure. As we had checked in online the previous night, we headed straight to the baggage drop.



Despite having no queue at check-in, it was crowded going through security at gate D34. It would be a full flight between SIN and HEL.



The one-year-old A350-900 with the registration OH-LWK would be our transport for the night. This would be my second time on an A359; the previous trip was on QR 945 to DOH back in 2016.



We were welcomed on-board by SIN-based Finnair crew. It isn’t unusual for European airlines to hire Asia-based crew due to the lower labour cost and Finnair also has crew bases in other Asian cities such as Hong Kong.

My view from 44L:-



I did my usual inspection of the items inside the seat pocket – pre-order shopping catalogue, on-board shopping catalogue, on-board menu and safety card.



Mrs pointed out that the cushion provided was made by Marimekko, a Finnish design house known for its bright prints and colours.



While Finnair’s Nordic Sky Entertainment System came under some criticism for its programming, it was good enough for me with its selection of movies.



There were two flight camera views: forward and down.





Bye Singapore. See you in two weeks.



There were two complimentary meals on the flight – dinner shortly after taking off and breakfast two hours before landing at HEL.

I chose the chicken option while wife went for the beef. Neither were memorable for my Asian palate.



I fall asleep after finishing Greatest Showman and woke up somewhere over Caspian Sea.



Peek of outside



With time for another movie, I chose to watch The Post. Breakfast was served midway through my movie.



With the movie out of the way, I caught a programme on the upcoming World Cup and it profiled one of the teams that we would be watching: Iceland!



Almost there…



Details for connecting flights were also available; our next flight would depart from Gate 19A.



Flying over islands in Gulf of Finland



Descending over Vantaa




Parked at Gate 54

There was a fair bit of brisk walking involved as we had only 50 minutes to make our connection to Tallinn. Luckily there wasn�t a queue entering Schengen Area and we made it to Gate 19A with plenty of time to spare.

AY1011 would be served by a Norra ATR72-500 for the short 63-mile hop from Helsinki and Tallinn. Norra is a fully-owned subsidiary of Finnair and operates short-haul flights on behalf of Finnair using its fleet of ATR72s and Embraer 190s.



Coordinates of Helsinki and interesting quote found on the headrest: -



Safety card



Taxi-ing



Taking off


Most of the 72 seats were filled.



Nice day in Helsinki



Malmi Airport, Helsinki�s main airport from 1936 to 1952. Currently it is used mainly for training flights and there are plans to convert it into a new residential area.



Less than 15 minutes after taking off, the pilot announced that we were beginning our descent into Tallinn.



Tallinn Old Town was visible in a distance.



I also spotted A. Le Coq Arena, the home ground for both FC Flora and Estonian national football team.



Our checked bag also made the short connection in Helsinki and was reunited with us in TLL.

Tallinn Airport is located around 6km from the Old Town and the transport options are listed out clearly at the baggage belts.



We bought a Tele2 SIM card (�4.50) and two Smartcards for travelling on Tallinn�s public transportation (refundable deposit of �2) at the airport�s R-Kiosk. Each ride cost �2 if bought on the bus, �1.10 if using the smart card. We loaded a one-day ticket (valid for 24 hours) for �3 into our smart card before taking Tram 4 towards the city centre.

Tram 4 dropped us just outside the Old Town and we made our way inside on foot. Our first stop was at Peppersack where we grabbed some coffee and pastry for breakfast.






We decided to go on City Bike Tallinn�s cycling tour (�19) departing at 11am, taking in the sights that were outside the Old Town area.



After getting and testing our bicycles, we headed off with our youthful guide.

First stop was Linnahall, the monstrous concrete multi-purpose venue built during the Soviet era. Tallinn hosted the sailing events during 1980 Moscow Olympics and Linnahall was one of the facilities built then. It was closed since 2010; there are currently plans to renovate and reopen it by 2019.



Tallinn Power Plant could also be seen from where we were. It is now home of Kultuurikatel or Tallinn Creative Hub where events and performances are held.



We passed by Tallinn�s ferry terminals, the main point of arrival for most tourists to Estonia. Slightly more than 10 million passengers passed through Port of Tallinn, with Tallinn-Helsinki route being the most popular with 83% of all passengers. Beside Helsinki, there are sailings to Stockholm in Sweden as well as to St Petersburg in Russia.

The quieter Terminal A



We stopped at the exhibition on Lailupidu or Song Festival near the ferry terminal. It is one of the largest amateur choral events in the world with over 30,000 participants and takes place every five years with the next one in July 2019. We would stop by the event ground later during the tour.



While on our way to Kadriog Park, our guide stopped briefly en-route and explained about the public transportation system in Tallinn. To discourage car usage, certain roads were deliberately made narrower and public transportation is free for Tallinn residents since 2013.



Kadriorg Palace, currently housing Kadriorg Art Museum, was built by Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century for his wife Catherine after the conquest of Estonia from the Swedes. Estonia was part of the Russian empire from 1710 to 1918 and then part of Soviet Union from 1944 to 1991. Around 300,000 out of 1.3 million people living in Estonia are ethnic Russians and many of them remain stateless.



Friends



A short but steep ride up the hill brought us to the Estonian President�s office. Our guide shared that he once stood guard outside it during his 8-month career as a conscript in the Estonian Defence Force.



After stopping by Tallinna Lauluv�ljak, the ground where Song and Festival is held, we cycled along the coast to Maarjam�e Memorial.

The obelisk was built in 1960 to commemorate Soviet troops killed in the 1918 war against Estonia. Obviously it wasn�t a popular monument and one of its nicknames was �Pinocchio�.

It had since fallen into disrepair; there was a sign warning of crumbling structure but the guide assured us that it was more for keeping people away.



There used to be a flame burning at where the palms are.



We rode along the coastal cycling track on our way back to Old Town.



A Tallink ferry heading towards Helsinki



Final stop was Rusalka Memorial, a bronze monument dedicated to the 1893 sinking of Russian naval ship Rusalka in the Gulf of Finland. All 117 members of her crew perished and the wreck was only discovered in 2003, 110 years after its sinking.



Our reward for completing the tour: a Kalev chocolate!



Back on our feet after the cycling tour and it was definitely easier to walk than cycle on the cobble-stoned streets of Old Town.

Pope Francis is visiting Tallinn in September 2018. Rather strange choice as Estonia was a traditionally Lutheran country and is currently one of the least religious countries in the world.


Town Hall Square, the centre of Tallinn's Old Town, is as bustling as ever.


Real v fake


Lunch was next on our agenda and we had ours at V�ike. We were recommended to it after failing to get a table at Rataskaevu 16, its sister restaurant as well as the top-ranked one in Tallinn on Tripadvisor.

Great food and service; we would recommend anyone heading to Tallinn.

Complimentary rye bread


Fried Baltic herring fillets


Braised elk roast (cauliflower cream, parsnip, carrot, blackcurrant sauce)


Had a laugh when we received the bill.


We went up Toompea Hill to walk off our lunch. For centuries, Toompea is the seat of political power of Estonia and today Toompea Castle houses Rigiikogu, the Estonian parliament.



Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the largest Orthodox Church in Estonia



Passed by Kiek in de K�k, an artillery tower-turned-museum


There was an installation of helium-filled balloons at Freedom Square, whose purpose is to remember the 10,000 Estonian victims who were deported to Siberia by the Soviet authorities on 14 June 1941. It was a pretty amazing sight.



Please don't burst the balloons.



It was time to check-in to our Airbnb after getting the keys from our host.

It was a nice apartment with a cool history; built in 1954 for KGB personnels stationed in Tallinn, the house has extra thick walls which mean that almost no traffic noise can be heard.

Living room


Bedroom


One of the recommended restaurants in the guide created by the host was Salt, located around 15 minutes' walk away.


We arrived shortly after it opened for dinner and were among the first to be seated.

Chef hard at work


Grilled octopus with crispy potato, red onion-fennel salad and perselata


Black risoto with squids and samphire


It was another enjoyable meal; definitely a good start to our trip.

The rest of the evening was spent watching World Cup 2018 opening match between host Russia and Saudi Arabia. Despite the avalanche of goals, both Mrs and I fall asleep half-way due to fatigue and time difference. I did wake up in time though to see the two goals scored during injury time.

Next-up: St Petersburg & Morocco vs Iran