It's been a pleasant if sightly slow start to the trip, somewhere in the back of my head it occurs to me that this is probably how normal people travel...
Icelandic air is generous on the leg room if not so much on the seat padding (even with my usual dose of Robax Planimtum, I was squirming in hour 3 of 5+ hours from Toronto to Reykjavik), but do note: a beverage aside, all food is for purchase, and this is an 8+ hour (total) fight. Our one hour layaway in Reykjavik melted away quickly with the additional scan we had to pass through, and from there it was just 3.5 hrs to Helsinki.
The Finnair bus for €6.50 was a fast and comfortable way to get from the airport to the city centre. I blame it on the jet lag, but when I got there I was more interested in getting some breakfast than finding any ferry, though it was 2pm there, it felt like 7am to me after all. Promising myself I wouldn't eaten an abundance of McDonald's breakfasts this trip, I wandered into a supermarket's bakery section where all goods were seemingly left untouched except for some €0.50 croissants. Well, do as the locals do...and what you know, these just might be the best croissants I've ever tasted (and I frequent a lot of gourmet bakeries) in terms of buttery-ness, flakiness....
Right, right, so after that diversion (and I promised myself I'll go back for a few more just as soon as I get back to Helsinki), I used a little GPS assistance and started making my way to the Linda Line dock, which is the fastest boat to Tallinn, Estonia. It cost me €42, which sounded reasonable enough to me, to get a 1.5hr ferry to Tallinn. I had grand plans of taking photographs the entire way, of the Helsinki ferry dock, the open waters, and approach to Tallinn...instead jet lag got the better of me and I slept the while way.
Unfortunately I woke up to torrential rains, and me with my rain gear (compact umbrella and dollar store poncho) in my suit case and cloth shoes on my feet. I struggled to get as much waterproof gear on as I could before they kicked me off the boat and ran for the terminal. To my dismay the directions I'd printed out to get to the hotel were walking directions (D'oh!)
Anyway, got to the hotel relatively dry, all things considered... The Economy Hotel (I know...with a name like that...but it got good ratings on Tripadvisor) is everything its name implies, small room, two little single beds, bathroom with a shower, soap, towels, tv (that I never watch anyway), and table & chair. My room was on the 3rd floor, with no lift it was just troublesome enough to make me wish I'd packed a little lighter. The WiFi only really worked in the lobby and 2nd floor foyer, once in a while I would get a signal if I had my phone practically pressed to the room door. No complaints in terms of noise or lack of hot water though, granted I'm used to streetcars (trams) running past my window, you may not be. At least there were no drunken idiots shouting outside my window and the other guests kept to themselves.
Tales of Tallinn's old town and where I got this free champagne from...coming up next!
Showing posts with label Helsinki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Helsinki. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
On the road again...
Ok, not quite on the road again, but on the planning again...
Happy New Year travelers! I wish you all good health, prosperity, and lots of opportunities to travel in 2013!
My travel year is off to a promising start after finding a $800 deal on Iceland Air for Toronto to Helsinki in May. I'm very excited to plan another rat race-type trip through Northern Europe this time. It's not the type of trip that would appeal to everyone, it's hardly relaxing for starters ;) but after taking a leisurely trip to the great cities of Russia last year and looking back on my wacky trip through parts of Italy and Central Europe in 2011, I would have to say that I enjoyed my treks in 2011 much more (even if it did mean stumbling off a train in Salzburg at 4am and showering with no hot water for 2 nights in Prague in October). It's not the type of trip that's for the faint of heart, nor faint of knee/foot (both of which are slowly degenerating for me) so I gotta do more of this kind of traveling while I still can!
Destinations I've got my eye on are all the capital cities (I don't really know why I favour capital cities, I do understand that they're not always the finest the country has to offer... I mean, I do hail from Canada after all and I do my best to avoid Ottawa), which include: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga (I guess Latvia isn't Northern Europe but I'm going anyway), Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen. So if anyone's been and has suggestions, please send them my way. I'm really not that well-knowledged in any of these countries (though I am expecting lots of Ikea furniture and people singing ABBA and Ace of Base in Sweden ;)), other than the caviar is well-priced and plentiful.
There's always much to consider when traveling, and even more so when you're moving around a lot. The obvious stuff like "how many days should I stay in each city?" to the ridiculous-sounding-until-you've-made-the-wrong-choice... ie. do I bring my smallest 2 wheel wheelie bag or slightly larger (won't fit in cabin) 4 wheel hardcase? Smaller bag is harder to pack but will save me $$ on checked luggage if I wind up taking a flight on RyanAir or Easy Jet. Hardcase holds more and 4 wheels are much easier to fly through train stations and other smooth-paved streets but if I have to walk uphill on cobblestone I will be screwed! I think many of my fellow travelers (and even I) have said before, people "backpack" through Europe for a reason, because so much of it is not luggage friendly. Sadly my back and knee doesn't let me do that, so I weigh out suitcase options.
First to get acquainted with the cities though. That's usually the first thing I do. Gives me a feel for how many days I want to spend in each. Also once I've seen a few maps, I can determine location of airport/central train station/bus terminal to decide my mode of travel between each. Cost and timing also play a part, but it gets things rolling. Travel guides are in my near future, but for some of the stops (ie. Riga) where I only plan to be there for a day or two, I'm going to Tripadvisor for all the basics and as a launchpad for all my online research. I really do enjoy that site.
With that I'll leave you to your own travel bookings. Maybe other deals can be had on Iceland Air, for nearby travel Porter's had some good deals for New York City, I'll be dropping in for a few days in March myself. I got return flights for $200, it was hard to resist. Plus a reservation at the Seafarer's International House offering lower rates for $140/night for a double private room (as in 2 twin beds, perfect for my needs), I'll let you guys know how the place is. The location is definitely right though, minutes from Union Square (my home away from home) on the border of Gramercy and the East Village.
Happy trails ;)
Happy New Year travelers! I wish you all good health, prosperity, and lots of opportunities to travel in 2013!
My travel year is off to a promising start after finding a $800 deal on Iceland Air for Toronto to Helsinki in May. I'm very excited to plan another rat race-type trip through Northern Europe this time. It's not the type of trip that would appeal to everyone, it's hardly relaxing for starters ;) but after taking a leisurely trip to the great cities of Russia last year and looking back on my wacky trip through parts of Italy and Central Europe in 2011, I would have to say that I enjoyed my treks in 2011 much more (even if it did mean stumbling off a train in Salzburg at 4am and showering with no hot water for 2 nights in Prague in October). It's not the type of trip that's for the faint of heart, nor faint of knee/foot (both of which are slowly degenerating for me) so I gotta do more of this kind of traveling while I still can!
Destinations I've got my eye on are all the capital cities (I don't really know why I favour capital cities, I do understand that they're not always the finest the country has to offer... I mean, I do hail from Canada after all and I do my best to avoid Ottawa), which include: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga (I guess Latvia isn't Northern Europe but I'm going anyway), Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen. So if anyone's been and has suggestions, please send them my way. I'm really not that well-knowledged in any of these countries (though I am expecting lots of Ikea furniture and people singing ABBA and Ace of Base in Sweden ;)), other than the caviar is well-priced and plentiful.
There's always much to consider when traveling, and even more so when you're moving around a lot. The obvious stuff like "how many days should I stay in each city?" to the ridiculous-sounding-until-you've-made-the-wrong-choice... ie. do I bring my smallest 2 wheel wheelie bag or slightly larger (won't fit in cabin) 4 wheel hardcase? Smaller bag is harder to pack but will save me $$ on checked luggage if I wind up taking a flight on RyanAir or Easy Jet. Hardcase holds more and 4 wheels are much easier to fly through train stations and other smooth-paved streets but if I have to walk uphill on cobblestone I will be screwed! I think many of my fellow travelers (and even I) have said before, people "backpack" through Europe for a reason, because so much of it is not luggage friendly. Sadly my back and knee doesn't let me do that, so I weigh out suitcase options.
First to get acquainted with the cities though. That's usually the first thing I do. Gives me a feel for how many days I want to spend in each. Also once I've seen a few maps, I can determine location of airport/central train station/bus terminal to decide my mode of travel between each. Cost and timing also play a part, but it gets things rolling. Travel guides are in my near future, but for some of the stops (ie. Riga) where I only plan to be there for a day or two, I'm going to Tripadvisor for all the basics and as a launchpad for all my online research. I really do enjoy that site.
With that I'll leave you to your own travel bookings. Maybe other deals can be had on Iceland Air, for nearby travel Porter's had some good deals for New York City, I'll be dropping in for a few days in March myself. I got return flights for $200, it was hard to resist. Plus a reservation at the Seafarer's International House offering lower rates for $140/night for a double private room (as in 2 twin beds, perfect for my needs), I'll let you guys know how the place is. The location is definitely right though, minutes from Union Square (my home away from home) on the border of Gramercy and the East Village.
Happy trails ;)
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