Tallinn, Helsinki, St. Petersburg

Jul 29-Aug , 2011
Jul 29 AC362 YYZ-BOS, LH423 BOS-FRA, LH882 FRA-TLL,
Jul 31 KF608 TLL-HEL,
Aug 6 LX1311 LED-ZRH,
Aug 7 LX86 ZRH-YUL, AC831 YUL-YYZ 

When I look at my map of countries in the world, Russia was a large void in Europe and Asia that I very much wanted to fill.  Although Russia is a giant country, St. Petersburg is clearly the jewel in the crown of the country and the focus of our trip.  Once I had decided on St. Petersburg,  it made sense to try to visit some of the other sites in the area so I booked a combined First Class reward ticket with visits to Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland.  As well as exploring some of the most beautiful sites in Russia we had the opportunity to explore the last of the Nordic countries.  By seeing Helsinki, Tallinn and St. Petersburg, we covered the cruise ship route without the need to trap ourselves on a boat.  Although we didn’t really enjoy the summer and cruise ship crowds, it was a beautiful trip with lots to see and was glad to get to explore Russia without much stress.

Jul 29-30
Overnight flight to FRA, time in First Class Terminal, then on to Tallinn

The well maintained walls of the original Tallinn medieval city centre

Early evening walk through the town headed towards the town hall tower

Memorial to the sinking of the Estonia ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm that killed hundreds

Historical characters, with a small cell phone anachronism, prior to our dinner

Jul 31
Morning in Tallinn then fly to Helsinki

On early morning walk we find the Estonia Parliament buildings

Exterior of Kumu Art Museum, too early to tour, but interesting from the outside

Well protected Synagogue

Tallinn Wheel Well

Setup for archery outside of the town walls

Panoramic view of the old town

The town square with the town hall in the background

Looking out at the cruise ships that flooded the city with tourists

After flight and checking into hotel we explore Kainsaniemi Park in Helsinki

Helsinki Train Station with somewhat severe architecture

Enjoying the long days we check out Uspenski Cathedral before dinner

Aug 1
Full day in Helsinki

Iconic Lutheran Cathedral and Senate Square

Finland National Library

Part of the complete works of Karl Marx reflects the close ties to Russia

Very cool Temppeliaukio Church blasted into the natural rock hill

Finlandia Hall theatre complex designed by Alva Aalto

Exterior of the interesting National Museum of Finland

Finland’s Parliament Buildings

Sibelius Monument made up of 600 stainless-steel pipes

Interesting perspective on the monument

Some of the traditional interiors in Seurasaari Open-Air Folk Museum

Lapland storage buildings

Interior of the 1686 Karuna Church at the Museum

Aug 2
Last day to explore further afield

Looking back on the city from the ferry to Suomenlinna

Historical dry dock on the island still an active work site

Main fortification on the island built to defund Helsinki from the Russians

Bridge connecting the islands

Last view of the iconic building before an evening boat ride to end our stay

Aug 3
Morning train to St. Petersburg and afternoon and evening to explore

Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

Cathedral interior

Controversial statue of Peter the Great

Peter’s Cabin, the oldest in St Petersburg from 1703 used to supervisor city construction

The beautiful and iconic Church on Spilled Blood, at the end of a full day

Aug 4
St. Petersburg and day trip to Peterhoff

The Palace Square with the Hermitage

Neoclassical Gate Tower of the Admiralty

St. Petersburg and St. Isaac’s Cathedral from across the Bolshaya Neva River

After arriving in Peterhof from the hydrofoil our first view of the Grand Palace

The morning fountain show in front of the palace

Close up of the fountain

One of the trick fountains in the palace grounds

The Palace and canal after the morning crowds are gone

Hermitage Pavilion in the Lower Garden

Lion Cascade Fountain

The hydrofoil that took us back to St Peterburg

Peter and Paul Fortress as we make our way back to the city

The grand canals that line much of the old city

A different perspective of Church on Spilled Blood

Interior of Spilled Blood church

St. Isaac’s Cathedral

The interior of St. Isaac’s before we climb the tower

Aug 5
Last full day in St. Petersburg

Lazarus Cemetery outside the Alexander Nevskiy Monastery

The Jordan Staircase, our first room in the beautiful Hermitage Museum

Fighting the cruise ship crowds to get a glimpse of da Vinci’s Madonna Litta

One of the grand staircases in the museum

Dance by Matisse (1910

Library room in the Hermitage

The very long escalator ride into the very deep subway

Peter and Paul Fortress from our boat tour at sunset

Aug 6
Morning in St. Petersburg then overnight in Zurich

Moscow train station in St. Petersburg

Aug 7
 Fly home to Toronto via Zurich and Montreal