Index
Day 1 - Flying
Day 2 - Helsinki
Day 3 - to Tallinn
Day 4 - to Riga
Day 5 - to Vilnius
Day 6 - Vilnius
Day 7 - Return
The Baltics
Hotel U14 has a fun space for breakfast, combined with a pretty tasty buffet. Definitely some effort above and beyond the usual, with a baked peaches and oatmeal that was tasty, and some sort of savory bread thing (or was it a potato bread?) that they'd made nice and pretty.
Walked over to the ferry terminal to get in some more sightseeing on the way, including yet another food hall, and then a rather cheeky statue near the terminal fittingly titled "Bad, Bad Boy." The ferry terminal itself was a restrained, modern, approriately massive structure given the Tallink ferries can take more than 2,000 passengers.
The Tallink Star felt much like the slightly worn cruise ship it probably was in a past life, with tons of seating areas and affordable restaurants/Burger King/bars/grocery store, a slightly more upscale area called the "Comfort Lounge" for a modest EUR 29 upcharge that was worth it if you wanted a much more comfortable chair away from the crowds, and some outdoor areas as well. There was an even fancier looking business lounge I didn't pay for (nor try to peek in to) as well as an actual buffet if you wanted a real-ish sit down meal. Not sure I'd rave about the experience, but it was a very affordable and convenient way between Helsinki and Tallin, and on that alone it merits consideration.
The ferry terminal on the Tallin side lacks the elegant massiveness of Helsinki, but it has a nice bus terminal right outside, a pretty decent shopping mall right across the street, and even in the light rain it wasn't too bad a walk to the hotel. There was a definite lack of mass transit between the ferry terminal and the hotel (also on the eastern edge of the city), but getting back and forth to central Tallinn was easier.
Only had time for a brief walk through old town Tallinn on the way to dinner-- really wish I had spent more time here. Shops were already closing up by the time I arrived, although it was heartening to see the protest banners in from of the Russian embassy in full force. And dinner at Restoran Moon was pretty solid. Beef tartare took a few bites to be appreciated, the Siberian dumplings were surprisingly close to Chinese dumplings (aside from the dipping sauces); was only the lamb that was properly cooked but ultimately forgettable.
Saw a familiar sight on the way back to the hotel, a pair of Starship food delivery robots. Felt just like home when I saw them (hah!).