Home of the Moomins

Whilst in Tallinn we took the opportunity to also visit the city that was originally founded in 1550 by King Gustav of Sweden as a trading post to actually compete with Tallinn. At less than 2 hours away with the boat  a visit to Helsinki was pretty to easy to combine with the Estonian capital. And being the home of the Finn Family Moomintroll, I was pretty excited to visit Finland :-)

Helsinki, or Helsingfors in Swedish, is a pretty compact city and easy to get around, although because it is spread over a number of bays, peninsulas and small islands the street pattern can be a bit confusing.

As the focal point of the city the imposing Lutheren cathedral, perched up on its hill, is a good landmark to navigate by. Other landmarks we visited included the beautiful central railway station, the Olympic Stadium, the Russian Uspenski cathedral and the church in the rock, a church literally dug out of solid rock. And of course a visit to Helsinki would not have been complete without a visit to the Moomin shop :-)

Alli xxx

Beautiful medieval Tallinn

Thought it was about time to upload some photos from our most recent long-weekend away - Tallinn & Helsinki :-)


Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, lies on the Gulf of Finland just 70 kms from Helsinki, and has THE most beautifully preserved medieval city centre I have seen! Cobbled streets, higgeldy piggeldy laneways, lovingly restored stone buildings, and restaurant staff all dressed in medieval costume all help to create a fairy-tale like atmosphere; one that was only enhanced by the layer of snow.


Toompea Hill, at the heart of the old city centre, was, according to ancient legend, built on top of the grave of legendary Estonian King Kalev. The hill is solid limestone and is the location of the Danish castle that founded the city in 1219. Toompea was the home of the Danish aristocracy, and relations between the plebs and the aristocracy were often inflamed hence the thick walls and gate towers. Also up on the hill lies the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a classic onion-domed Russian orthodox church that for many is still a symbol of past opression. Whatever your feelings are about the cathedral, the views form Toompea Hill out over the old city centre are lovely.


We also walked along the ramparts atop a section of the old city wall, also providing good views out over the rooftops.


Alli xxx