Three countries in one day

Three countries in one day

It is only in this part of the global mosaic that you can be in three countries in one day – Finland, Estonia and Latvia. If we had chosen to travel on to Vilnius which we could have, we would have added a fourth. And one thing about the EU concept is that borders between countries have become only mythical lines on maps. The first evidence we have that we have crossed the Estonian / Latvian border (by bus) is seeing the different language road signs. The only interest in passports is to verify my identity for our ferry and bus tickets which I purchased on the internet. And they are interested in only one passport anyway. No fuss about visas, stamps or formalities. We even have no security screening as we board the ferry. It is all so easy and civilised.

But to the beginning.

Knowing we need to catch the early tram to the ferry dock, we are awake soon after 4am. We have packed last night but getting away seems to always take a little longer than planned. Nevertheless, we are pleased to be on the No9 tram, just around the corner, soon after 7am. The relatively short ride takes us right into the front entrance of the ferry terminal for the Finlandia service to Tallinn, about 2.5 hours sailing away.

Our No9 tram stop is just around the left hand corner.

The stay at our Airbnb accommodation has been excellent. Megan is a very helpful and sociable host. Her apartment is very compact by Australian standards but it is all there, at least for one permanent resident or two short stay travellers. From our point of view, the location could not be better. We know that throughout the world, there has been a growing anxiety about the Airbnb concept. We certainly did not cause any grief to the other tenants in the building. We got excellent value and Megan earned some income by staying with her boyfriend for a few days.

With two travellers, the compact space can get a little messy.

We arrived at the ferry terminal just as the queue started to form. 

We are on the ferry with a minimum of fuss. We look for some quiet seating for the relatively short crossing but there seems to be no such thing. The ferry is in fact a big ship full of bars, cafes and restaurants. People are playing bingo, poker machines, enjoying live music, having a beer and even dancing at 9am. It is full of people of all ages including children. Where are they all coming from, going to, for what reasons? They seem to be mostly holiday makers whose cars are on the ferry. As soon as we have docked, most of them have disappeared into their vehicles. There are not too many travellers like us left.

Beer, music, dancing, gambling and feeding on board.

 As we approach the Estonian coast, the clouds disperse and periods of sunshine break through. Even though we have not travelled all that far South, the temperature has risen more than 5 degrees.

Tallin presents a classic old Nordic and Hansiatic city silhouette on the rise behind the harbour. The line of the old city wall is there and the sky is pierced by the characteristic Lutheran spiny spires. But of course there is also the unmistakable Orthodox domes. It is a pity that we have no time to visit the old city as it said to be even more charming than Riga. It is also interesting to note that the Estonians have deliberately let the new city develop well to the side of the old heritage. It is highly valued by all. It seems we in Australia are only just beginning to treasure our heritage when most of it is almost gone.

The contemporary city with some some very credible pieces of architecture is well removed from the old.

 We walk off the boat and into another country and no one takes any notice. The differences between Estonia and Egypt could not be more extreme.

There is only a little over an hour until our bus leaves from the main depot just on the other side of the old town. We have to take a taxi who charges us E5. The bus terminal is an unassuming place although buses from here serve a large area by European standards.

Everything is very smart and prim with all staff speaking English but many with a Russian accent. We cannot help noticing that the Estonian ladies are generally considerably more fashionable and smart than the Finnish women. We wonder why.

Our very new and excellently appointed coach leaves from stop 13 at 13.00. The bus company is Estonian but the driver Latvian. 

Within minutes of leaving the city, we are on the fast road. It takes only a few more minutes and we leave the city behind on an excellent quality road. It is only one lane each way but it is wide and beautifully tended. How can a small country like Estonia afford it? 

Its main natural resource is forests. Judging from the fast moving bus, the forests too have been very well looked after and managed. Estonians rely on their brains and human capital. They ‘invented’ Skype, developed the international travel sim card which I have. It allows one to make calls almost anywhere around the world at local rates. Estonia has the most digitally connected system of government of any country in the world. I understand at their last elections, citizens could cast their ballots electronically.

The passengers are a mixed lot. Many are Russian speakers; behind us is a couple chatting in Polish. There are two very black African people. Most of them seem to be going to Riga.

A casual observation from the road is that the Estonian cityscape and landscape reminds us of Holland and Germany for its neatness and careing. The difference to me is quite obvious as we enter Latvia. It is not quite as prosperous as Estonia.

Most passengers would not have noticed when we crossed the boarder.  We are in Latvia now.

It almost seems absurd as well as strange that after crossing a whole country, we arrive in Riga at 17.40. It is about half way to Andrew and Kylies place in Wee Waa. By our standards it is also at least unusual that while the signs say we are 12km from Riga, we are still in the countryside. However, it does not take much further before we hit the traffic jam of too many people wanting to leave Riga as tomorrow is a public holiday and hence the start of a long weekend. But suddenly we pull up at what looks like a large vacant block of land, with parked buses. 

The Riga arrival is just across from the markets.

We have arrived, somewhat anticlimactically. As we emerge, a taxi driver has spotted us and offers his services. We are not certain about him until we are assured that he has a meter. The short drive, worth E5, takes us to the Radisson Blue, Daugava.

The Radisson Blu in the distance from the Stone Bridge.

Checking in is seamless as of course we are expected. I keenly try to exercise my Latvian while everyone almost insists on using English. Why did I travel half way around the world to improve my Latvian?

Our room is rather unusually laid out but pleasant and comfortable. One uncommon feature is that it has a walk-in wardrobe, a very useful amenity when you are on the road. It also accommodates luggage and strewn about stuff which make a mess of small spaces. 

The washbasin part of the bathroom is within the sitting / bedroom space but it works well. The highlight is being on the 5^th floor, overlooking the river Daugava, straight across to the classic view of old Riga. It is an easy stroll across the ‘Stone Bridge’ near the hotel and be right into the old city centre.

It is a little too late to go exploring just yet. It is enough to savour the view of the city in the ever changing evening light. We have been very lucky with the weather. It’s been sunshine as well as soft light during the day. And we are beginning to feel a little weary, even though we have not done much work. After all, we have now been up for about 17 hours.

The very old cathedral tower structure is under repair. I would like to think the translucency of the scaffolding is deliberate. It does not enhance the view but certainly offers a new experience.

Dinner is in the hotel restaurant of old fashioned Latvian pork sausages with potato mash and a good dose of onion gravy – simple but hard to improve.

A colourful day.