Biked 25 miles today for total of 25 miles.Woke to overcast skies that never really let loose with rain. In the evening was actually sunny to top off our beautiful day.We decided to go for a bike ride today. We ended up traversing up the Viimsi penisula east of Tallinn. We passed by the incoming ferry and cruise shipyards. Found a Russian monument "Russalka monument" memorializing the sinking of the Russian warship Rusalka, or "Mermaid", which sank en route to Finland in 1893. Later we stopped briefly at a multi-tenanted set of buildings up above the coast - Maarjamae Loss.We then made it to the Singing Revolution grounds. This is a sweeping open huge amphitheater that played an integral part in Estonias departure from the USSR. They basically sang their way to independence.Per Rick Steves, smithsonian.com ... read more

We got up late and had to make a run for our ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn. Got To the ferry dock 20 minutes before it left. The ferry is about the same size as the SS Badger (Manitowoc to Ludington ferry), but taller. It has multiple restaurants and things to do. It is a recent vintage ship. As we made our way across the Gulf of Finland you could see the shores of Estonia and Finland. There were several container ships plying the waters around us. We did not get a cabin, but had "deck" seats. It cost us 36 euros a piece for the ferry . Tallinn is an old medieval walled city. The old towne is mainly the walled portion, filled with many good restaurants and of course souvenier shops. It really has ... read more

Today is Pam's birthday. Had nice lunch downtown and ate some chocolate, otherwise it would have been nice to do something more for scholtz. Dodged rain for most of the day, but when the sun was out it was nice. E are currently waiting for our shuttle to the airport. With all the thunderstorms and a tornado, our flight may be delayed. We will see. Hope to see the Baltic Sea in the 14 hours.... read more

We will be staying in Chicago for a few days prior to flying Helsinki on June 15 2015. We drove uneventfully to Chicago, except for summer slowing, crawling, stopping summer construction delays as we made our way down the Tollway. We (Pam and I) will be staying with my cousin Ann in Ravenswood Manor neighborhood in Chicago. It is near the Chicago river. It is surprisingly pretty, cleaned up and with several parks. We made an attempt to go to the Chicago Blues fest, but rain altered these plans. Walked around downtown, near the Art Institute - whose lions, whom guard the entrance to the Institute, had Chicago Black Hawk helmets on. The Black Hawks are currently battling Tampa Bay for the Stanley cup. There is a interesting shiny silver horse with a replica of the ... read more