On our fourth full day in Helsinki, we went to a city tourist office right by the Esplanade Park and bought our ferry tickets for Tallinn, Estonia. There was a branch of the Helsinki Travel Experts in the tourist office and we decided to avail of its services. We sure were glad we did since we were able to compare ferry prices, ferry lines, and schedules. We had checked out the Silja Line a day before but we settled for the Eckero Line which we had been seeing advertised all over Helsinki on board buses, trams, and billboards. The fare was 10 euros cheaper than the Silja. In hindsight, I was glad we traveled on the Eckero since its ferry docked very close to our hotel in Tallinn.

Shortly after we purchased our ticket from this ferry company, I got really excited traveling on boafrd a ship once again. Though called a ferry, it really was a mid-sized cruise ship and it was.

Both Marc and I were hungry for breakfast and given that it was very early on a Saturday morning, all stores and restaurants we still closed. The only one that opened at 9:30 am was the McDonald's close to the Eckero Travel Office. We actually went back when it opened and we ate breakfast there. Just like in Eastern Europe, the use of its toilet facilities was not free to the public. Since we purchased food, our receipt came with the code with which to open the toilet door.

What a difference the time of day made. This is the park at 9 am. Completely empty. By 3 pm, this place became a veritable zoo of people. Lots of tourists and locals joined together to enjoy the hot and bright summer sun in otherwise cold and gray Helsinki.

For some reasoon we kept passing by the Fazer Cafe and Restaurant everytime we walked around downtown. I did buy several huge, and I mean huge, chocolate FAZER chocolate bars from Stockmann.

This cafe and restaurant had a branch on the top floor of Stockmann's Department Store. Actually, I liked it better to this site because it was quieter, sleeker, and hip looking. Mind you, cheap is not a word to describe this place. Be ready to shell out lots of euros to eat here.