Day Three: On the Road Again

The travelers' schedule is posted on the Viikingit 98 team website: http://www.viikingit98.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=145&Itemid=61, so everyone can see what is happening from day to day. Keep in mind that Helsinki is seven hours ahead of Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, the boys, coaches, and a couple of additional parents headed to Vierumaki, a sports camp about an hour from Helsinki, for an overnight stay. Word from the camp is that all has gone very well, with floorball and saunas being a big hit--more to come on that when the players and families are reunited and the stories downloaded. But meanwhile, many of the Hawks families took the opportunity to head to Estonia. There was a small moment of panic when again, two of the travelers (who shall remain nameless) misplaced their passports. Fortunately, they realized this on Monday night, and figured that the bag in which the passports had been stashed were either at their host family's house or in the cab they had taken back to the hotel. Thankfully, they were with the host family, and the passports were retrieved just in time to board the ferry. So the Hawks are 5-for-5 on this trip for passports lost, then found.

The ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia's capital, takes just two hours, and the travelers were again accompanied by four of our Finnish hosts. Upon arriving, the hardy group endured a brief blizzard, but the snow retreated after about a half hour, leaving only the cold for all to enjoy. The group divided and followed two professional tour guides through Tallinn's beautiful Old Town. They then shifted from medieval to modern with a trip to the KGB Museum. The KGB Museum, thankfully, was indoors, away from the elements. However, jet lag remains an issue: there was one parent (who shall remain nameless) who literally fell over, asleep, while on the tour. The tour guide continued her routine as if nothing had happened, while fellow Hawks families tried to avoid laughing (and failed miserably). Mercifully for that parent, it was then time for a medieval dinner at the Peppersack Inn (http://www.peppersack.ee/), in a building that dates from the early 14th century, followed by the ferry back to Helsinki and a return to the nice, comfortable Hilton beds. And happily for all, there was nothing on the schedule for the families until 1:00 p.m. the next day--at last, a day to sleep in!