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Larry Paradine · Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 64

Usually I go west for new Russian visas, but this time I may go north. Three questions:

1) Does anyone know a clinic in either St. Petersburg or Talinnin that can issue a HIV spravka the same day as the blood test? I've been informed by the Russian Consulate in Tallinin by e-mail that I need a spravka and the HIV clinic here in Samara refuses to issue one in less than a week (last year they agreed to issue one quickly but the Russian Consulate in Warsaw didn't want it anyway).

2) Does anyone know somewhere cheap to stay in Tallinin? I've never been there but it looks like I'll have to stay there at least two nights because the Consulate says a same day visa can be issued but won't be valid for 48 hours (!)

3) Does anyone know anything about the Consulate in Narva? The big attraction, of course, is that it's right on the border, I have a vision of arriving in the morning and going back to Russia in the afternoon, but it probably isn't that simple. They don't have an e-mail address and I don't want to go there on the off-chance only to find that it only opens twice a week and takes a week to process an "urgent" visa (as is the case now in Daugavpils, or was last year, hence my subsequent unplanned and expensive trip to the Consulate in Warsaw.)

4) Does anyone know a cheap place to stay in Helsinki? Or is that just a fantasy?

Thanks.

Larry Paradine · Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 64

P.S. Anticipating the inevitable pedantic correction: that should read Tallinn.

enrico palazzo · Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 12:42 am Post subject:

www.oldhouse.ee

zaneth · Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 12:20 pm Post subject: Tallinn

I always went to Tallinn for visas when I lived in Russia. Last time I got my HIV test in Tallinn. It was only the one time that they even made me get it. I was able to make friends in Tallinn when I went there and never had to pay for a hotel room. You might be able to do the same. If the weather is good you could probably camp. Lots of wide open spaces not far out of town.

There are far worse places to spend a week. I always enjoyed myself there.

The only thing I've ever heard about Helsinki is that it's expensive. Anything's possible, I'm sure, but Tallinn is your better bet and I don't think you'll regret the time spent there.

Larry Paradine · Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 64

Thanks, "zaneth". Sorry about the late reply, have only just got back to my PC in Samara (the only Internet opportunity in Tallinn appeared to be the Internet Bar in the Old Town, and I prefer to pay for a computer instead of having to pay inflated prices for bad beer and get 'free" Internet access). I agree with your assessment of Tallinn but with one grouchy comment: too many beer tourists pushing up prices and making life difficult for visitors on a shoestring and any Tallinn resident not involved in some way in the tourist trade (a miniature Prague).

Information for anyone going to Tallinn for a visa:

You need a HIV/AIDS certificate, which can be obtained the same day from a clinic recommended by the Russian Consulate at a hefty price;

The Consulate will issue a same day visa (needless to say, at a price) but you can't use it for 48 hours (e.g. I got my visa on Friday26th May, it was valid from the 28th, I left Tallinn by bus late in the evening on 27th May, passed through the Russian border early in the morning on the 28th) so be prepared for a minimum of one additional night in Tallinn after getting your visa. If you speak Russian and want to live cheaply, it might be a better idea to apply for your visa at the Consulate in Narva, but the 48 hour rule still applies.

Concerning money: I decided not to change roubles into hard currency before I left Russia but instead changed directly from roubles into Estonain kronen in Tallinn. That was a mistake: I got such a bad exchange rate that I calculate it would have been more economical to change roubles into euros in Russia and then convert the euros into kronen in Tallinn.

GF · Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 238 Location: Tallinn

I have been living in Tallinn for 2 years now and I have to respond to Larry's post. First off, the local beer here is very good. It stands up quite well with all the Western imports and it is far better than any Russian beer I have ever had (I did 5 years in Moscow). About beer prices. You should have tried bars off the Square. Hell Hunt has good prices for its own brand, which is excellent, and Happy Hour at most bars and clubs makes drinking yourself silly affordable. You just have to get the timing right. It's too bad you didn't have a local expat to guide you to the better drinking holes. There is a reason why all those tourists come here! I tend to agree with you about those tourists but they drive the economy here and make late-night outing an adventure.
Internet access is available in many places and the rate charged varies wildly. Again, a local can save you a lot of money. And talking about money, always do your exchanges in a bank. They exchange offices set up for tourists burn the hell out of them, but the banks don't.
I hope your experience wasn't completely negative Larry. Tallinn really is a great place and the people here are wonderful. I did a visa run like you some years back and fell in love with the place. That is why I live here now and will continue to do so for many more years to come. If you are in town next year for another visa, I would be more than happy to give you a beer tour.

Larry Paradine · Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 64

Thanks for your post GF. I'll take you up on the beer guide next time I'm in Tallinn. Actually I didn't intend my remarks to sound as negative as you read them. The few locals I met were friendly and helpful, it was the foreign (mainly British, I'm ashamed to say) yobboes chanting xenophobic slogans and vomiting in the street that turned me off. I don't deny for a moment that Tallinn, well, the Old City, is one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. I can understand why you decided to stay there.

zaneth · Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:53 am Post subject:

Apparently all three Baltic capitals have been visited by this plague of locusts known as British stag partyers. Went to a Hotel lobby bar the other day with a friend. Usually a bastion of emptiness in the evenings. I really couldn't believe how much noise this small group of British guys was making. I kept glancing over to reconfirm that it was really only a few people. It's not like they had to shout over loud music or a crowded bar, but their voices (and antics) were loud enough for it. Strange.

bobs12 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 310 Location: Saint Petersburg

GF, I'll be in Tallinn this weekend, if you fancy meeting for a beer let me know Smile

I'm off to do my visa run, but in Helsinki via Tallinn (visiting a friend in Tallinn on the way, ferry to Helsinki & back, etc.) just for a jaunt.

Tallinn is on joint first place with Ljubljana among the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. And yes, sad to say, the only downside is the British Beer Tourist contingent that spoils it. Very sad, blame EasyJet.

There should be a muppet detector at the airport that drops yobs down a trapdoor into a trailer that takes them to Kaliningrad to be forced into slavery in a BMW factory.

GF · Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 238 Location: Tallinn

Hey bobs12. I may not be able to meet up with you because my wife is expected to give birth this week/weekend and I will then be spending three days with her and the baby in a family room in the maternity ward. If, however, the big moment doesn't come before you are here, then I will be pleased to meet up for a beer and a chat. Let me know the days and times you will be in town and PM me your mobile number so I can let you know if I am available then. In any case, good luck with all the official paperwork (Thank God I don't have to go through that any more!) and have a pleasant trip.