Oct 6, 2012 - Tallinn, Estonia

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND In the interest of expediency, here are some excerpts from the Lonely Planet - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania chapter on Tallinn: If you’re labouring under the misconception that ‘former Soviet’ means dull and grey and that all tourist traps are soulless, Tallinn will delight in proving you wrong. This city has charm by the bucket load, fusing the modern and medieval to come up with a vibrant vibe all of its own. It’s an intoxicating mix of ancient church spires, glass skyscrapers, baroque palaces, appealing eateries,...

Sep 7, 2012 - Baltic Tiger

It’s that time of the year again. I’m off on my way to Africa for a third year, this time on the clock. As the Program Director for the Alaska Sudan Medical Project, I have my work cut out for me for the next several months as we have some vital projects to complete in “the village” in South Sudan. I figured I’d fire up the old TripJournal again. I can’t believe it has been 8 years since my first post. Might as well keep her going, as I am sure there will be some noteworthy diversions in this African adventure. Whether they will be welcome...

Sep 7, 2012 - Tallinn, Estonia

Took the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia for the day a great old Russian city to walk around in, lots of old Church's and the old city wall had some lunch before going back to the ferry heading back to Helsinki. Great day exploring the city even with the off and on rain shower.

Aug 1, 2011 - Tallinn and Parnu

We arrived in Tallinn before lunch and quickly checked into our hostel before heading into the amazing old town for lunch. After lunch we wandered for a little while then tracked down a supermarket and a pharmacy as I was still sick. That night we discovered the amazing food in the Baltics before heading back to our sweat box of a hostel. The 28th I realised I was still very unwell and our sweat box room with no fan and windows that didn't open was not helping. Eventually I managed to drag myself out for the walking tour and a bowl of soup...

Jul 16, 2011 - Tallinn, Estonia

We arrived in Tallinn, Estonia on a foggy Saturday morning. It looked like it was going to be a cold day, but it quickly cleared and warmed. Tallinn is a beautifully preserved medieval town. We proceeded to do a walking tour by Rick Steves’, the travel guru. Before entering the city gates, we spotted a monument dedicated to victims of a tragic ferry boat accident in 1991. Juju decided to climb it (it was about 30 - 40 feet from the ground). Mom was scared out of her mind and had to turn away to take a picture of another couple to keep...

Jun 16, 2011 - Out in Estonia

14th June This is definitely not Scandinavia. Just 2 hours across the Baltic sea but a world apart. We have, unwittingly done this very well. Denmark felt very much like England but neater, Sweden again felt very comfortable except at the bar (when you could find one) and Finland started to feel more foreign with a definite Russian influence. Here we can definitely identify that this was part of the USSR until they gained independence in 1991 – very recent and we have seen this described as the ‘Communist Terror’. We have just spent a...

Jun 12, 2011 - Estonia

12th June Now on the ferry to Estonia! Finished our Scandinavian bit of the tour did about 1200 miles so not bad in 4 weeks. Yesterday spent the day in Helsinki. Not particularly pretty and scenic like Copenhagen and Stockholm but we enjoyed our day as there was a Samba Parade from the main square which was really colourful and vibrant against the backdrop of the Cathedral. We just looked at the weather and Finland is the hottest place so it felt like the cocacabana in bright sunshine and 28 degrees. We also caught the tail end to a music...

May 30, 2011 - Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia is the smallest of the Baltic States and also the most westernized. Independence from Russia was declared in 1991 after being under their control since 1710. Tallinn is an important Baltic harbor and one of the prettiest cities in the Baltic. The old town is a medieval enclave with old walls, towers, winding cobbled lanes and buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. The decision was to see Tallinn on our own. We got a late start so we took the shuttle into town. We bought post cards and also mailed our Russian ones. Will they do...

Apr 29, 2011 - Tallinn with Gen

Summary: As Wills & Kate decided to tie the knot in London, Genevieve and I decided to spend the 4-day long weekend in another country. Estonia was suggested by Jeremy, and away we went! Pre-trip highlight: Going away to a place I never would have thought I wanted to visit, with one of my fab girlfriends Memorable experiences: 1. Being told numerous times by people in the sauna that a bathing suit was waaaaay too much clothing 2. Having a vodka shot as a starter (as you do!) then trying to navigate the stairs down to the ladies room while...

Oct 27, 2010 - Tartu - Oct 25-27

October 25, 2010 Given I was up until 2am watching the NFL and then up again at 3am to check the clock I had only myself to blame for being tired this morning. I had set the alarm early in the hope it would be light enough for me to rush up to the windmill and take some photos but alas it was not to be. The bus to Tartu left Kuressaare at just after 8am and just after 9am we were back on the ferry to the mainland. The bus took around 6 hours to get to Tartu and I slept quite a lot of it. When I was awake however, there was some really cool...

Oct 24, 2010 - Kuressaare - Oct 21-24

October 21, 2010 I got up quite early this morning as I couldn’t sleep. There were three girls in our room who were leaving so I got out of their way and sat in the common room and lazed around for an hour or so until Elizabeth woke up. We packed up and had breakfast and then caught tram to bus station. It was quite a shame to be leaving as we’d had a really good time here. There isn’t an amazing array of sights to visit within the city itself but the town is pleasant to walk around and Yanush at the hostel had been great and really...

Oct 20, 2010 - Tallinn - Oct 17-20

October 17, 2010 Today our short sojourn to Finland was over and we had to get up and get packed to leave. We had an afternoon ferry to Tallinn so we weren’t in a huge rush. We sat in the common area at the hostel and lazed around, eating the pastries we’d bought yesterday for our breakfast. Eventually we decided to leave the hostel and grab some lunch before we got the ferry. We had spotted a Thai restaurant near the ferry terminal and so we headed there. The food was really good and it had been a while since we’d had Thai so we really...