Tallinn & Riga; Day 2

So we woke up for what was a hearty breakfast before heading out into the cold for some last minute shopping. Tallinn has a popular street (St Catherines Walk I think its called) where you can buy lots of hand made things. There are also lots of stalls selling pretty much the same thing at the same price - knitted gloves, hats, socks etc. However each stall has slightly different designs and you could spend an hour looking up and down deciding on your favourite pattern. In the end I went for this pair...

After that we went on a hunt for a cheap Estonian flag. There were quite a few around, but at 95kr (about €7) I was sure we could find cheaper. In the end we found one in a liquor store for 50kr. Sucess. A quick sweep of the CD stores, and then it was back to hotel to check out and start our journey to Riga.

Along the way, we made a lunch stop in a lovely town called Perno. I only walked around for 30 minutes, but I managed to take 26 photos! Not a bad average. There were just so many interesting buildings, a strange mix of wooden and concrete. a striking church had some interesting ice sculptures out front, which made for a nice photo I think...


But then it was back on the coach and on to Riga! It was dark by the time we arrived but some of us decided to go get our bearings before we all went out for lunch. We only made a quick circle round the hotel but managed to see the opera house, the freedom monument and the russian orthodox church.


After that we headed to what seemed to be the only option for Latvian cuisine, since its the only place anyone we asked could think of. Its was called Lido, and did good cheap food in a self-service style place. I just had chicken skewer and potatoes with salad. Then on to a bar. It was very cold, so we settled on one just 2 doors down from Lido! It was nice a cheap though, so we had a bottle of very cheap fizzy wine (think Labrusco) to share...

Then it was on to a club for the hard-core lot, but back to the hotel and bed for me. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

Eine Kleine EssenMusik

Is it normal for a philharmonic orchestra to start playing classical music in the middle of the university canteen I wonder? Hmm...

Tallinn & Riga; Day 1

Maybe doing these post's as 'days' is not a good idea. I was awake nearly 24 hours for the first day, so this might be a longish post...

So yes, I woke at 3am in order to get the coach at 4am. We were getting the ferry from Helsinki at 7am, so that we could get to Tallinn by 9am. We then had a bit of a wonder round before being met by our tour guide for the day. He had a very nice accent :) Anyway, he was a student from the university of Tallinn and so gave the perspective of young people in Estonia. Having only got its independence 18 years ago, it is still somewhat of a new country. It is however clearly taking its example from Finland. There are many Finnish companies here, and a lot of the shop and restaurant workers speak Finnish (its very similar to Estonian, and most of the tourists are Finns).

First he took us on the coach to the presidential palace. From here we could also see the art museum built into limestone (Estonia's national rock - do we have an official rock in the UK I wonder?) Anyway, the palace was very nice, and the flag was up so he was in. It was right by a lovely park with lots of ducks. Still happily swimming in the frozen lake. Nutters.


We then carried on to the song festival grounds. Every 4 years or so Estonia holds a huge song festival. Coincidently it is due to be held this summer. This is where I fell over for the first time all year. Very annoyed, thought I was getting the hang of this snow thing. Oh well.


We then had a quick look around a more wooden area of Tallinn before heading back to the old town. A few more chances to take some photos from the viewing platform and then it was time to check into the hotel. Was very nice, and very close to everything. (the breakfast was great too, hehe).


But after that it was time to go and sample a medieval feast. Tallinn's old town is really old. Medieval old. So they have a place called Olde Hansa, which serves authentic medieval cuisine (no potatoes here). They also sell items made in a medieval way. For example I bought a hand-made glass, complete with blobs on the side to help you grip it with your greasy hands. Luckily for our feast we were permitted knives and forks! The food was good, but quite rich. You really couldnt eat too much of it. After that we had another beer before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the evening.


Our tour guide was involved in ESN Tallinn, and told us that they were holding the welcome party for the new exchange students that night and we were very welcome to join them. Having been up since 3am, it probably wasnt a good idea. But the club was just 2minutes walk from the hotel, and we were going to be spending most of the next day on a coach, so I braved it (with a bit of a hand from some nice Estonian cider). Was a lot of fun. A nice place and relatively good music. Was tucked up in bed by 2am though.

Return from Tallinn & Riga

So I return from my trip to the baltics. And I'm shattered. But, it was by far the best trip of this year. I really really enjoyed myself. I just relaxed, didnt worry about work or money or anything. The company was great, the trip was well organised, and the destinations were great. And nothing went wrong! Hurrah! Well apart from the fact I left (my favourite) mittens in Tallinn and that I found my 175kr after I got back (about €10). But I'm planning to return to Tallinn again in the summer, so will spend them then, and also went and got myself another pair of those mittens since they are still selling them in Anttila.

Anyway, I have lots of pretty pictures, and interesting stories to tell, so will start on the diary's pronto! Just so long as I can keep awake...

Oh, also, I returned to find that we have a new housemate. (we also have only one small light still functioning in the kitchen... not good in the dark evenings). She's also from Spain, but seems a lot nicer than the nightmare housemate of last semester. She's only just arrived so doesn't know anyone yet, but is starting her placement at the hospital today. She's studying nursing and seems to be here for a similar thing as me, so we should get on alright. No crazy partys... not on weeknights at least ;)

You Get It And Go

Sorry for the lack of travel posts. I will definitely be posting about Lapland once I return from my weekend in the Baltics. Thats right, im away again. I will be leaving 4am(!) thursday morning for a 4-day trek around Tallinn & Riga. I went to Tallinn back in August, but I always hoped to get back there again before the year is out. Its very beautiful, and so close! And as a pit stop on the way to Riga, its ideal. I know there are rediculously cheap flights from Tampere to Riga, but by the time you add in the train fair to Tampere and back, this organised trip will work out about the same. And I get to view the scenary between here and Riga on the way. After the 16 hour coach trip to Lapland, this should be a dodle.

But in the meantime, this has been a surprisingly stressful few days. I was dying for the weekend to come, as I was still completely wiped from Lapland. Back to work on monday though, and I realised I still had to pay for this weekends trip, and I had left my bank stuff at home! Meant I had to take a 2 hour lunch break to go home, get my stuff, get back to town to the bank, and then wolf down lunch... And I had intended to finish off an important interim report that is due back at my home uni by the end of the month. I had set myself the deadline of finishing it before going to Lapland, but that didnt happen. So am determined to have it finished before Tallinn instead. Hopefully it will be in the post tomorrow afternoon!

Other things stressing me out include, the laundry room machines breaking down, meaning I've just flooded the bathroom in an attempt to get enough clean clothes to pack tomorrow night, and also the fact that my toe has decided to start playing up. My toe has hurt on and off for a while, but since Lapland it has definitely been more on than off. Especially today, at times it was so so painful I was starting to think it might be broken. I'll soldier on though...

So, until Monday (if I'm still alive!)

Don't You Know Who You Are? You're My Shooting Star

There's a song that, although quite old now, I return to time and time again. I have a terrible habit of buying albums because I like the single, listening to it once, and then discarding it. This is what I did with Air Traffic's album. However, I always had the feeling that if I just gave the album a chance, a bit of time to sit and really listen to it, that I would learn to love it. The fact that I keep going back to this song is a testament of how well-written the songs are.

So this week I have been listening to Fractured Life, and it is indeed starting to nestle a place in my heart. I don't love all the songs, but I certainly love more than just the one I'm going to share with you. No More Running Away is my current favourite, but the single that made me buy the album is called Shooting Star and its a beautifully dramatic love song. I don't understand how bands like Keane, Snow Patrol and Coldplay are so famous, and this band never really got a chance to shine.

Lapland Pictures

I havent had time this week to write up a diary of my Lapland trip, but for those of you that are interested you can view my photo album of pictures from the week here...

Lapland