While my 35th birthday isn't until June 16th, I did turn 60 on June 8th upon arrival into Estonia. 60 countries visited. It was a festive occasion. The captain of the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn gave me a hug and a hearty handshake. There was a parade through the streets of Old Town Tallinn, and to top it all off, the Prime Minister of Estonia gave me the key to the City of Tallinn for the day. Or none of that stuff happened and upon leaving the ferry I had to schlep about 1/2 mile on the cobblestone streets of Tallinn with my large backpack in tow and then climb 4 flights of stairs to get to my hostel.
Sweaty and tired, I managed to persevere through another work-free day. Sara and I immediately fell in love with Old Town Tallinn and later that night indulged in an amazing 3 course travel birthday dinner consisting of fresh dark bread right out of the oven, baked goat cheese, salmon with lentil pie and a cheesecake-esque pumpkin and sea buckthorn pie that evening at Rataskaevu 16.
It was the first of many great meals in that city, one which I would highly recommend to anyone reading this blog. Lots of Old Towns in Europe try to retain their charm, but ultimately get consumed by the cosmopolitan ways of the present. I'm currently in Riga, Latvia and after only being here a few hours, I can already tell that their Old Town is one such example. Tallinn is different. Even in the height of the day, with tourists buzzing all around, you can still find quiet alleys with quaint little shops and eateries. You can still have commanding views of the city all to yourself and wonder how life must have been back when the cobblestone streets and stone walls surrounding the city were under constant attack from the Germans and Russians, desperate to control such a vital and strategic port city.
It's a shame that so many of the tourists were most likely part of a Scandinavian/Baltic cruise. While a trip to Tallinn might not be worth more than a couple of days during a 7-10 day vacation, it's certainly worth more than a 2 hour walking tour and lunch in the touristy town square before heading to the next port of call. If I would suggest how best to explore this region, I wouldn't do it as part of pre-planned cruise. There are ferries which link Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, and Tallinn. It is very easy to book tickets online or upon arrival into each port. I would spend more of time in Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and Tallinn and maybe give Helsinki a day. There really wasn't anything spectacular about that city. Once you see the Art Nouveau buildings along the waterfront and maybe indulge in a traditional sauna, board a ship to one of the other more interesting cities.
Another vacation unto itself should be a trip to Iceland. Iceland was amazing and should definitely be visited by anyone and everyone. While it is a bit pricey, there is amazing and varied scenery, delicious food, and is very tourist friendly. Free wifi is everywhere. Credit cards are widely accepted and their use is encouraged instead of cash. Everyone speaks English and road signs are very easy to follow when driving around the island. Sara and I rented a Toyota Yaris during our time in Iceland. We were hoping the backseats would fold down so that when we stayed in campgrounds, we could fold them down and get a relatively good night of sleep. Lucky for us, the seats did fold down. Unlucky for us, the car was so compact, our feet would have been hanging out of the trunk if we lied down. So we reclined the front seats and slept in our sleeping bags in what amounted to be a makeshift fort on 4 wheels. We bought non-perishable supplies in Reykjavik to last 5 days and would occasionally stop at a market to replenish. No cooking was done. Just the finest gourmet beef jerky, tuna fish, spinach, cucumber, cheese, bread, avocado, and beer budget money could buy. The beer was really good, which although it surprised me, it shouldn't have given they use pure glacial water during the brewing process. Buy your beer at the Vinbudin stores. It's about $3/bottle instead of $8-10/bottle at pubs.
The scenery is amazing, or at least I think it is. Dreary conditions for most of the trip didn't allow us to experience Iceland at its' most beautiful, but we caught glimpses. Any country where, in the course of 7 days, you can leisurely visit: glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls, craters, fjords, lakes, rivers, black sand beaches, lunar landscapes, lush green valleys, hot springs, diverging tectonic plates, geysers, and an ocean is OK by me. Summer is definitely the time to go as daylight is endless. Nothing ever seems to close, so even when visitor centers shut down for the day, the sights themselves were still free to be explored. Having a car and not being forced to do our sightseeing by tour bus allowed us to do the majority of our exploration devoid of tourists. It was a great week filled with enjoyable hikes, hot spring soaks, sauna relaxation, glacier viewing, waterfall hopping, and mouth-watering cuisine. Should be a great trip if every country can entertain us as much as Iceland did.
Anyway, here's the countries visited list breakdown:
North America (4): USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
South America (6): Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay
Europe (26): Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia
Asia (8): Turkey, Jordan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China
Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand
Africa (14): South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt
I should eclipse 70 by the end of the trip, which is kind of exciting.
So, the trip has gone very well to date. All modes of transportation have been timely and efficient, lots of good food and drink have been consumed, and I'm still married. So, "Yea for me." Cheers.
Sweaty and tired, I managed to persevere through another work-free day. Sara and I immediately fell in love with Old Town Tallinn and later that night indulged in an amazing 3 course travel birthday dinner consisting of fresh dark bread right out of the oven, baked goat cheese, salmon with lentil pie and a cheesecake-esque pumpkin and sea buckthorn pie that evening at Rataskaevu 16.
 |
| See. I told you I look good for 60. |
It was the first of many great meals in that city, one which I would highly recommend to anyone reading this blog. Lots of Old Towns in Europe try to retain their charm, but ultimately get consumed by the cosmopolitan ways of the present. I'm currently in Riga, Latvia and after only being here a few hours, I can already tell that their Old Town is one such example. Tallinn is different. Even in the height of the day, with tourists buzzing all around, you can still find quiet alleys with quaint little shops and eateries. You can still have commanding views of the city all to yourself and wonder how life must have been back when the cobblestone streets and stone walls surrounding the city were under constant attack from the Germans and Russians, desperate to control such a vital and strategic port city.
It's a shame that so many of the tourists were most likely part of a Scandinavian/Baltic cruise. While a trip to Tallinn might not be worth more than a couple of days during a 7-10 day vacation, it's certainly worth more than a 2 hour walking tour and lunch in the touristy town square before heading to the next port of call. If I would suggest how best to explore this region, I wouldn't do it as part of pre-planned cruise. There are ferries which link Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, and Tallinn. It is very easy to book tickets online or upon arrival into each port. I would spend more of time in Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and Tallinn and maybe give Helsinki a day. There really wasn't anything spectacular about that city. Once you see the Art Nouveau buildings along the waterfront and maybe indulge in a traditional sauna, board a ship to one of the other more interesting cities.
Another vacation unto itself should be a trip to Iceland. Iceland was amazing and should definitely be visited by anyone and everyone. While it is a bit pricey, there is amazing and varied scenery, delicious food, and is very tourist friendly. Free wifi is everywhere. Credit cards are widely accepted and their use is encouraged instead of cash. Everyone speaks English and road signs are very easy to follow when driving around the island. Sara and I rented a Toyota Yaris during our time in Iceland. We were hoping the backseats would fold down so that when we stayed in campgrounds, we could fold them down and get a relatively good night of sleep. Lucky for us, the seats did fold down. Unlucky for us, the car was so compact, our feet would have been hanging out of the trunk if we lied down. So we reclined the front seats and slept in our sleeping bags in what amounted to be a makeshift fort on 4 wheels. We bought non-perishable supplies in Reykjavik to last 5 days and would occasionally stop at a market to replenish. No cooking was done. Just the finest gourmet beef jerky, tuna fish, spinach, cucumber, cheese, bread, avocado, and beer budget money could buy. The beer was really good, which although it surprised me, it shouldn't have given they use pure glacial water during the brewing process. Buy your beer at the Vinbudin stores. It's about $3/bottle instead of $8-10/bottle at pubs.
 |
| Enjoying the Yaris |
 |
| Chef Sara preparing dinner in the finest kitchen known to man. |
 |
| Hostel Yaris, complete with sleep sack and towel blinds. |
The scenery is amazing, or at least I think it is. Dreary conditions for most of the trip didn't allow us to experience Iceland at its' most beautiful, but we caught glimpses. Any country where, in the course of 7 days, you can leisurely visit: glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls, craters, fjords, lakes, rivers, black sand beaches, lunar landscapes, lush green valleys, hot springs, diverging tectonic plates, geysers, and an ocean is OK by me. Summer is definitely the time to go as daylight is endless. Nothing ever seems to close, so even when visitor centers shut down for the day, the sights themselves were still free to be explored. Having a car and not being forced to do our sightseeing by tour bus allowed us to do the majority of our exploration devoid of tourists. It was a great week filled with enjoyable hikes, hot spring soaks, sauna relaxation, glacier viewing, waterfall hopping, and mouth-watering cuisine. Should be a great trip if every country can entertain us as much as Iceland did.
Anyway, here's the countries visited list breakdown:
North America (4): USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
South America (6): Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay
Europe (26): Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia
Asia (8): Turkey, Jordan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China
Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand
Africa (14): South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt
I should eclipse 70 by the end of the trip, which is kind of exciting.
So, the trip has gone very well to date. All modes of transportation have been timely and efficient, lots of good food and drink have been consumed, and I'm still married. So, "Yea for me." Cheers.
Happy for you guys! Have fun and your description of Tallinn is pretty much exactly what I have imagined. Can't wait to go and can't wait to get annoyed by the cruisers.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it is cold there???? Have fun.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you made it to Estonia and enjoyed your time there. We have many wonderful friends from Estonia and it is a country I've always wanted to visit. Sounds like all except the weather and the cramped sleeping arrangement went well in Iceland. After the cramped sleeping quarters bet the water in the Blue Lagoon felt great!
ReplyDeleteHappy Travels
MomG