Travelling is so much better than work...
Arrived in Helsinki without a hitch except that we way overshot our hostel when we arrived and after walking for 20mins turned round and found it about 2 minutes away from the central station. Helsinki's a decent sort of a city but lacks a bit of character. It was very clean and whatnot but lacked any real distinguishing features and was a little on the expensive side of cheap.. We spent a couple of nights there dining on fish soup in fish markets and wandering around island forts but after only two days we didn't feel as though we were leaving a great deal behind.
At the last minute our plans flipped around and instead of going from Helsinki to St Petersburg, we decided to make the ferry trip across to Tallinn. If I'm being completely honest the reason for the sudden change was that Hana had me start a book she'd read set in St Petersburg and refused to let me go there until I'd finished it. Despite a commendable effort I got nowhere near so Tallinn it was.. The ferry crossing was uneventful but I'm pleased to say that I got a new stamp in passport with a picture of a ship on it. I'm a simple creature.. I should say now that Tallinn is the most beautiful town i've ever seen (I should limit this to the old town because the tram ride out to the bus station in the 'burbs took us past some ex-soviet ghetto-type housing). After walking the 10 minutes to old town from the port and then another 10 minutes to the alleged location of our chosen hostel out of the lonely planet, we grimmed out a bit when a receptionist at a much nicer hotel informed us that it no longer existed. Just plonked down beside a well in the middle of a cobblestone street at the top of a small hill. It will be one of those memories we'll look back on and smile at but at the time it wasn't the happiest. The hostel we found in the end was about 2 minutes from our well so the grim was short lived. Its hard to pick out highlights of Tallinn - its more the town as a whole. After three days we had seen all there was to see (at least all we wanted to see) but I could have easily spent another few days there just wandering the streets. Before catching the bus to Tartu - Estonia's answer to Oxford (or Clayton) - we managed to catch an Estonian lunch buffet. It worked out well cause we were able to sample a number of local dishes, as well as stuff our faces...
We stayed in the student halls in Tartu and had the luxury of a private bathroom, kitchen and TV. This of course meant we isolated ourselves a bit and my grand ideas of joining some group of Estonian students on a crawl of the local watering holes never eventuated. Did see some old KGB cells which miserably failed to make up for it but was cool nonetheless.
A couple of days in Tartu pretty much brings us to now. This morning we were up at the ungodly hour of 5.30 for an early bus to Valmiera, Latvia where we transferred to a train bound for Sigulda. My hour in Valmiera was enough time to decide that it was a hole and that Latvian men love the old moustache. Our bus driver who took us from the bus to the train station was a dead ringer for Tom Selleck. It would be too obvious to say they are simply 20 years behind world fashion, so I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and say that this is purely and simply for the love of the 'tache. We got to Sigulda, a small town on the edge of a National Park with sweeping gorges and spectacular caves. Well I hear they're spectacular. We only spent the day in Sigulda and the majority of it was spent waiting on either side for the bloody cable car. Being autumn the colours in the national park were particularly spectacular, and the cable car ride gave the best view of all this, but there is only one and takes half an hour to do a round trip. Having to wait for three to come before our turn became tedious and then deciding to alight at the other side to see the castle was a schoolboy error as we had to wait again to come back.. Sigulda is good for fitting a lot of worthwhile things into a small area (and would have even more to do in winter with skiing and a bobsleigh run) and I could probably have spent longer there but Russia is calling.
We're now in Riga after catching the evening train and are wrecked after a long day (hence the internet). Turns out Latvia is quite expensive (the Lat is worth more than the pound) and I don't know how much longer I can deal with this many moustaches so we may yet be on the overnight to Moscow tomorrow. Have to wait and see what there is to see and do here.
Sorry this has just turned into a travel email that can't be deleted (just received Lyds' and promised I would be more interesting - and failing). If you're angry at me wasting your valuable time feel free to post complaints and suggestions at the bottom. Elsewise I'll most likely next be in touch from Russia. How exciting.
Arrived in Helsinki without a hitch except that we way overshot our hostel when we arrived and after walking for 20mins turned round and found it about 2 minutes away from the central station. Helsinki's a decent sort of a city but lacks a bit of character. It was very clean and whatnot but lacked any real distinguishing features and was a little on the expensive side of cheap.. We spent a couple of nights there dining on fish soup in fish markets and wandering around island forts but after only two days we didn't feel as though we were leaving a great deal behind.
At the last minute our plans flipped around and instead of going from Helsinki to St Petersburg, we decided to make the ferry trip across to Tallinn. If I'm being completely honest the reason for the sudden change was that Hana had me start a book she'd read set in St Petersburg and refused to let me go there until I'd finished it. Despite a commendable effort I got nowhere near so Tallinn it was.. The ferry crossing was uneventful but I'm pleased to say that I got a new stamp in passport with a picture of a ship on it. I'm a simple creature.. I should say now that Tallinn is the most beautiful town i've ever seen (I should limit this to the old town because the tram ride out to the bus station in the 'burbs took us past some ex-soviet ghetto-type housing). After walking the 10 minutes to old town from the port and then another 10 minutes to the alleged location of our chosen hostel out of the lonely planet, we grimmed out a bit when a receptionist at a much nicer hotel informed us that it no longer existed. Just plonked down beside a well in the middle of a cobblestone street at the top of a small hill. It will be one of those memories we'll look back on and smile at but at the time it wasn't the happiest. The hostel we found in the end was about 2 minutes from our well so the grim was short lived. Its hard to pick out highlights of Tallinn - its more the town as a whole. After three days we had seen all there was to see (at least all we wanted to see) but I could have easily spent another few days there just wandering the streets. Before catching the bus to Tartu - Estonia's answer to Oxford (or Clayton) - we managed to catch an Estonian lunch buffet. It worked out well cause we were able to sample a number of local dishes, as well as stuff our faces...
We stayed in the student halls in Tartu and had the luxury of a private bathroom, kitchen and TV. This of course meant we isolated ourselves a bit and my grand ideas of joining some group of Estonian students on a crawl of the local watering holes never eventuated. Did see some old KGB cells which miserably failed to make up for it but was cool nonetheless.
A couple of days in Tartu pretty much brings us to now. This morning we were up at the ungodly hour of 5.30 for an early bus to Valmiera, Latvia where we transferred to a train bound for Sigulda. My hour in Valmiera was enough time to decide that it was a hole and that Latvian men love the old moustache. Our bus driver who took us from the bus to the train station was a dead ringer for Tom Selleck. It would be too obvious to say they are simply 20 years behind world fashion, so I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and say that this is purely and simply for the love of the 'tache. We got to Sigulda, a small town on the edge of a National Park with sweeping gorges and spectacular caves. Well I hear they're spectacular. We only spent the day in Sigulda and the majority of it was spent waiting on either side for the bloody cable car. Being autumn the colours in the national park were particularly spectacular, and the cable car ride gave the best view of all this, but there is only one and takes half an hour to do a round trip. Having to wait for three to come before our turn became tedious and then deciding to alight at the other side to see the castle was a schoolboy error as we had to wait again to come back.. Sigulda is good for fitting a lot of worthwhile things into a small area (and would have even more to do in winter with skiing and a bobsleigh run) and I could probably have spent longer there but Russia is calling.
We're now in Riga after catching the evening train and are wrecked after a long day (hence the internet). Turns out Latvia is quite expensive (the Lat is worth more than the pound) and I don't know how much longer I can deal with this many moustaches so we may yet be on the overnight to Moscow tomorrow. Have to wait and see what there is to see and do here.
Sorry this has just turned into a travel email that can't be deleted (just received Lyds' and promised I would be more interesting - and failing). If you're angry at me wasting your valuable time feel free to post complaints and suggestions at the bottom. Elsewise I'll most likely next be in touch from Russia. How exciting.
posted by YT at 10:09 pm
3 Comments:
Tommy here.
Who doesn't love moustaches? I think you should get more into the spirit of things by growing your own. I'm sure Hana will stop you from doing this, but think about how great all your photos would be if you boasted an even more impressive moustache with every city you go to!
I wholeheartedly support the movement for a 'stache. You can grow it long in Eastern Europe, trim it back a bit to fit into the Spanish and French crowds, then make it pencil thin and change your name to Queblo for your South American adventures...
Your descriptions are good, but you should compliment them with some photos for us illiterate ones.
In other news, my thesis is almost done, and you've filled in your side of the bargain by not having a France 99/00 tantrum and coming home early to distract me with your lack of a work ethic. I'll make sure to post it up when it's completed.
Tell Hana the dates of the Vietnam trip have been settled, so she can expect an e-mail about it when you both return to a country which has electricity.
Good voyage,
J.
As a previous proud wearer of the noble moustache, I take some exception at your seemingly anti- moustache attitude. Further, your mother once sported a version (at a period of hormone imbalance)- perhaps Hana could consider the issue. After all son, there is nothing wrong with a woman with a good growth of facial hair.
Dad
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