Hey Everyone,
Once again I can't write much as I'm in an internet cafe but we've been having a good time. Since the last update we caught the bus from Tallinn to Riga in Latvia and spent a day and a bit there. We were in the run down part of town and advised to not go out on our own at night, lots of crumbling Soviet-era buildings. The city itself is quite nice but on the whole nobody liked Riga especially much. Then we caught another bus to a port city in Lithuania called Klaipeda, didn't see a great deal of the town and apparently it was flattened during WW2 as it was a Soviet submarine base. We caught the ferry to the Curonian Spit which is a huge sand island I guess. It was cold and windy and raining and not that much fun really! I braved the cold waters of the Baltic Sea for a quick dip but it was very quick!
From there we caught the train to Vilnius, Lithuania. Like everything around here it's really old, and there's dozens of old churches and buildings to look at. We're going to an even older city this afternoon I think. The weather is nice, high teens and sunny.
As I don't have internet access on my laptop I can't post any photos but I'll try and post some when I get a chance.
Brad.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Hi All,
I've only got 5 minutes left in this Internet cafe so I can't write much. Yesterday we caught the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn (Estonia). The ferry ride is only about 2.5 hrs and is full of Finns stocking up on duty free booze and ciggies. The trip was very smooth, the water is almost glass-like. On the TVs inside they have Finnish Karaoke hits, which is hilarious to outsiders but the Finns are quite serious and don't appreciate it when you laugh at their songs...it's like Eurovision but worse.
Tallinn is great, much much older than Helsinki and the old section of town has lots of castles, churches, fortifications, etc. Very medieval city. We're going on a bike tour this arvo and watching a soccer game tonight I think, and then early tomorrow catching the bus to Riga, Latvia.
The hotel here is very small but quite nice, and my room is great. No photos now but I'll try to check in again in a few days.
Brad.
I've only got 5 minutes left in this Internet cafe so I can't write much. Yesterday we caught the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn (Estonia). The ferry ride is only about 2.5 hrs and is full of Finns stocking up on duty free booze and ciggies. The trip was very smooth, the water is almost glass-like. On the TVs inside they have Finnish Karaoke hits, which is hilarious to outsiders but the Finns are quite serious and don't appreciate it when you laugh at their songs...it's like Eurovision but worse.
Tallinn is great, much much older than Helsinki and the old section of town has lots of castles, churches, fortifications, etc. Very medieval city. We're going on a bike tour this arvo and watching a soccer game tonight I think, and then early tomorrow catching the bus to Riga, Latvia.
The hotel here is very small but quite nice, and my room is great. No photos now but I'll try to check in again in a few days.
Brad.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Hello again,
I am still in Helsinki but we're leaving on the boat to Estonia in the morning. Last night the tour started and we went to tea together at a restaurant that had a tractor theme, literally there are several real tractors inside the place! The group is good and everyone gets along well. I've been shifted to a new room, just across the hall from the old one. I have a couch in this one but it is in poorer condition, the door frames are rotting, there's a massive crack down one wall, the paint is peeling and there are holes in the plaster. No big deal but it's hard to understand why a room in a modern city would be like this. Apparently this is the most luxurious accom. for the whole trip, so it's all part of the fun.
This morning we caught a boat out to the 'Gibraltor of the North' which is what they call the Suomenlinna Fortress at the entrance to Helsinki. It was built by the Swedes to keep the Russians out, and after successfully defending a Russian attack they surrendered the fort to them anyway. Following the Finnish Civil War quite a lot of people were imprisoned there and some were executed. It is quite windswept and cold but the defenses are quite well preserved. Apparently there is a tunnel under the ocean back to the city from the islands.
I had a funny encounter with a mad Lithuanian tourist yesterday, he was dressed in cowboy boots and hat and wanted me to take his picture while he held up his national flag in front of a large ferry, there were shades of Borat for sure. The city is very nice and looks so much better when the sun is shining. There is an amazing Lutheran Church nearby, it's one of the most breathtaking building I've ever seen. The statues on the top are made from zinc.
Here are a few more photos from around the city, quite a few...
I am still in Helsinki but we're leaving on the boat to Estonia in the morning. Last night the tour started and we went to tea together at a restaurant that had a tractor theme, literally there are several real tractors inside the place! The group is good and everyone gets along well. I've been shifted to a new room, just across the hall from the old one. I have a couch in this one but it is in poorer condition, the door frames are rotting, there's a massive crack down one wall, the paint is peeling and there are holes in the plaster. No big deal but it's hard to understand why a room in a modern city would be like this. Apparently this is the most luxurious accom. for the whole trip, so it's all part of the fun.
This morning we caught a boat out to the 'Gibraltor of the North' which is what they call the Suomenlinna Fortress at the entrance to Helsinki. It was built by the Swedes to keep the Russians out, and after successfully defending a Russian attack they surrendered the fort to them anyway. Following the Finnish Civil War quite a lot of people were imprisoned there and some were executed. It is quite windswept and cold but the defenses are quite well preserved. Apparently there is a tunnel under the ocean back to the city from the islands.
I had a funny encounter with a mad Lithuanian tourist yesterday, he was dressed in cowboy boots and hat and wanted me to take his picture while he held up his national flag in front of a large ferry, there were shades of Borat for sure. The city is very nice and looks so much better when the sun is shining. There is an amazing Lutheran Church nearby, it's one of the most breathtaking building I've ever seen. The statues on the top are made from zinc.
Here are a few more photos from around the city, quite a few...
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Hi from Helsinki!
It's taken me about 24hrs but I've now checked into the Hotel Arthur. It's cheap....and that's about all it's got going for it! My room is tiny and I can't even make a cup of tea! But I'll survive. Serendipitously I bumped into the tour leader in the hotel earlier and we're set to meet everyone tomorrow afternoon. I'll have more of a look around in the morning.
I'm glad to be off the planes at last, it felt like it would never end. The first flight was really crowded and then I had to rush to get a boarding pass for the connecting flight. Hong Kong airport is huge, you catch a train just to get from one terminal to another. Unfortunately it was pretty smoggy when we landed so I didn't get a good view of the harbour, and I didn't have the window seat anyway. The next flight was much more comfortable, I had 4 seats to myself and the plane was really clean. Customs at Helsinki airport was non-existent, they didn't have a single person working there. So if you want to smuggle something dodgy into Finland do it on a Saturday afternoon! Even the cabbies here drive Mercedes' and Audis, and they know their way around!
So far the stereotypes about Finland seem to be true; it's cold and drizzly, most people wear black, speak English, ride bikes around, speak ridiculously quickly, are really smart and keep the city very clean. They have trams just like Melbourne and there were people playing a game of cricket just around the corner from the hotel.
Unfortunately my phone isn't working properly, I can receive texts but can't send any. So if you don't hear back from me it's not because I'm being rude! I feel like a zombie I've only had about 2-3 hours of sleep since Thursday Melbourne time, I hope to rectify this soon.
Here's a few snaps I've taken since arriving late this arvo.
It's taken me about 24hrs but I've now checked into the Hotel Arthur. It's cheap....and that's about all it's got going for it! My room is tiny and I can't even make a cup of tea! But I'll survive. Serendipitously I bumped into the tour leader in the hotel earlier and we're set to meet everyone tomorrow afternoon. I'll have more of a look around in the morning.
I'm glad to be off the planes at last, it felt like it would never end. The first flight was really crowded and then I had to rush to get a boarding pass for the connecting flight. Hong Kong airport is huge, you catch a train just to get from one terminal to another. Unfortunately it was pretty smoggy when we landed so I didn't get a good view of the harbour, and I didn't have the window seat anyway. The next flight was much more comfortable, I had 4 seats to myself and the plane was really clean. Customs at Helsinki airport was non-existent, they didn't have a single person working there. So if you want to smuggle something dodgy into Finland do it on a Saturday afternoon! Even the cabbies here drive Mercedes' and Audis, and they know their way around!
So far the stereotypes about Finland seem to be true; it's cold and drizzly, most people wear black, speak English, ride bikes around, speak ridiculously quickly, are really smart and keep the city very clean. They have trams just like Melbourne and there were people playing a game of cricket just around the corner from the hotel.
Unfortunately my phone isn't working properly, I can receive texts but can't send any. So if you don't hear back from me it's not because I'm being rude! I feel like a zombie I've only had about 2-3 hours of sleep since Thursday Melbourne time, I hope to rectify this soon.
Here's a few snaps I've taken since arriving late this arvo.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Leaving on a jet plane...
Hi everyone and welcome to my travel site. I'm heading off tonight to Helsinki, via Hong Kong. When/if I get a chance I'll post some photos and stories from along the way. Feel free to comment with any news from home, you don't have to register just leave your name so I know who it is.
Like the song says, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go! My MP3 player is charged up and I've got a few books to get me through nearly 24 hours on a plane.
I was horrified at the weight of my backpack when I finished packing it earlier, so I went through everything and managed to get rid of two t-shirts, that will really save my back!
There's not much more to say now so I'll hopefully have more interesting things to write about when I next check in.
Brad.
Like the song says, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go! My MP3 player is charged up and I've got a few books to get me through nearly 24 hours on a plane.
I was horrified at the weight of my backpack when I finished packing it earlier, so I went through everything and managed to get rid of two t-shirts, that will really save my back!
There's not much more to say now so I'll hopefully have more interesting things to write about when I next check in.
Brad.
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