Tallinn, Estonia

Three countries on one day. Started in Russia, flew to Finland and took the boat to Estonia. We were in Helsinki just long enough for Anneka to pick up her copy of Harry F. Potter (Harry Freakin' Potter). She was absorbed in it the whole two hour boat ride. I guess I can't complain as I was absorbed in a Formula 1 race that was being contested somewhere in Europe.





Tallinn is remarkable. We got to the hotel after twenty minutes of dragging our bags accross seriously cobbled streets. But we walked accross the historic center of town in the process and I was salivating from the exposure. Tallinn represents everything I love about coming to Europe. The cobbled streets the 14th and 15th century buildings sagging gracefully. I meant to write in yesterdays blog that St. Petersburg lacked any form of quaintness. Tallinn has oodles of it. There more quaintness in one block of the historic town center here then in all of St. Petersburg. There's obviously been a huge infusion of tourism, business and money and it shows in the increasing level of preservation evident in the buildings of town center. While many have been preserved there are many more that are waiting. I walked down quiet streets and lanes with building after building in a graceful state of decay. Nothing like St. Petersburg though, strangely. This place just feels different. For one, it's just smaller. So the scale of decay doesn't seem so overwhelming. And, its evident in looking at other buildings that the whole of historic Tallinn will one day be fully restored. We got to the hotel, checked in and then out wandering. Well, actually, to do a walking tour. We got half way through before stopping for dinner. Then Anneka wanted to come back to the hotel to read.





I wonder what she was reading...

Anyways, I was happy to have the freedom to go out and wander truly aimlessly. Tallinn is simply breathtaking.

Oh, I forgot, in yesterdays blog I mentioned how Anneka was tardy getting to the Hermitage making us late for the tour I'd bought and that it was OK. That, in reality she was "on time" since I'd never been to any meeting place on time ever in the past. Well, that happened this morning. I got up at around 8am and couldn't fall asleep again so I just got dressed and decided to go out and explore. Anneka told me to get back no later then 9:30, to which I scoffed thinking I'd only be out for a little while and would be back, with breakfast in hand, by 9.

I wasn't even close. I wandered out further then what I could cover in the time alotted such that by the time I got back to the hotel it was 9:50. Low and behold as I waited for the elevator in the lobby when the door opened it was Anneka with all our junk in tow.

If looks kill my life would have ended in the lobby of the Baltic Rennaisance hotel in St. Petersburg. She gets a little antsy when we travel just with nerves about making sure we get to where we need to be without any stress. I didn't help this morning. Needless to say, we made it to the airport with tons of time to spare.

Well, it's late as usual and I'm tired so I'll have to write more tomorrow. It just freaks me out that it is 11:30 at night and the sky is still quite light.

One final thought: Paris Hilton's influence is felt as far away as little Tallinn, Estonia. All the chicks walk around wearing goofy huge sunglasses that look like bejewelled ski goggles. What's worse is that the rest of there outfits generally speaking look really dorky so its as if a pair of those mondo eye glasses makes up for the complete absence of any other "fashion".

Talk to you tomorrow.

Chris