If Disney could see this

Tallinn, Estonia

We made it to the fairy tale old town of Tallinn, Estonia after a 17 hour bus trip from Warsaw. If you have never done that trip (and the chances are slight) then let me tell you that there are few flatter places on the earth then going north from Warsaw through the Baltic Republics. The highlight of the journey through Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and then Estonia was watching the colour of the brick farmhouses change from country to country. Good thing that they sold food on the bus (big two level bus) because nobody was carrying the four different currencies necessary to buy anything from the tiny little stands at the different bus stops.

Got into Tallinn (capital of Estonia) at about 11:00 pm and then tried to follow our google maps printout through the dark streets of the new city into the walled old section. Lana really wanted to stretch her legs after the bus ride and I barely stayed with her as we did the three kilometers. Eventually, despite people who kept trying to help us (the assumption being that no one with a backpack should be wondering around at night), we made the old city and found the hostel just as the cafes where closing. Fortunately the hostel staff knew of the Hell Hunt, a cool bar in the heart of the old city. Beer never tastes as good as it does after being on a bus for the last 17 hours.

The old sections of Tallinn are really old with the first fort being built there in 1050 AD although people have been living in the area since 3000 BC. It is all very colourful and, thankfully, very small so that getting around is not the same as a Prague or Veinna. There are the remains of the fortifications left by the German knights and lots of cobblestone streets. All the houses are stone and nothing runs in a straight line. You have to think that the knights would have appreciated all the cafes and pubs that have survived them. If Disney built an old city it would look like this.

We spent the one day here and then we are were on the way to Finland! Long way to come just to see a son - don't you think?