Dreaming

Finally, finally I got my boyfriend convinced to travel with me, though it's only for one day in the capital of Estonia, Tallinn! Unfortunately I'm still not sure when we can go exactly due to my soon-to-start summer job and his nothing but regular holidays. So, since the upcoming trip is still somehow on the dream level, I'll write this entry about my previous trip to Tallinn. It took place in March and I went with my younger sister.

For us, Tallinn is easy to reach by boat from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. And luckily, my Korean friend let us stay at her place for one night, so we saved some money! The boat trip took about two hours, and after arriving to the port and leaving our bags to the hotel we started to explore the Old Town. Well, due to the lack of time we spent most of our one and half days in the Old Town. I have to admit that to explore Tallinn further two days is not enough, since there are places surely worth visiting in other parts of the city as well. Hopefully I'll get to those places sometime later!

The feeling in the Old Town was peaceful, and I simply loved all the medieval buildings. It felt like a small island in the middle of a modern city. Many of the shops and restaurants were built in the basements, and pretty much everything was decorated in medieval style. We ate in the same restaurant on both days, but unfortunately I can't remember the restaurant's name. :( It was situated close to the House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads and - surprise - built in a basement. The meals there were quite small, but the wild boar on the second day still tasted great!

Street view and the Three Sisters hotel.

Coastal gate from inside the Old Town.

Random boutiques.

Also, Estonians seem to love pancakes, so of course we had to visit one pancake restaurant. It was called Kompressor. The pancakes with ice cream tasted great, though the servings were pretty big. In addition to pancakes, there were lots of cafés and small chocolate and marzipan shops around the old town, and we could have even made our own marzipan figures in one of the shops. That shop even had a small marzipan gallery downstairs!

And one funny thing about the language was that even though neither of us knew any Estonian, we could still understand it somehow because it sounds so much like Finnish.

The marzipan gallery: everything here was made of marzipan.

Since it was March, some of the places like churches and an old monastery were closed, and there were no medieval stalls on the town hall square like during summer. Despite the chilly weather and some snow there's still a lot to see even during winter time, so here are some of my favorites!

Fat Margaret and the coastal gate
The gate was built for defense and to control the access to the city. We didn't visit inside the Fat Margaret tower, but we heard it has been as well a storage room as a prison, and nowadays serves as a maritime museum. Because of the tower's size, the gate looked pretty impressive while climbing the stairs towards the Old Town walls. Funny thing is, the origin of the name of the tower is a mystery even to the people of Tallinn.


Olde Hansa
A restaurant built completely in medieval style: it looks old, there's no electricity but all the light comes from candles, the music is medieval, the staff are wearing old-fashioned clothes, and even the menu has all medieval recipes! You could even eat bear meat, though the price of 99 euro is probably too much for most of the visitors. We never ate here, but I completely fell in love with the restaurant's theme and appearance. Next to the restaurant there was also a medieval souvenir shop.


Town Hall square
This is the place where most of the medieval stalls stand during summer. The square is quite big and surrounded by beautiful old buildings and the town hall - and on top of the town hall spire, the Old Thomas weather vane, which has been the symbol of Tallinn for almost 500 years. On one corner of the square there's a pharmacy that has been running since 1422 and has a modern pharmacy as well as a side room presenting the old times. Worth visiting is also an antique shop right next to the pharmacy. If you come out of the pharmacy and start walking on the right, you should be able to see the L-shaped rocks on the ground, which is all that's left of a cross. The cross was set there because, if I remember correctly, a monk killed a waitress after receiving a wrong meal and afterwards wanted to be killed on the same spot to make up for his crime.

Town Hall.

The pharmacy.

Remains of the cross on the ground.

St. Catherine's Passageway

A small street that's said to be the most picturesque street in the Old Town and on which there are small craft workshops. The old St. Catherine's church is right next to the street, but just like many other places, it was also closed during winter, so we only saw the street and the old tombstones placed on one wall of it.


Masters' Courtyard
Although this site is quite small and somewhat hidden, it's somehow really beautiful and has a feeling of old times. Originally it was for the master craftsmen and contains shops for handmade products, exhibitions, and a small and absolutely cute chocolate shop called Chocolaterie Café. I believe it's even more beautiful without snow when there are tables set outside the cafés.


Kohtu viewing platform
I've always loved this kind of places where you can see the whole city or whatever below you. We went to this viewing platform once in the evening and again the next day, so we saw both the dark city dotted by lights as well as the colored one in daylight. The best thing was that from the platform we could see both the old town with all the church spires and red roofs as well as the block buildings of modern Tallinn. There was also another viewing platform called Patkuli, but the scenery wasn't as beautiful as from Kohtu.


One disappointment - Toompea castle
The old medieval castle has been turned into a Parliament house, so from the front it looks like a baroque style palace and only from below the hill you can see the old medieval side - sadly we didn't figure it out until we came back. Well, the tallest tower of the castle, called Pikk Hermann, was still standing so we could see that much of the castle.

Pikk Hermann.

Ah, now that I wrote about Tallinn, I'm even more exited about the trip~ Just hope we can make it this summer! And in the end, I have to mention one website that was for great help before our first trip: http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng
See you next time!

★ Maani

There and back

Two days to go, and my summer vacation will begin! So of course I've been dreaming about traveling somewhere before I start to work. Still don't know about money, destination or company though, but it's always nice to dream at least!
Well, related to that, I thought which ways of traveling would be the best for me, and here's how it ended up.

1. By car
Absolutely my favorite, though gasoline is quite expensive and car is quite slow compared to the other vehicles. Also at least in my case, I'd always prefer to have someone else driving, so that's a problem sometimes. But car can reach places that plane, boat and train can't, and it's up to the passengers to decide where and when to stop and which route to choose. Not to mention it's only for few people, so usually the trip would be done with friends or family. Traveling by car gives a lot of freedom and leaves room for changing plans on the way, and eliminates the stress of following timetables and the possibility of being late.

From a trip to southern Finland last summer. Again, I didn't drive.

Camping and cooking outside. Trip to southern Finland two summers ago.

2. By flight
My second favorite, though usually a bit too expensive for my wallet. It's fast and steady and the best way to reach farther destinations. For some reason I like the feeling in the airports: so many people going somewhere, so many languages, something to wait for at the end of the distance, knowing that soon I'll also be on my way somewhere. It gives me the feeling of freedom, even more when the plane first takes off. On the other hand, it's painful to just sit still if going somewhere far and the food isn't always that great.

Inside a bit bigger plane waiting for the other passengers to come in and start the journey to Japan.

Departing and arriving flights on Helsinki-Vantaa airport.Sunset from a plane window on the way back home from Dubai.

3. By boat
My problem with a boat is that I get seasick so easily, which is probably why I have never gone to cruises or really traveled by boat or unless it's the cheapest way to get to the destination. But boat is an easy way to travel. You can have a cabinet if you need - not big, but probably enough for sleeping and storing your stuff - and there's usually a lot to do on the boat. This is something that car, plane and train are missing. There are restaurants, bars and shops, and you can freely walk around or go on the deck. The trip doesn't get so boring that way.

Inside a boat waiting for the departure to Tallinn.

Another boat arriving at the port of Tallinn. From the window of our boat.

4. By train
This is what I usually do the most since I don't really have another choice, and maybe that's why I'm getting fed up with trains, especially since here they tend to be late more often than not. But if you don't have a car, train is the best way to travel around. Easy to reach, since the stations are usually in the centers, steady and quite fast. In addition to me getting enough of traveling by train, the problem here is again having to sit still for a long time (though of course in a train you can walk more than in a plane).

From Seinäjoki railway station heading to Rovaniemi.

Vihanti railway station at dawn, heading to Espoo.

5. By bus
Absolutely the last option I would choose. Small space, slow, stops often and again you have to follow the timetables. In a train I can read or write, but since the bus is not steady ride, I'll just feel sick if I try to read there. And since there are other people than just your friends, you can't talk just about anything, like when traveling in a car. Bus rides can get so so boring.
And I don't even have a picture to add here, lol.


That's about it for me then. 8) How about you? Feel the same way or totally disagree?
For the next time!

★ Maani

World's wonders

There are lots of them, right? This entry is about my own travels, or more specifically the most unforgettable places where I have been. This was originally written in Finnish, but since the whole thing was so nice, I just decided to translate it and share with everyone. 8) I mostly tried to use my own pictures, but since I don't have so many from certain places, I had to get some help from Google at times. Anyway, here we go!

1. Tokyo Tower / Tokyo, Japan
This is definitely one of the most amazing places where I've ever visited. On the lower viewing platform there was a small spot with glass floor: you go stand there, and you can see the ground about 140 meters below your feet. Scary enough, but that was just the first platform. Gotta admit that at first the elevator ride to the second platform at 270 meters didn't sound that good - especially with the elevator having walls of only glass - but from the top, the scenery was definitely worth the elevator ride. There was a sea of lights glittering down below, and somewhere at the Tokyo Bay rose a Ferris wheel with rainbow lights. The platform was dimly lit and quiet, only some sci-fi style music could be heard somewhere on the background. It felt like standing completely outside the rest of the world. This is a place I'll surely return to.

Tokyo Tower from below.

Tokyo nightscape vol.1Tokyo nightscape vol.2

2. Jamesos del Aqua, Lanzarote
I don't have any own pictures from here, but for some reason I still remember the place surprisingly clearly. It's kind of a 'lava bubble' developed during a volcano eruption, and on the bottom there is a small pond, which is the only place in the world for certain kinds of albino crabs to live. I think there's also a restaurant and something else built around the place.
In the eyes of a 11-year old kid the place is probably bigger than in reality, but otherwise I remember it being somehow magical. There was hardly any light inside the lava bubble, but there were small lamps or lanterns giving dim light. You could cross the pond by narrow bridges on the sides of the walls, the water was crystal clear and you could easily see the albino crabs on the bottom of the pond. The air was hot and humid.
I remember the whole Lanzarote trip being really great, but for some reason the lava bubble has left the clearest memories.

Lava bubble from inside (www.freshpics.de)

3. Pompeii, Italy
Probably everyone has heard about Pompeii: the city that was buried in ash after the Vesuvius erupted and has because of the ash survived better than other cities the same age until now. In Pompeii there really were almost complete buildings standing, with only maybe roofs or parts of the walls missing. There were pillars, mosaics on the floors and walls, almost clear paintings, and even trails of chariot wheels carved on the streets. The city was surprisingly big, and in the museum related to it there were items found from the city - even plaster casts of the people who had been buried in the ash centuries ago. Those were pretty creepy, but made the whole place even more impressive. On those streets in between the ruins it felt like we had really returned back in time. Have to mention here that related to Pompeii we also visited the top of Vesuvius on the same trip.

Streets of Pompeii.

Inside a house.

Mosaics on the floor.Trails of the wheels on the surface of the street.

4. Auschwitz, Poland
This is maybe the most terrible place I've never been. Nevertheless, I want to go back and see it all again. So Auschwitz is one of the most well-known concentration camps of the Nazi times, and when I went there I was around ten years old. My parents have some pictures from here, but I don't have them, so I looked for some in the Internet.
Most of all I can remember the rooms with the belongings of those killed in the camp: huge piles of kettles, shoes, glasses and other stuff. I also remember the pictures on the walls showing skeleton-like people and children, who once live in the camp. On the memorial rooms there were candles to respect those who died. The frontyard and the buildings were huge, and the only thing we didn't really see were the crematorium, gas chamber and that stuff. Probably better that way.
The reason why I want to visit Auschwitz again is the feeling I remember from there: oppressive, heavy, sinister, silent. I remember the feeling way better than the surroundings. Around a year ago I visited another concentration camp in Germany, and even though that one was also quite oppressive, I believe nothing can feel the same as Auschwitz.

The entrance of Auschwitz and the gate with the big lie - Arbeit macht frei, work makes you free. (www.rnw.nl)

5. Disneyland / Paris, France
Something happier for a change. When I visited Disneyland I was just a kid, so it felt like quite a wonderland in addition to the fact that I've always loved amusement parks. I have also visited Tokyo's Disneyland, but in my memories the one in Paris is the more magical one.
We had two days to go through the whole area, and it was definitely better than just one - there were lots and lots of things to see and it could take awfully long time to queue for the rides.
The best thing was probably how detailed everything had been made. It was easy to get into the feeling of different rides. We saw dancing ghosts and talking statues in the haunted house, flew above London and Neverland on Peter Pan's ships, watched dolls from all around the world dance and sing in the Little world, and went again and again to the Pirate ships to see the treasure cave and feel the surprising falls with the boat. Something I also remember well is the castle of Sleeping Beauty and the dragon's cave under the castle.
On the area there were more than enough restaurants and souvenir shops, and during the day there were also some performances with the topics of Winnie the Pooh, Mulan and Tarzan. Plus, there were two parades: one during the day and a light parade in the evening, both really beautiful. Maybe one day when I have kids I'll also take them here and experience all the great things again!

Sleeping beauty's castle. (www.disneyfrontier.com)

6. Neuschwanstein / Schwangau, Saksa
On my travels I have visited more castles than I can count anymore, but this is certainly the most impressive one. Probably no wonder that this castle had been used as a model for the castle in Sleeping Beauty, because the place really is quite a princess castle!
When we went to the castle, there was a thin layer of snow covering everything and the day was gray and calm, so the feeling on the gates of the castle on the mountain was like from a fairytale.
Even though the castle is huge, some of the rooms have been incomplete from the times they started to build it, so of course we could only see parts of it. We couldn't take pictures inside, but the rooms were nicely decorated and colorful. The scenery to the mountains and snow-covered woods around was awesome.
Of course it would be great to see the castle again, but I might not want to change the memory of what it looked like on the first time, with the castle and the whole world around being completely white.

Neuscwanstein from the bottom of the mountain.

Scenery to the mountains.

Miniature of the castle, which tells quite well how big it actually is.

7. Notre Dame / Paris, France
I've been to Notre Dame cathedral twice, and it was just as awesome on both times. From the inside it's massive and high as if it would reach for the skies, and there's only little light coming in from the windows decorated with glass paintings, so it's only dim light inside. During the latest visit there was a silent organ music playing on the background, which created a really special feeling. In the treasure chamber you could find so many kinds of stuff from golden relics to old clothes of the earlier popes, pictures and statues of saints and confessionals. Also from the outside Notre Dame looks awesome, and when you visit there you just can't help but to think that Disney's cartoon with the ringer of Notre Dame (I have no idea about the original English name of that movie). When we went to the backside of the cathedral, we could see the water pipes and the statues similar to the movie. Maybe, in addition to the great appearance of the cathedral, also the visions of that Disney's movie make the place so unforgettable.

Notre Dame from the front...

... and inside.

From the treasure chamber.

8. Desert camp / Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Even though this is probably just one of the many desert camps in United Arab Emirates and mainly a tourist attraction, it's still worth visiting. It's built like the traditional camps of Bedouins, farmers who used to travel in the desert. We stayed in the camp during our two-day tour to the desert and Hatta village, and arrived there when the sun was setting. We had a filling dinner, rode camels (even though just a little), got henna tattoos, tried shisha (kind of a water pipe you smoke), watched belly dancers and other performances - even tried dancing on the stage with their special skirt, tried a little sand surfing (though it didn't go really well since the hill wasn't steep enough), and finally watched the stars shining over the dark desert. The weather was warm even after the sunset, and it felt great to walk around barefoot on the soft sand.
But the best part definitely was the night: all the other tourists left, so our family was the only one to stay over night. We slept in sleeping bags, on a mattresses made of couch pillows, completely under the stars. One time me and my sister woke up the middle of the night: there was no electricity on the camp so no lights, torches, candles or anything, but the moon was so bright that we could clearly see everything almost like during the daytime. Needless to say that after that experience I totally fell in love with the desert.

The camp seen from a dune.

One of the performers we watched.Evening at the camp. The area in the middle was for the performers.Just before the sunrise.

9. Forum Romanum / Rome, Italy
In addition to Pompeii this ancient center of Rome was one of the greatest attractions in Italy. Forum Romanum is located in the middle of the city of modern Rome, so it felt quite interesting to move from the hectic city life to the middle of the ruins. There were still pillars and parts of the buildings and temples of ancient Rome, and above them all rose the Colosseum, which also was certainly worth visiting. The feeling was somehow similar to Pompeii, but what made Forum Romanum interesting were especially the ruins of the temples.

Forum Romanum.

Wall of pillars, which for some reason I remember the best.

10. Salt mine / Hallein, Austria
This was probably unforgettable partly because of its oppression. I've been to mines and stalactite caverns before, but when it comes to this mine, already in the beginning the 'train' trip inside the mountain and thoughts of only rock above us made me feel uncomfortable. Not to mention we had to go down some kind of slides twice to get deeper, same way than the old miners used to, since that was the only way to get down. Have to mention that on the first time I got quite a shock when I realized the length of the slide.
On the other hand the guided tour was really interesting and we could see how the miners had really lived there under the ground. Also there was a small salt lake inside the mountain, and we crossed it with a small and slow boat in the dim light of lamps attached to the rocks. Just like in Tokyo Tower, it also felt like we were completely shut out of the rest of the world. Nevertheless the relief was great when we finally got back to the surface.

The trains used to go in the mine.

From inside the mine.

The slides from down.

In addition to all these I have to mention two things more:

1. Bazaars of Alanya, Turkey, which means the traditional marketplaces and alleys with stalls cheek by jowl. They sell all kinds of stuff: clothes, seasoning, food, jewellery, souvenirs and much more. Though the men can be a little pushy, the feeling is great - so much to see, taste, smell and try.
2. Louvre museum in Paris, France, which is way too big to be seen within just one day. There are items from almost all times and most of the places in the world, not to mention Mona Lisa and other famous things.

I could probably list many places more, but here's something to begin with! Next time it will be a completely new entry then. 8)

★ Maani

New start

Hello everyone!

So, I decided to completely start over with this blog and I will write it in English from now on. The reason for this is that probably more people will find this blog and be able to follow it this way, and since the topic is traveling, it felt better to have the blog in English.

I'll probably re-post some of the older entries after translating them, and this time I'll try to write more often than before. This time my sister also promised to help me with the blog, so big thanks for her!

Everything is still a bit in progress, but as soon as I have time I will fix the layout and remove the Finnish entries. So, enough information for now, just wait for the changes!


★ Maani