Hotell St. Barbara Tallinn

Hi everyone,
This is going to be a bit harder to type than the previous entries because the "z" and the "y" on this keyboard are the other way round!

Also firstly wanted to say thanks to everyone who has commented so far on the blog- Dad, Auntie Anne, Dinah, Jody, Laura and Russell! Its really nice to hear feedback and hear from everyone!

So 2 days ago we were in Riga, and after having a bit of a dull time there we decided to attempt to ...

... j* Keith pidi *inult võtmed üles otsim*, mis t*l lõpuks siiski t*skus olid, tegi k*ks ringi ümber *uto, hüpp*s sisse j* p*nime Pärnu poole *j*m*. Teel tegime p**r suitsupe*tust ning lõpuks pär*st mitte kuigi pikk* netipunkti otsingut läksime Kärdi is* juurde j* s*ime mingi üsn* eb*v*j*liku Leedu p*beri välj* prinditud. Käidi poes, Ints j* Oll h*nkisid metsikult eb*täpse b*ltikumi k**rdi j* p*nime Läti poole *j*m*. Eero tuli välj* ideeg*, et t*toveerid* perse pe*le sõbr*d nii, et ...

... we decided to grab a quick lunch in a restaurant called Renessanss near the main train station Baltic Jaam. The waitress of this restaurant spoke fluent Russian, so we had no problems in communication. The service was pretty quick and we had two warm chicken salads and two mineral waters for 125 EEK.

... a treat !!! Day 2 Thankfully, this place does not have a Starbucks, but the Baltic's have their own version. Double Coffee. So we had breakfast there, and then moved on. As we walked, my Jewdar went off. There was no Synagogue, but in the guild area, the buildings were pretty much all designed by Jewish architects. They were sort of art-deco style. Very impressive. At the house of the Blackheads, it stated that Tallinn, London, Brugges ...

... The only thing that did move out there was an occasional car. And that was all. But by the time I had finished the pizza, the rain suddenly let up, and when I left, it completely stopped. Its smell was still very strong in the air. It wasn't cold, and as far as the outside temperature went, I needed nothing but the T-shirt. Yet, I had my rain coat on. It was more than enough to once get wet today. I wouldn't want it to happen again. I came to Tartu maantee, a street that, so it seemed ...

... steep & open-sided & I just avoided going up the last floor, asking David to take lots of photos instead. David has to duck a lot in medieval buildings. Next we went up to Toompea, the original area settled in Tallinn, on the hill above the old town. This was where the lords lived, and kept serfs under a feudal system, while what we now call "the old town" had merchants who had trading rights. Toompea had more inner fortifications, as well as a couple of old churches and ...

... can relax. The decor in the living room is cool and artistic, better then the drab white i am use to in most hostels.The people were amazing and everyone seem to get on well. There was always something happening whether it be Larry playing his guitar, Akki palying the flute or a game of Uno - which four dutch girls taught me to play We went on a cool night out where we met Harry Tits(bike tour guide), he recommended this ...

... far, but we expected this. The only sun we saw is when we flew from Vienna to Riga....when we were high above the clouds. I wonder about the people and the emptiness we see in the grasping for material things, the alcohol abuse, the emptiness in all the media....whether it be what's on TV, film clips that we see or advertising. Certainly, some will be asking if there is more to life than this. Sixteen years ago this part of the world was godless atheism. Now ...

La primera parada ha sido en Tallinn, una ciudad preciosa, como habreis visto en las fotos. Llama la atencion, ademas de las calles, la cantidad de tiendas de artesania, galerias y la decoracion en todos los locales y cafeterias, todo cuidado al minimo detalle. Las terrazas estan llenas de flores de vivos colores, las calles todas adoquinadas ...

... experience in itself) and saw the place where the Estonians removed an old Soviet statue. We also visited a Russian Orthodox cathedral. That was amazing. Stories that you must have in every trip: we visited a Dominican cloister of the 13th century. The lady at the door was very old and sweet but a little strange. Spoke some English. Good. We did not understand most of what she wanted to tell us. She went around lighting candles (these medieval ...