Saturday 14 August 2010
Friday 13 August 2010
Thursday 12 August 2010
Wednesday 11 August 2010
Tuesday 10 August 2010
Monday 9 August 2010
Haapsalu to Kärdla - the bike trip begins
35km
Our cycle tour began with a 6am pick-up for the drive to Haapsalu where we were dropped off with our bikes and maps and a cheery wave. We had breakfast by the sea followed by a pootle about the rather fine castle ruins before cycling the 9km to the ferry port. It always feels rather good to ride onto a car ferry and especially through the open-jaw bow which for some reason I like. It was a pleasant 90 minute crossing to the island of Hiiumaa, apart from watching a 25 kroon note fly out of my bag and over the sea. Though as this is less than two pounds I should really feel more guilty about littering the oceans.
To be continued....
Our cycle tour began with a 6am pick-up for the drive to Haapsalu where we were dropped off with our bikes and maps and a cheery wave. We had breakfast by the sea followed by a pootle about the rather fine castle ruins before cycling the 9km to the ferry port. It always feels rather good to ride onto a car ferry and especially through the open-jaw bow which for some reason I like. It was a pleasant 90 minute crossing to the island of Hiiumaa, apart from watching a 25 kroon note fly out of my bag and over the sea. Though as this is less than two pounds I should really feel more guilty about littering the oceans.
To be continued....
Saturday 7 August 2010
Tallinn
The walled old town of Tallinn has been beautifully kept, or lovingly restored, somehow escaping modern development. A compact maze of cobbled streets weaves up and down, opening out here and there onto a small square by a church. The brightly painted buildings are tall and narrow, all different but built into continuous terraces, with occasional arches between them leading into ever narrower alleyways. Every street is lined with pavement cafes and bars. You can't go ten yards without a medievally dressed serving wench offering you sweet ginger-roasted almonds or beckoning you into a hostelry.
We ate in a 'medieval' restaurant (you can't fight it), served by the ubiquitous wenches and young men in tunics, tights and pointy shoes. The dishes served were supposedly medieval and definitely quite good. As was the cinnamon beer.
Another good stop-off for a quick snack was a little olde pie shop, serving nothing but three varieties of pasty-like pie (elk and mushroom was very tasty), beer in clay pots and soup. When Gursh (who I'm here with for the bike tour) asked the serving wench for a coke she told him he'd have to come back in five hundred years, which I thought was a pretty neat response. Wandering the streets of the old walled city made for a very pleasant afternoon and evening, despite the overpowering medieval theme and endless souvenir shoppes. It would be easy to drift from cafe to cafe all day.
We ate in a 'medieval' restaurant (you can't fight it), served by the ubiquitous wenches and young men in tunics, tights and pointy shoes. The dishes served were supposedly medieval and definitely quite good. As was the cinnamon beer.
Another good stop-off for a quick snack was a little olde pie shop, serving nothing but three varieties of pasty-like pie (elk and mushroom was very tasty), beer in clay pots and soup. When Gursh (who I'm here with for the bike tour) asked the serving wench for a coke she told him he'd have to come back in five hundred years, which I thought was a pretty neat response. Wandering the streets of the old walled city made for a very pleasant afternoon and evening, despite the overpowering medieval theme and endless souvenir shoppes. It would be easy to drift from cafe to cafe all day.
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