World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas
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Thursday 27 July 2006
Highlights: Stanley Park
The tour really began today. The group includes 35 people (10 more will join later) with a lot of USA citizens included which is a new experience for me. We started with a bus tour around Vancouver I had seen most of the sights already but the insights from the tour director add some meaning. For instance Vancouver is named after George Vancouver a first officer under James Cook who discovered this place.
Wednesday 26 July 2006
Highlights: Backpack finally showing up!
Getting up at 7 am I found my backpack had been delivered at around 4 am that morning, which made me very happy. British Airways gave me 30 pounds compensation for the delay (about $60 CAD). Walking down to my hotel for the Canadian tour (about 35 mins with my backpack) I was surprised to find I was allowed to check in early at 11.30 am which allowed me a very nice and long shower which was great after the last few days.
Today I explored Stanley Park which is located just past Downtown Vancouver. It took me about 5 hours to really take it all in. The locals are blessed which some stunning examples of natural at her best. The beaches afforded everyone a chance to enjoy the good weather (and good looking females!).
At night I got to watch the start of the competition of the Festival of Lights. This is a 2 week event of nightly fireworks put on by different countries. This night it was Italy who opened the festival with fireworks over the bay. Very impressive, the dogs must have hated it however as the noise almost knocked you down 🙂
Tuesday 25 July 2006
Highlights: Missing bag, Visiting China Town
With only the spare clothes in my day pack and a promise by British Airways my bag will be shuttled to me today I set out to explore Vancouver.
Fighting jetlag I visited the Chinese area of the city. Reds, yellows and dragons are everywhere. The area is massive in size a result of the Canadian government bringing in soon many Chinese to create the cross Canadian Railways so long ago.
During the construction Chinese man were used to take the explosives into difficult areas, lots of times they died. In the 1920s the government put a $50 charge on Chinese to stay in Canada, later increasing it to $500 per person (about the cost of 2 houses in those days). It was only in 1949 that local Chinese were granted citizenship rights after a campaign that highlighted the fact they basically built the railway (which really created Canada) and fought under the Canadian flag in 2 World Wars.
It’s amazing more people don’t hate the Western World. I also had a little time to walk around the CBD and a little bit of Stanley Park and the coastline. Vancouver is an incredible city, full of people who want to help when you seem lost. Returning to my hostel I found my backpack had not shown up yet. At 11.30 pm I gave up and went to bed in my clothes.
Monday 24 July 2006
Highlights: British Airways First Lounge – The amazing shower
The very long day beginning at 5.20 am in the morning. I walked to the Finnair airport bus which got me to the airport at around 6.30 am. Using the Finnair lounge I had my first shower of the day (not enough time at the hostel plus lounge shower was always going to be better).
The plane left on time at 8.05 am and I arrived at Heathrow Airport at 9.05 am local time (3 hours later). It’s very hot in London at the moment. They had fans on everywhere; obviously the airport is not designed for hot days. Checking into the British Airways First Lounge at 10.00 am I had 7 hours to kill before my 5.15 pm flight to Vancouver. I made the most of the waiter service and the great showers that they have here (the shower had 8 different points of water coming out!).
The British Airways First Lounge was amazing and definitely worth visiting even for so long but I definitely felt a little out of place in this very upper class lounge with very formally dressed passengers and me in my best backpacking travel clothes being many class levels below. I did get asked a number of times by waiter staff to check my boarding pass to ensure I should be in this lounge!
I’m chasing the sun today. I’ll be arriving in Vancouver at around 6.35 pm, this is just over 25 hours after I got up and the sun will be shining all the way. The time difference is 11 hours (with 12 hours being the most possible) so very close to be the exact opposite side of the world. The jetlag was an issue on arrival as I just wanted to get to my hotel but unfortunately they lost my luggage. It turned out it was back in London.
Sunday 23 July 2006
Highlights: Suomenlinna Island, Lutheran Cathedral
My last full day in Europe but an early night is necessary due to my morning plane tomorrow and the need for some sleep due to something like a 30 hour day.
I decide very early on to visit the Suomenlinna Island which is a former Fortress created by the Swedes as they were worried about the rising Russian empire, later the Russians were very happy to use this for themselves 🙂 The island is located in Helsinki harbor but the local ferry did the trick (no time for swimming). In winter you can just walk over to the island (i.e. for about 7 months of the year). The place was very impressive but I really enjoyed the chance to just explore the coastline and walk around the island, cliffs and all. In some ways it reminded me of South Africa given the hot temperatures, strong sun and the extensive hiking I did.
Sitting on the edge of a small cliff just watching the waves come in, I found a real sense of peace. I’d recommend a visit. Some locals were having a picnic which seemed like a great idea.
I rounded out the day with a visit to the Lutheran Cathedral which is in Senate Square. Like most Lutheran churches the place doesn’t really go into icons or the like, except the statue of the founder! The structure itself is magnificent however, and with 48 steps out the front the bus loads of elderly people struggling to climb up made for some free entertainment 🙂
Saturday 22 July 2006
Highlights: Finland Parliament building
This was the last day the Trafalgar tour so I really took advance of the ‘free included breakfast’ helping myself to a large hot breakfast. I even liberated some oranges against the rules; well this place seems to be making a mint 🙂
I checked out as late as possible from the hotel before moving into a 12 room hostel room 😦 I walked out at noon and what I found was rain!!! Yes rain after all this time and I had a 40 minute walk to my hostel with my backpack on. Checking into the hostel I at least got the pleasure of knowing that it was part of the Olympic Stadium (used in 1952).
The hostel had a lockout between 12 and 4 pm so I made my way back to the city centre and guess what the rain at stopped! Not really being in the right frame of mind for touring I still checked out the Parliament building (200 MPs of which 76 are female plus a female President) and the great icebreaker ships. Later in the day I watch a very high standard women’s soccer match, it couldn’t have been a local event given the standard, very enjoyable. I finished the day with some laundry and off the bed with a very unusual group in my room (male dorm, with a few children – a first for me, and some older man who snored). I think the luxury hotels during the Russia tour might have spoiled me.
Friday 21 July 2006
Highlights: Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, Temppeliaukio Church (built into bedrock)
The last full day of the tour started in Estonia with some free time before a ferry across to Helsinki. I actually like ferries a lot and it reminded me of the 3 day trip I have in China next month.
In Helsinki we got a quick tour of the city with me noting down a few places I’ll visit with me free time over the next few days. The Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, is interesting in that it looks totally Russian (which it was) but they go to pains to stress this is no longer the case. The Lutheran Cathedral dominates the Senate Square and I’ll be back to see more over the weekend.
The highlight of the day however had to be the Temppeliaukio Church which is built into bedrock. The designers wanted the church to be at one with nature, have easy access (there are no stairs) and have a more natural flow (no wall is the exact length etc). It’s not like any church I’ve seen anywhere else in the world. I got to touch the rock walls, very cool.
The last event on the tour was an optional traditional dinner; however at over 42 Euros I gave it a miss. Later in the evening I found out from one of the participants that the dinner wasn’t that great as the guide wanted to get back to the hotel early. It would have been better to have an included dinner on the last night so we could say goodbye to each other. I found that I didn’t really bond much with the group being a more luxury type tour . I’d say I got on better and closer with the backpackers on BusAbout and that isn’t even a tour.
I think with this being a luxury tour, me having a room to myself, and a lot of the individuals having different ‘world’ opinions to myself caused the lack of engagement. Hearing complaints about small walks and that various people wanted more shopping time (and therefore less sightseeing) probably didn’t help. I still had a great time however and got on with the younger travellers (Jess, Janet & Holly). It was however the best possible way to organise travel in this area given visa restriction with Russia.
Thursday 20 July 2006
Highlights: Russian Cathedral, Parliament Building, Tallinn town Hall
Tallinn is a city with a lot of history especially in the old town. The USSR didn’t really destroy anything and I found the old town and the surrounding city walls catching my attention.
Wednesday 19 July 2006
Highlights: Museum of Occupation, Walking next to the black Baltic Sea
We started the day with a tour of Riga. I found that our local guide actually lost control of the group at one stage asking if people wanted to just get a coffee (not good). It was interesting to see a protest called ‘No Pride’ which was against the proposed Gay Pride march. The cartoon picture representing the anti-gay message was a classic, was struggling not to laugh at this anti-gay protesters 🙂
In the afternoon I had some free time so I visited the Museum of Occupation. This museum covered the period from the start of the Russian occupation at the start of WWII, then onto German occupation until 1944 and back to the Russians. The underground resistance moment from 1945-1958 was fascinating, I had no idea how hard these people fought for their freedom.
It almost goes without saying that the locals for the most part don’t like Russia. I also walked for awhile along the Baltic Sea; which is very black in appearance. The wind coming of the water made it seem colder then it probably was. The first day in quite a while that I wish I still had my jumper.
Tuesday 18 July 2006
Highlights: Trakai Castle, The moving Hill of Crosses
On the way to Latvia in the morning we visited Trakai (Lithuania). This is the site of a stunning old castle. The defences of this place are amazing; they had at least 4 different sections they could fall back into. The castle dates from the 14th century and actually never fell to an enemy. Trakai Castle was the capital of the former Grand Duchy which ruled this area. One of the best castles I’ve seen in Europe.
On the way into Riga we stopped at the Hill of Crosses which represents those who died or disappeared between 1940 and 1989. Under the USSR the displays were pulled down periodically but locals kept coming back. A lot of the crosses only have birthdates as no one knows the exact death dates for those who disappeared.
Nathan's Insights 