Nathan's Insights

World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas

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  • World Trip 2006: Day 116 – Helsinki, Finland

    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.

  • World Trip 2006: Day 115 – Tallinn to Helsinki, Finland

    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.

  • World Trip 2006: Day 114: Riga to Tallinn, Estonia

    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.

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  • World Trip 2006: Day 113 – Riga, Latvia

    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.

  • World Trip 2006: Day 112 – Vilnius to Trakai to Riga, Latvia

    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.

    hill-of-crosses-lithuania