Sooma National Park

A visit to Estonia wouldn't be complete without a visit to one of its National Parks. I choose Soomaa, a short bus ride from Saaremaa.  I'm staying in s nice guest house Villa River Rose, right on the river. My hosts Anna and Victor make me feel tight at home in these lovely surroundings. 

Backyard

Beautiful gardens 

River in the back yard. How idyllic can this get?

Subdued Saaremaa

I'm visiting this island in Estonia where ancestors emigrated and married in the mid 1800's.  After WWII  this island was isolated from the mainland during the Soviet era.   

Now it's a weekend getaway for people from Riga and Tallinn.  Lots of cafes, restaurants and shops.  The main attraction is the Kuressaare Castle, one of the best preserved medical castles in the Balrics.  It's had some work done to turn it into a museum    

It's been a nice place to relax from all the sightseeing in large cities and to figure out how to spend the next month. I'm meeting Judy in Amstetdam at the end of August.  Some down time is needed--but where?  Stay tuned. 

Surrounded by a moat

On the ramparts

"said suure kalasaagi"--got a big catch

Suur and Piret Toll, hardworking islanders 

WWI monument removed after WWII, now being restored

Tame Tallinn

After St Petersburg, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia is tame--low  key and understated.  Still bustling with tourists. There are ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki that run every few hours. Tallinn has become quite the retail capital of the Baltics.  Finns travel here to do their shopping.   I meta lot of travelers who just took a day trip to Tallinn from Helsinki.  

Tallinn is best known for its Old Town, most of the medieval wall that surrounds the city is intact.  The interior is a maze of cobblestone streets lined with shops, cafes and restaurants.  Town Hall Square sits at the center and provides a focal gathering place teeming with people day and night. 

Town Hall Squate

Interior castle wall now museum and csfe

A walk along the backside

One of many towers still standing 

Orthodox Church

Trains, boats, buses and planes

I've used every form of transport, including  foot power, to travel this past month. I flew from St Petersburg to Tallinn, mostly because of time and cost. But I prefer the ease and simplicity of bus and train travel.  No hassles, no security, no nonsense.    

Hermitage Museum

I pick and choose my museums and the Hermitage is considered second to the Louvre in its scale. It's located in the Winter Palace, the royal winter home now a Museum and houses over 5 million works of art.  Someone said it would take 8 years to see every piece for one minute.  Not all the artwork is on display any way.  

Leonardo da Vinci Madonna and child

Michelangelo 'Crouchmg Figure'

'Peacock clock'

Raphael's 'Prodigal Son'

The Winter Palace 

Peterhof Palace and Gardens

This was Peyer the Great's summer residence, a half hour hydrofoil ride to a small island.  We were greeted by beautiful sunshine and a perfect day to stroll through the gardens and discover all the hidden treasures. No time to queue up for the Grand Palace tour. 

Approach to the Palce

Fountains galore!!!

Back towards Bay of Finland

Peter the Great's Influence

Peter the Great's influence is evident in this magnificent city. It's not as old as many European cities, only established 300 years ago.  Peter loved everything European, do he built a palace to rival Versailles, complete with fountains, gardens and woods to walk around.  He even named a cathedral after Isaac Newton, St. Isaac's.  

St Isaac's Cathedral

View from the Colonade before downpour

The weather here can change in a heartbeat, as it did today. I was atop the Colonade of the Vathedral when we got pelted with hailstones. A quick dash down 200 steps onto the porch where throngs of people took shelter from the rain.  Time to get out of the rain for a bite at an Indian restaurant and a pot of chai tea. 

St Petersburg - Wow

I took the train from Heldinki to St Petersburg, visa in hand. I set out to see the sights today and felt overwhelmed immediately.  The city is crowded with tourists, capitalism is alive and well here. It's much more affordable than the Scandinavian  countries, so I imagine that has its draw. The architecture here is amazing and thank goodness it survived the destruction from WWII that decimated other cities.  There's so much jam packed into one small  area, hence the crowds.   I got the lay of the land with a hop on/off and boat tour.  Three more days and I'll see how much I can cover. 

Great rivers and canals crisscross the city 

Sprinkled with the modern corporate look

Familiar Golden Arches

Mavdonalds by any other name

Goodby Helsinki

I enjoyed my last day in Helsinki dodging the thunderstorms which can come up very quickly.  I visited the Rock Church, which literally was blasted out of a granite outcropping in the heart of the city.  

I also saw the Museum of Contemporary Art which had on exhibit a variety of artists using the medium of the Internet, film and interactive works. Art has really come a long way and is redefining itself avoiding to this digital age. Very provocative pieces.  The display is as much an art form as the art itself. 

Window treatment and sunlight create interesting visual dynamic

Baptismal font

Some days how I feel depicted in this artistic way

Hiatus in Helsinki

 The body and soul  can only endure so much, so this week I've had a respite from being on the go for all these weeks. I've visited a few places but have spent long hours sitting in the park or cafe people watching and enjoying a sun- filled weekend. Apparently it's been a long and wet spring here and sunshine and 70 degree temps are welcome by the locals. Imagine that, 70* is considered 'hot'.  Everyone I meet is very curious about my two year road trip and draw inspiration from my experience as the Gypsy Girl.  I share both he ups and downs of this lifestyle and hope they, too, are Finding the Way. 

The sculpture is dedicated to Finnish composer Jean Sibrlius.  Does it represent organ pipes or birch trees in the Finnish forest?

Sibelius' face behind the sculpture

Here in Helsinki

Spent two nights in Oulu, Finland re-grouping and doing laundry from the hike. It was rainy and so I font get to see much of the town. Decided to forego more  hiking to give my knee a rest do took the train to Helsinki. It's a beautiful city. Much smaller than Stockhilm, so easy to get around and take in all the sights. Since most of the old Helfinko burned down, most of it is 19rh century and later. Mix of old and new, but clean and well cared for. 

I'm constantly reminded here in Scandinavia at the way people are regarded. The philosophy is take care of the people's basic needs and they'll be happier, healthier and more creative citizens.  These countries have free health care and  free education and the highest literacy rates in the world.  They don't get why the US is unable to provide theses basics being the richest country in the world. I don't really have an answer  for them without getting into the whole issue of who's really running things in our country and how the government doesn't really care about its citizens. It's serving all the lobbyists and special interest groups, corporations who fund the politicians, etc.   

The Lutheran Church behind Senate Squre

Train station rivals Grand Central

Cruise ships abound

One of the many islands 

Ice breakers in dry dock for the summer

Luleå - Gammelstad

I spent a day in Luleå about 3 hours from where I left Team Micnivht Sun. It's a coastal town and nearby is the Old Church Town of Gammelstad, a World Heritage site and former location of Luleå. It was founded in 1492 when the church was completed. It was mandatory for members of the parish to attend church every week, but because people had to travel long distances over wet marshy land in the summer, each family built a small cottage where they could spend the weekend.  The cottages have survived all these years and have been passed down from generation to generation and are still in use today.  

The reason Luleå changed location resulted from the rise in the land where Gammelstad was situated. Originally it was an island and had a thriving economy but as the land rose and water receded, the harbor dried up and now Gammelstad sits about 30km from the coast. 

The church finished in 1492, originally Carholic, then converted to Protestant 

The church bell tower

Newly built organ

Cottages have a uniform style and color.