March 30, 2012

Hello again everyone!

I have finally gotten some ambition to finish those blogs I promised you about. You know the ones on Estonia and Spain? Things have been so busy lately I've hardly had time to even go through all the pictures!

Anyways, we will start with Estonia. I will make a whole new post on Spain because I have SO many pictures. So lets see Estonia!

We took a ferry from Helsinki to get ourselves there. It was a nice ride, and the candy was tax-free on the boat. Therefore I am all set for this month in that department. When we got to Estonia we headed right away to the supermarket to get some food for that weekend. At this point nothing seemed so different from Finland. Same food in the stores, same looking buildings, same nature. But, the next day brought on our tour of the "Old Town". Which is exactly as the name suggests. Old Town dates back to the 13th century and is absolutely BEAUTIFUL to walk around in. I would recommend everyone to visit there. The Old Town is now home to cute cafes, stores, bars and restaurants, and also old castles, churches, and the still standing walls and towers. I hope to go again some time.

Here in the Old Town we dined at a five-star restaurant and I ate the most delectable meal I've ever had in my 18 year lifespan. I, feeling daring that night, ordered "Pigeon fillet with con fit of its leg, Brussels sprout with mushroom puree, and morel sauce". And for dessert, "Red berries mousse with sea buck thorn ice cream and cold meringue". It was DIVINE. In fact I quoted the menu because I wrote it down while I was in the restaurant. I wish I had my camera with me! The pigeon was delicious. I have been thinking of shooting my own down when I get home to  and recreate this dish. Is that legal?

Anyways, after spending the whole day walking around the Old Town we went to bed and woke for a drive out into the countryside of Estonia. We planned to visit and old 13th century mansion while out in the country, but we lost track of time and ended up eating at a roadside restaurant. At least the food was delicious because the countryside wasn't all that interesting. It looked like a replica of Finland.

But there you have it. That was the short weekend spent in Tallinn. If I were to go back I would definitely go back to the Old Town. And I would also go back to that restaurant and order exactly as last time. It was truly the most epic food experience of my life. I'm such a foodie...

Take a look!

An ostrich egg for sale in the grocery store!

                                                                            Only 28.50!

 Welcome to Tallinn, Estonia!

 Like I said, beautiful place to walk.

 Cobbled streets, towers, cafes, etc.

 I only wish it would have been warmer. The wind from the sea was torturous on my already Reynolds' Diseased fingers and toes! I would have taken better and more photos but I really couldn't!

 The name of this tower is "Keik In De Kok" which means, "peep into the kitchen". It was said that this 38m tower was so high that a man who lived here, used it to play jokes on his wife. He was able to look down into the kitchen and see what was being made for dinner. The wife was always completely shocked and appalled that he always guessed right. Or so the legend goes...

 Outer walls.

 This old 14th century square tower is called "Maiden's" or "Virgin's" tower. As it was used as a prison for prostitutes. Locals insist it's haunted and the girls still draw curious men into their "lair" to never be seen again... Spooky! 

 Beautiful view of Old Town from the top of a tower.

 That's me, freezing. After this picture was taken I ran into a store to warm up while waiting for the tour to go on.

 I forgot to mention, we also visited an art museum. But the only thing exciting was this giant letter "K" in front of it. As shown below.

                                   K for Karlee!

 Roadside restaurant. They specialized in fish dishes. And the picture below is what I got; I didn't write this one down but it was delicious. Salmon, potatoes, an egg quiche and a delicious sauce.

                             The food in Estonia is goooooooooooooood. And cheap!

Well there you have it! My wonderful weekend in Tallinn. Short, but still wonderful. And definitely worth losing your fingers and toes to see. Okay maybe not that amazing but it really was a magical place if you're into all that Medieval old stuff. And, of course, the pigeon. Oh my the pigeon, delicious pigeon in Estonia!

I will post a blog about my Spain trip tomorrow probably. Probably I say, but who knows how definite that is. Hehe.

I am doing quite well myself. Just been crazy busy with all these trips. And still busy because I am planning more! I can tell you all with 100% certainty that my lovely parents are coming to visit! Soon too, in only 9 days! And they will be staying till May 7th. Thus I am quite a busy-bee getting everything ready and situated for that extravaganza. Also, I am going to Poland and Sweden in the weekends following their visit. Only a month and a half left and I have so much going on! That isn't a bad thing but it just makes time go all the faster! Yet, I can't wait to come home. There really is no place like home...

Talk soon!

Karlee