Romanov Palaces

Russia has such an interesting and at times brutal history, which is one of the reasons I suppose I find it so fascinating. Before heading back to visit this time I read a lot about the last Tsar and his family. While reading I learnt about some of the palaces in which they lived...they seemed to be endless! There were a few in particular that I wanted to visit.

The Winter Palace in St Petersburg is so accessible and worth a half day or full days visit as it houses the Hermitage museum. It is enormous and my favourite parts were the rooms of the palaces which were as they were during the times of the Tsars.

We did a daytrip to Peterhof, which is very easy to get to from the city by hydrofoil. It is very formal and what I imagine Versailles to be like. It gives you an idea of the riches of the Royal family. The grounds are huge and you can get a little train around them if you are feeling a bit lazy like we were. Otherwise you could spend a whole day wandering around here and bring a nice picnic to eat on the river or in a pasture.

The palace I most wanted to visit was he Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selowhere the last Tsarina was captured and taken from. Unfortunately we didn't make it there because some of our travel party were sick of palaces ;p Hopefully I'll get the chance to go back and finish my tour of palaces...St. Petersburg is a wonderful European/Russian city and now it is possible to visit from Finland without a visa it will make it easier to get back there.

Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

I first saw this church a few years ago at the end of my Trans-Siberian trip. I hadn't read anything about it before the trip. I had seen St. Basil's in Moscow which is a well known and easily recognisable landmark, but this was something I was not expecting. I was blown away...we turned a corner looking for the market to buy some souvenirs and up pops this onion domed beauty! It is quite different from St. Basil's with it's enamel domes and elaborately ornate mosaics and tiling...and in the competition for my favourite onion-dome Russian church, this one is the winner so far!
This Church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. There is a small gazebo over the place where his blood was spilt. On March 13, 1881 (Julian date: March 1), as Tsar Alexander's carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded. The tsar, shaken but unhurt, got out of the carriage and started to remonstrate with the presumed culprit. Another conspirator took the chance to explode another bomb, killing himself and mortally wounding the tsar. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace where he died a few hours later.

Borscht...what girl doesn't love a soup that turns pink!

We got lucky in St. Petersburg with a great recommendation for a restaurant close to our hostel. Zoom cafe was AMAZING! Delicious food, menu in english, selection of russian cuisine with a twist and a dessert named 'call your parents cake'! So we basically stalked them, going for 2 meals a day a couple of the days we were in the city. Oh, I almost forgot to metion that they have teddy bears there too! So you can sit with your fluffy friend and have your cold borscht with sour cream, or a million other dishes all served with a sprinkling of dill (they just love that stuff in Russia!)

Marry me on Nevsky Prospect...

Our first day in St. Petersburg we were introduced to weddings Russian stylee...this is the main street in the city and it is BUSY! But don't let the traffic whizzing by put you off getting your perfect wedding pic :)

On the road to Ruski...

I always prefer a train journey to a bus journey, but you haven't got this option when travelling from Tartu to St. Petersburg...so to brighten up my journey Flip Flop bought me chocolate with a pink wrapper AND Hello Kitty...yum! The little pink purse you see peeking out is one of my best buys in Estonia and is big enough to hold my camera...much prettier and less clunky than the generic camera bags!

Visit Tartu

Tartu is a lovely place to visit if you are in Estonia...beautiful river with man made beaches along it for swimming and sunbathing, gorgeous architecture, sculptures and city fabric, friendly people, wonderful bike paths reaching all the country villages which couldn't be cuter! A limestone exhibition and castle tower in a neighbouring area which are interesting to visit, but what would be the main draw to me would be the limestone lakes in the area that look so tempting to swim in.

Looming Hostel, Tartu

In Tartu I stayed with the Beau in Looming Hostel. I have to say it was one of the nicest hostels I have ever stayed in. I loved the design, ethos, staff and vibe. Most of the furniture is free-cycled from people who were throwing it out or donating it. I had my concerns about that, worried that it might be a bit grotty, but in fact I would be happy to move in there and make it my home! The rooms are so comfy and clean, they have hammocks and couches in the sitting room and a lovely new sun terrace where you can have your food during the day or sunbathe. The only thing I didn't like was that the showers were in the basement which didn't make me feel very safe when I was showering alone. But all in all, I would definitely recommend it and would love to go back, ASAP!

Tartu

After Talinn we headed for Tartu whihc was hosting this years Europeade festival in which I was dancing. Tartu is the second biggest city in Estonia and is a University town. It is a really fun and beautiful place to visit. The wooden architecture reminded me of the houses in Siberia, and the countryside during the bus journey was scattered with little wooden houses and storks nests on the electricity poles, lovely.

Estonian Graffiti

Wandering the streets of Tallin I found some nice street art...not just the 'Edenmore AOK' or 'Damo was ere' type though ;p

How cute is that?

Winter woolies in the middle of summer?

I know...it's weird, but you gotta love this wooly goodness. The Baltic States are renowned for their knitted goods and I can see why...

Also, a big lá breithe sona to flip flop...little sis all grown up :) xxx

Ye Olde Times

'Ye olde' medieval times seems to be all the rage in Estonia's capital...that and stag parties! The old town is absolutely beautiful and it's narrow winding streets are a joy to get lost in...

Old Hanse is a major ye olde hangout near the town square with all the staff dressed in medieval outfits. It's pretty touristy but worth the visit for the cinnamon beer alone!

Talinn...first impressions.

We took an early flight to Talinn, Estonia, with Ryanair. I don't know about everyone else but I never manage to go to bed early before one of these flights, always resulting in having about 2 hours sleep and a complete waste of the first day at my destination...famous last words, never again!

After a mega sleep in Old House Hostel, we explored the city. The supermarket was easy to find for a nice cheap brekkie in the hostels super cute kitchen. Across from the hostel was a bike rental place where we got a tandem...a life long dream come true!!! It was a bright red Schwinn, so beautiful and so much fun! We also got a single speed city bike that I wished I could bring home with me.

We had an adventurous cycle around the city with me leading the others onto motorways and dual carriageways...ooops! You don't realise how dangerous it is until you think about whether you would do it at home or not, eh, definitely not!

Here are some of the sights we saw along the way...

Coolest tree house ever!

Kumu new art museum in the palace grounds. Really impressive building.

The presidents house. You could almost walk up and knock on the front door! Apparently it's very common to bump into him or his wife!

The palace and its beautiful gardens.

The shady forest on the way to the beach.

And the best beach seating ever!

Happy Easter

Sorry for the lack of photo's in the previous posts...I am away seeing the fella's relations in Sverige without access to internet! Having a fun time though in Sunny Stockholm and I promise to share some piccie's and tips for a visit in the upcoming posts x
Happy Easter everybody!

Slán go foillín

There are a few things that are essential to travelling but are not enjoyable at all. Packing is one of these along with goodbyes. I really don't like goodbyes...

Flip Flop and Mamma Mia went home on Saturday. We had so much fun and made lots of great memories in New York.

It wasn't until the blowing kisses and waving through the departure gates was done that I realised I was all alone in the Big Apple. When I boarded the Air Train and transferred to the subway I had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one you get when you have just done the scary drop on a rollercoaster, and I started to feel really sick. But then, Flip Flop's words of wisdom came to me, and I decided I shouldn't waste my precious time in New York being sad, I would enjoy the adventure.

Also, thanks to my good friends at home (the beautiful Byrne twins), I was going to stay with a wonderful couple and their 2 sons in the sweetest house I've ever seen. I must take some photo's of my new room before my suitcase starts to explode all over it! (This family also have the two cutest dogs, a Chow and a Pug, which I look forward to walking at least once a day...photos to follow!)

Homestead

After an uneventful flight (apart from one woman saying loudly that they don't usually announce emergency procedures during landing, causing great worry among the other passengers), we arrived in JFK and contacted our landlord for directions and where to meet the keyholder.
We were renting a fancy penthouse in Brooklyn and really looking forward to it. After being sent to the wrong place, and a couple of phonecalls to the landlord, we arrived at our destination. The cabby was p*ssed to say the least, but we didn't care, we had more to worry about!
The lady at the airport said that the neighbourhood was dangerous and very segregated, boy, she was not wrong! Walking down the street we were like beacons...we definitely were standing out in this neighbourhood. The 'super' arrived to give us our key...he looked like an extra from the Wire and wore his hoody up the whole time, even when we were inside the apartment! He also told us to order in, that there were no restaurants open (at 7pm), which didn't fill us with too much confidence.
The apartment was great though, and we survived a trip to the corner shop and the chinese, so, so far so good.
In the morning our trip to the subway confirmed the fact that we were a novelty in the area and there was lots of this....

...and the accompanying whistling sounding out in the nightime...cosy :)

We practised our most relaxed/bored faces and got the subway like pro's hoping not to draw attention but understanding all the while that that would be impossible...but we arrived safely in the lovely neighbourhood of Chelsea. We got a massive american breakfast in Malibu diner, contemplated life outside the Chelsea Hotel, where some of the best minds have contemplated life, and ended our day of touring with a delicious pizza in Lombardis in Little Italy, the oldest pizza place in the USA.

The first time I visited NYC my dad was with us, today would be his birthday and it is our first one without him, so I just wanted to say happy birthday dad, we miss you every day xxx

Countdown...

So, it's been a while since I posted anything, a lot has happened...I won't go into it here, but life will never be the same...
In an effort to make the most of the short time we get on this world, I have decided to hit the road and try out my dream of being in New York for more than a couple of days. So off I go, for almost 6 weeks!
Follow me on my adventure and hopefully it will be fun for all of us xxx