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!

Street Art Tartu

Some more nice Estonian Street Art, this time from Tartu.

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!

Tea Time in Talinn

Cute cafe's and restaurants are everywhere in Talinn...mainly medieval style but here is a decidedly more contemporary style cafe with a beautiful view in the Modern Art Museum.

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!