Exam week...Only two exams scheduled on friday and saturday which means almost 6 free days in order to study ... or not!! Let's go to the Baltic countries namely
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with Marie, Carine and Gus, the french guys and Martin the slovaquian.
Friday 19.10
My fellows are already in Estonia somewhere between Narva and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia whereas I'm still in Lappeenranta in the morning because of a meeting with an industrial for my
project.
Train scheduled at 14.30: I must run to catch it. Arrival in Helsinki station about 17.00 and I must run again to catch the boat. I search for the harbour, so I ask finnish people where I am
in the map because there are no "Tassä on". They answer me "You are in stockmann". Thanks I didn't see the building and It's not very useful when you know it's a big shop center with 4
very long street along it. Hopefully,I manage to go to the harbour.
1h30 of sailing equals 1h30 of seasickness for me because there is a storm and so sea is raging but hopefully I succeed to stay alive.
20.00 Arrival to Tallinn:
My fellows are not here as promised.It's the night, I haven´t any Krons ( Estonian currency) and no map. Just the adress of the youth hostel. I exchange money and take a map of the old Tallinn ( I
pray over the fact that the youth hostel is in the old Tallinn. At the first petrol station I meet, I ask for the address. A nice petrol pump attendant gives me a phone to call the others. I
forgot to say that of course my finnish phone doesn't work!!! Nobody answers and the adress is not indicated in the map.Nice!!! Then I walk in the old Tallinn, I see a group of Eramus I
ask them if they know a youth hostel not far. They indicates me one they saw few minutes ago. Hopefully it's the good one!!! I find my friends a little bit worried because they didn't go to
the right terminal and they wasn't sure I had the address.
Later: We are taking a walk to see Tallinn by night.
Saturday 20.10
I wake up with Les aventures de Spirou et Fantasio. It is so funny : a french cartoon I have never seen in my youth and I see it for the first Time in Estonia with Estonian sustitles.It
is a very strange feeling.
Let's see Taillin by day now.
However before a sightseeing , few cultural words about Taillin:
Taillin is an important industrial, political and cultural center ( it will be the european cultural capital in 2011), and seaport but the most attractive place to see for a tourist is the
picturesque old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In fact the old Town can be divided into two old towns Lower Town and Toompea.
Toompea was once a separate town (Dom zu Reval), the residence of the Chivalry of Estonia, Roman Catholic bishops of Tallinn (until 1561)
and Lutheran superintendents of Estonia, occupying an easily defensible site overlooking the surrounding districts. The major attractions are the walls and various bastions of Castrum Danorum,
the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (built during the period of Russian Empire, the church was built on a site that formerly housed a statue of Martin Luther) and the Lutheran
Cathedral (Toomkirik).
Low town is one of the best preserved medevial old towns in Europe and the authorities are continuing its rehabilitation after years of neglect. The "must-see" sights include Raekoja plats
(Town Hall square), the town walls and towers ,notably "Fat Margaret" and "Kiek in de Kök", and St Olaf church tower (124 m).
So the old Tallin is a melting pot of the religions with a medevial spirit.
FOR THE LAZY PEOPLE, START HERE THE READING:
Let's start by an overview of Taillin ( a lot of church :) ) :
- The most beautiful: St alexander Nevsky Cathedral:
-The tow hall:
-The
medevial spirit of Taillin:
It's over for Taillin. Fo further pictures Go to my Picasa Album, http://picasaweb.google.fr/perrine.brossard
In the evening, Go to RIga in Latvia. After some hours of driving (about 3), we arrive to Riga. Problem: We can reach the Hostel by car because the old center is forbidden for cars.
We manage to let the car in a parking lot. I said one way to the boys to go to the youth hostel. Of course they take the other way: As a result we have walked all along the
parking lot and my way is the good. ( all the girls are not so stupid when they give one way)
We reach the hostel. Suprise: It's in the same building thant a strip-tease club ( there are plenty of such clubs in Riga).
Sunday 21.10
Like yesterday cold weather but such a blue sky and sun is shining ( maybe the last time befor several months).
Once the luggages in the car ( 30 min walking), magnific view of riga
Before going further, some cultural words about Riga:
Riga is located along the Baltic Sea at the southern coast of the Gulf of Riga, on the Rigava coastal plain. The historical core of Riga is situated on the right bank of
the Daugava River.
The Riga City history is more than eight hundred years long.
At the end of the 12th century, crusaders came here as well when the German merchants tried to widen and strengthen their area of activities along the eastern coast of
the Baltic Sea.. In the 13th century trade boomed in Riga, and it became one of the main intermediaries between the West and the East.
Even by the end of the 16th century disagreements about governmental rights did not cease among inhabitants of Riga: –bishops, Knights of the Sword (later - Livonian)
and Riga’s landowners. Sometimes the disagreements grew into armed conflicts. Then war between Russian an Swedish.
Industry rapidly grew in Riga during the second half of the 18th century. German guilds lost their monopoly position in manufacturing and trade. In the 19th century
Riga became one of the main seaports of the Russian Empire and an important railway transport junction. During the second half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century the area of
Riga increased 10 times, in 1913 the number of inhabitants was 80 times higher than in the beginning of the 18th century. Riga was the second largest city (after St. Petersburg) in the western
part of Russia.
Otherwise Riga is calle the little Paris ...I don't understand why...
There are a lot of Art Nouveau buildings ( very kitch) and it's bigger than old Taillin.
FOR THE LAZY PEOPLE, go HERE THE READING:
an overview of riga:(you can see Empire state building and the eiffel tower ;) )
the most beautiful building for me: Blackheads house
Cathedral is great as well:
Plenty of parks in riga:
Art nouveau (the guild):
Evening: We sleep in Leijapa where an old soviet prison is. And in addition to be a museum it's also a youth hostel. Ready for one of the most weird of my nights.
The jailer tell us story of the prison, how prisoners were treated, the soviet mind,... and some story of ghosts!
But we manage to sleep well even it was a little bit cold.
Monday 22.10
After a good night Martin try to be shooted but he doesn't understand this time is over
By a frozen weather, we go to Lithuania in order to see the Coronian split:
Nice Walking in the nature...means playing like kids :)
In the evening , little break in kaunas where there is the little Champ- Elysées ( Baltic countries like imitating Paris) but at the end of the street
an no- restaured orthodox church
and then direction to vilnius. Vilnius. What a hapiness by car. 2 hours to reach our hostel because all the street are one- way. So a map is not
enough, you must try each street. Great!!! Otherwise Vilnius by night it's worth it because you can't see scaffoldings, old builings
an especially all almost builings are white and it's pretty cute with light.
Tuesday 23.10.
Vilnius by day is less beautiful. Maybe it's the grey sky,..? Or maybe it's because it's poorer than Tallin and Riga (LIthuania is poorer than Estonia and Latvia, we
have been able to notice the difference...)
Some culturals words:
Vilnius is a cosmopolitan city with diverse architecture. There are more than 40 churches in Vilnius.
Like most medieval towns, Vilnius was developed around its Town Hall. The main artery, Pilies Street, links the governor's palace and the Town Hall. Other streets meander
through the palaces of feudal lords and landlords, churches, shops and craftsmen's workrooms. Narrow, curved streets and intimate courtyards developed in the radial layout
of medieval Vilnius.
The Old Town, the historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Europe (3.6 km²). The most valuable historic and cultural sites are concentrated here. The buildings
in the old town — there are nearly 1,500 — were built over several centuries, creating a splendid blend of many different architectural styles. Although Vilnius is known as
a Baroque city, there are examples of Gothic (e.g. St Anne's Church), Renaissance, and other styles. The main sights of the city are Gediminas Castle and
Cathedral Square , symbols of the capital. Their combination is also a gateway to the historic centre of the capital. Owing to its uniqueness, the Old Town of Vilnius was
inscribed on the UNESCOWorld Heritage List in 1994.
the cathedral...
After Vilnius we return back to Riga to spend the night . On the road we stop to an open modern art museum (or the ugly museum as you want :))
Before crossing the border , we stop to supermarket to buy alcohol ( very cheap):
I don't renember how many liters we have taken but a lot!!
In riga, with Guillaume we discover riga by night. As nice as in the day:
Wenesday 24.10
It's time to return in Finland...Very nice trip and cute cities.
Hopefully I have passed my Two exams. So no regrets!!!
If you want to see more picture go to http://picasaweb.google.fr/perrine.brossard
All pictures are online.
