Well, I'm now in New York, my JB flight was early, and I had a really good day yesterday, starring the Rubin museum and a free dance performance at the Lincolm Center. But....

I'm currently waiting for Continental to call me back about rescheduling my Sunday flight. Minimum 90 minute wait time.

Yes, good luck. I was thinking you were starting off around now. Your timing is perfect! Keep us posted.

Well an exciting start to say the least. Good luck, we will be following along as well.

Looks like Irene will be over JFK on Sunday so hope all goes well.

Aloha!

Good luck rebooking. Continental just rebooked my friend who is returning to NYC from Europe..
We love the Rubin, their collection and their cafe is very good too. The Rubin is a real gem.

Thanks people! I'm still waiting for Continental to call me back. there are seats on this afternoon's flight but I don't know if they'll give them to me, since I booked through travelocity.

I had a great time at the Rubin and I ate lunch at Bouchon Bakery with a great view. Of rain - it always seems to rain when I visit Colombus Circle

my guess is don't give up your nyc digs as CO will be delayed for sure on sunday..

if you are at fanny's, give her a big hug from us..

wait till you see the helsinki prices... the boat is a very nice ride.

Good luck to you. Your plan for touring looks wonderful. We enjoyed Helsinki and Tallin. though husband was born in Riga, we have yet to go there and it's on our list. Will be anxious to read your report of it.

Your plans for Serbia, Bulgaria, etc. are very cool I'll also be anxious to read your reports of time there since that is also on our list. Have been to Croatia and want to return. It's so beautiful. Hope you get to see Dubrovnik without excess cruise travelers. They can make it tough to see the beauty. Have a great trip. Get out of NYC.

Happily, Bob's pessism, which I admit I shared, wasn't warranted this time.

I made it! I'm now in Helsinki airport - literally in the airport, I'm staying in a hotel in the terminal, Hotel Glo, at least for tonight. It took four hours for Continental to call me back on Friday, and another fortyfive minutes for them to rebook me (on the same flights as Sunday), which left me with only four hours (after I packed) to make my flight. Still, it was worth the hassle, as I see that the flight is canceled both today and tomorrow.

Am exhausted (and REALLY needed a shower when I checked in!), but just ate some excellent, if pricey, salmon at the airport Hilton.

Woo hoo! Welcome to Finland. I'm following along.

Good for you - you made it out of NYC ahead of Irene. I've been thinking abut you and hoping you'd get on that flight!

Glad to hear you escaped Irene and are on your way.Have a wonderful adventure.
Next time you're at the Rubin eat at their Himalayan Cafe, delicious.
Eagerly following your live report...

Good for you. Enjoy your trip.

Good for you. Enjoy your trip.

Congratulations. Coffee on the Esplanade?

bon voyage... wonders do happen

Enjoy your trip. We didn't think Tallin warranted more than a day or two. If you have the time, you may want to try to get to Vilnius. We thought the city was remarkable.

Nice to see you all over here. Hope the eastcoasters are all safe and hopefully with power.

Moved into town today, although I have to move again tomorrow. Slow start to the day, then tram ride, Sibelius memorial, Design Museum, cathedral, dinner. Finns seem very nice, not as wowed by the architecture as I expected. Details later.

For those interested in costs:

Hotel Glo at the airport: 119 euro incl. comprehensive breakfast buffet, free wifi, no windows.
Hotel Helka, booking.com via eurocheapo.com, 120 euro incl. breakfast and wifi and big windows.
Hostel Academica, en-suite single, 57 euro without b'fast, wifi in lobby. Only out of term time, it's a student hall of residence the rest of the year. http://www.hostelacademica.fi/

dgunbug - I visitd Vilnius, and liked it very much, back in 2004, so I'm not doing it again this time. (The cheap flights are out of Riga.)

We finally have the power back at the tip of Long Island (no phone, yet,though!), so I am chiming in to let you know that I am fastening my seat belt! Stay well!

Hi eks - glad to hear you're OK and have power. If you have Internet but no phone, have you tried Skype?

Have had a lot of rain in Helsinki, although nothing like a hurricane! Now have my journal up-to-date and am trying to catch up with my posts as I take the ferry to Tallinn tomorrow. (Viking.)

August 24th - 26th - Escaping Irene

This trip started out so well... Although the new X-ray machines were front-and-center at RDU, I only had to cope with "old-style" security, and Jet Blue got me and my one (free) checked bag to JFK early. It did take me nearly twice as long to reach the Upper East Side apartment where I was renting a room from a Fodors' friend, as it did to fly RDU-JFK, but apparently I took the wrong route.

The next day-and-a-bit were fun. I enjoyed my first (really!) Broadway play , Tyne Daly in "Master Class", which Fanny had suggested, more than I expected (I am tone-deaf, not the best candidate for even snatches of opera). In the morning I strolled along East River, deciding I preferred the Hudson, and was intrigued by the rather modern Islamic Cultural Center on 96th, before taking a cross-town bus and disappearing into the subway system just as the rain started.

Bouchon Bakery was seating its first lunch customers when I arrived, and I scored the perfect table, looking straight at Colombus' statue and down Central Park South. A very wet Central Park South. How come it always rains when I visit Colombus Circle? But lunch, chicken salad sparked by the sweet notes of pickled onion, and a pleasant wine, went down well.

I spent the afternoon happily ensconced in the admirable Rubin (if you get a chance, check out the rare Naxi exhibition), and the evening at the Lincoln Center for a "Target Free Thursday" in the David Rubenstein Atrium watching "Ballets With a Twist" perform Cocktail Hour. Admittedly, after a good tartine at Le Pain Quotidien I got to the Atrium too late to find a good seat and had to stand for the performance, but it was worth it.

Then, when I arrived "home" to find Fanny's wifi working, I ruined my mood by checking the weather forecast. No doubt about it, my Sunday flight was history. Given that New York's public transport was slated to shut down Saturday afternoon, I'd have trouble even getting to the airport. When I checked Continental's website, though, I found I could change my flights without penalty. Maybe I should have Skyped Continental then and there (around midnight), but instead I tried to get some sleep. (After getting up a couple of times to check flight availability on Friday. On Saturday. On Monday.)

Friday morning it took several tries to get through to Continental's voice system, where I left my (or, rather, Fanny's) number for a callback. At least 90 minutes, the voice said. Trying Travelocity was worse, they just left me on hold, and after 20 or 30 minutes Skype would drop the call. Continental finally called after about 4 hours, just as I was ready to eat a couple of boiled eggs for lunch. I think the guy on the phone was an amateur, as it took 45 minutes to get me rebooked. I'd take the same flights, but on Friday. (Good thing I hadn't tried for Saturday flights, as those ended up being canceled too.) All that phone time meant that after I had packed, established I couldn't use the Shuttle, and was ready to leave, I had exactly four hours to my 5:35 pm flight. Panic time!

Why doesn't the New York subway system have elevators? I went down the uptown hole in the ground instead of the downtown, which sentenced me to two more flights of stairs. Then, at Grand Central, not a sign in sight for where to surface for the Airport Express. Eventually I picked a likely-looking exit, and asked a nearby vendor for directions. I easily caught the 2:00 pm coach, but then it sat at Times Square until 2:30 pm. My nerves were further tried by the hopelessly snarled traffic around the Holland Tunnel. Between the traffic and the lines at Newark I finally checked in at 4:00 pm, with one minor glitch when the system said I needed to talk to an agent. Apparently I had to be warned that I could only stay 90 days in Finland without a visa. They tell me that now? Why not when I reserved? (Not that it was a problem for me, but still.)

I had, naturally, been assigned a middle seat. I was going to tough it out, but by the time I reached the gate I decided to pay extra for a "more leg room" seat provided I could get a window. Thanks to an article I just read in the Sunday New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=tierney&st=cse) I now have an explanation for this extravagance - it seems that the more decisions you make in a given  day, the worse your judgement and the weaker your self-control! Even though my exit row seat didn't recline (as I had feared, despite the gate agent's assurances), the extra space helped me get at least some sleep. (The less said about Continental's food the better - fortunately I had bought a sandwich at Newark, as breakfast consisted of a croissant and coffee, NO protein whatsoever).

(BTW, thanks to Fanny for the phone and the hugs!)

Although I question your decision not to revisit Lithuania, after all you went to India twice, I look forward to traveling along with you. Have a great trip.

Marija, I may have gone to India twice, but in 16 weeks total I only went back to one place, Mysore. (I don't count the overnight in Chennai to catch a plane.) Actually, the place I wanted to go back to on this trip was Lviv, but the logistics were hopeless, and they were bad for Vilnius, too.

I ate and drank way too much on the ferry coming over, although not as much as the young group at the next table. at least one seemed to have something to do with the UN, but you wouldn't have thought so watching them try to throw food into each others' mouths! I am now happily ensconced in the Baltic Imperial in Tallinn.

Sounds fun. I will be doing that ferry next trip I think. We did the Stockholm-Helsinki ferry this summer and surprisingly enjoyed it. There was a good seafood restaurant where the behaviour was very civilised!

thursdaysd, I'm following your TR w/great interest! I enjoyed the NYC part (except for the flight changes and rush to airport!)

August 27-30 - Settling In In Helsinki

Escaping Irene and traveling through airports with no free wifi meant I had nowhere to stay for my first two nights in Helsinki. I expected to get help from the T.I. in the airport, but no, they didn't handle hotels. The travel agency across the way only booked for hotels near the airport - 20 euro booking fee and I'd need a shuttle. I resigned myself to trekking into town and trying at the train station when, following the signs to the nearest loo, I came face-to-face with the Hotel Glo, actually IN the airport. I was tired, I was desperately in need of a shower, and although I made a pro forma request for the price, I ignored the fact that 119 euro was well above my budget. After all, I did mention that it was RIGHT THERE, didn't I? (And one of my credit cards worked, even though I was using it a day early.)

True, since it was in the basement, the hotel had no windows. True, my room was just big enough for a large bed and a small desk. But the water was hot and the bed comfortable. Aaaah... Clean. Horizontal. Asleep.

My cure for west-to-east jet lag is an afternoon nap, followed by dinner and bed on the local schedule. Works fine for me. This time I followed the hotel clerk's suggestion of dinner at the airport Hilton. Also pricey for me, but my salmon, with a crisp, slightly salty skin, was delicious.

I took advantage of the free wifi (airport and hotel) to verify that my reserved hostel had no room on Sunday (I'd already checked Saturday) and found an offer for Hotel Helka at 120 euro. This semed to be the cheapest en-suite room available and it was also easy walking distance from a tram stop and my future home at Hostel Academica.

After an admirable breakfast buffet at a cafe just outside the hotel, I took the Finnair bus into town (unlike the cheaper city bus, it, too, was right there when needed) and then became totally confused by the 3B/3T circulating trams - at the railway station you can board both a 3B and a 3T in each direction - four trams in all! After a detour past the harbor I got sorted out enough to reach my hotel.  A bit worn outside, a bit less worn inside, but I had a big room with a sofa and chairs, two beds and a wall of windows.

The Hostel Academica, just a couple of blocks away, seemed a bit bleak in comparison, but at less than half the price I could hardly complain. The bed was narrow, the bathroom floor got wet when I showered, and I needed my flashlight to get into bed, as the only light switch was across the room. No hairdyer, TV, or telephone, but a fridge and a stove. No free breakfast, but I bought juice, cereal and yoghurt at a supermarket across the street. I slept well, and it was close to two 3T tram stops. And I was very glad to stop switching beds for three nights.

While the T.I. had been a dead loss for finding hotels, it provided maps and sold me a transport pass, and later found me a brochure on Art Nouveau buildings, albeit in French! Along with the pages I had copied from a couple of guide books, I was set for sightseeing.

The best-laid plans etc. Still, that's what credit cards are for. Hope it wasn't raining too. Things will get better. Look forward to the sights you saw.

Just began reading this trip report. I am enjoying it. Maybe someday I will get to those Baltic countries! thanks!

Hi thursdaysd! I'll be in Riga 9/4-7...we used to live here, so we're looking forward to a quick return trip. The good news about Riga is that it is totally walkable; you don't need to worry about the location of the nearest tram. Maybe we'll pass in the narrow streets of Old Town or gazing at the Art Noveau architecture on Albertas iela! You'll have enough time to take the train down to the beaches in Jurmala -- or a day trip to Sigulda. Riga In Your Pocket (similar version available for Tallinn too) is super informative. If Emihls Gustavs Chocolate (in the Bergas Bazars) has survived possible bankruptcy, have some of their hot chocloate, thick enough to stand your spoon in -- chocoholics can die happy here!

Hi skibumette - I'll be in Riga the 5th to the 9th. I'm thinking of a day trip to Sigulda if the weather is good. Any interest in a GTG for coffee or a meal?

Headed to airport now. It looks like the 6th is our overlap day -- we're going to Riga for an event that will eat up much of that day...but morning coffee might be possible? If so, I'll come back with a locale. Are you planning to stay downtown? near Old Town? Or ???

If you go to Sigulda and someone suggests the summer (with wheels) bobsled run (this used to be the Soviet bobsled training facility) be forewarned that my then-teenage nephews did it only once! Turaida Castle (outside Sigulda) is especially nice.

BTW, I've also lived in Belgrade and Bulgaria...so I'm familiar with some of your other B's. But that was rather a long time ago...

I'm staying here: http://www.hoteledvards.lv/ - Dzirnavu street between Valdemara and Skolas streets.

I figured if I was going to Riga for the Art Nouveau buildings I should stay near them. Morning coffee would be great.

Have enjoyed Tallinn, take the bus to Riga tomorrow morning. The bus is supposed to have wifi, which will be nice, as my hotel room doesn't.

August 28-31 - Sightseeing Helsinki, Part One

Helsinki looks its best in sunshine. Unfortunately, I had more rain than sun. I enjoyed just enough sun to appreciate how much more brightly the gold finials on the Russian Orthodox Uspenski cathedral could shine, and just how vividly green the grass down the center of the Esplanade could glow. Sprinkled with raindrops sparkling under a blue sky, the grass seemed almost luridly bright. I admired the display from the Cafe Strindberg, whose own Art Deco interior sparkled as well.

The interior of the Russian Orthodox cathedral didn't live up to the outside, at least for me. While the windows provided light, they also occupied wall space I had expected to be given over to murals, and the vaunted iconostasis was only two saints high, instead of the four or five levels I had seen in Russia. Maybe if it had been my first Orthodox church... The first time I tried to visit I met an American couple at the foot of the stairs who told me it had just closed. They were sorry to have missed the interior, as "there weren't any in America". I think they just hadn't looked, as there are several Russian synods in the US, and at least a dozen Greek Orthodox churches just in Bible Belt NC..

The Uspenski cathedral, legacy of the Russian rulers, occupies one hill. A second is crowned by a Lutheran cathedral, legacy of earlier, Swedish, rulers. Its interior was stark, but that I had expected. I spent an instructive time in the local history museum, where I realized that although I had supposedly studied "European" history in school in England, I had actually studied western European history, we had spent very little time on the north and east. While Finland, for much of its history, was a frontier territory, with hunting, fishing, and seal hunting more important than agriculture, it was also on important trade routes, with tentacles reaching as far as Istanbul. But it was well beyond the Pax Romana, and remained pagan into the second Christian millenium.

The history museum was an unexpected pleasure, but the Design Museum, high on my list of sights, proved disappointing. The permanent exhibition was much smaller than I had expected, and I began to wonder whether I had confused Finnish design with Danish - I certainly preferred Copenhagen airport! The temporary exhibition featured the work of Kaj Franck. Unfortunately, while functionalism sounds admirable in theory, in visual reality it quickly becomes boring. This was also where I managed to drop my brand new camera, while trying to load a locker. After I had manually adjusted the plates that covered the lens, it seemed to be functioning again, but I wondered whether that would last.

I visited the Design Museum my first afternoon in town, right after the Sibelius Monument. (I had bought a transport pass and was zipping around on the trams.) I had seen several photographs of the multiple pipes that form the monument, but hadn't realized that they were decorated. The monument had been controversial, and the artist had to add a bust of the composer, but I thought the pipes admirable.

I ate a forgettable slice of quiche for lunch in the Design Museum, but that evening I had a more memorable meal at a place called BBQ House at the Kamppi metro station/bus station/mall. I mostly chose it because I had uncharacteristically accepted a flyer that turned out to offer a free glass of sparkling wine for eating there, but my chicken was fine, if somewhat slow in arriving.

How about coffee at Art Cafe Sienna at Strelnieku 3; this should be right at intersection with Alberta iela, the heart and soul of Art Nouveau? Perhaps 11:30 tomorrow - but I could do other times up to 1:00 if 11:30 messes up your plans for the day.

That sounds fine - see you there. Looking forward to it! (I'll be the woman wih grey hair, glasses and probably boots. Used to be orange hair, but I couldn't get it hennaed on the last trip and let it grow out.)

Bookmarking for later read-glad you were able to get out before Irene!

I'll look for you then! I have short blonde hair - wearing purple striped blouse or light blue turtleneck depending on weather.

In the meantime, the Art Nouveau museum at Alberta iela 12 (corner of Strelnieku; entrance is on Strelnieku side. It's on first floor; you have to ring bell and they'll buzz you in) opens at 10:00; it's small but very nicely done. They have nice brochures (may have to pay modest sum) showing locations of best Art Nouveau buildings around town. There are also apparently guided tours of Art Nouveau Riga from the tourism office near the Blackheads House in Old Town but you may not want to bother? Lots to explore on your own!

August 29 - 31 - Sightseeing Helsinki, Part Two

Helsinki is a relatively new city, which exists because the Swedes built  Suomenlinna fortress on a nearby island as a defense against the Russians. (They ultimately lost Finland to the Russian tsars, but later than the Baltic regions.) The fortress was a marvel in its day, and is still considered a must-see sight, but I like my castles medieval, and wasn't terribly interested. However, rather than pay for a pricey harbor tour, I took the much cheaper ferry over just to get a look at the city from the sea.

Driving into the city from the airport I had been struck by how northern the countryside looked - evergreens and flat granite outcroppings - and now the overhelming impression was of more flatness - low islands scattered across a grey sea. The best feature was the Turneresque sky, with everchanging clouds spreading to infinity. However, my feet were complaining, and I soon took the ferry back to the mainland.

I did ignore my feet when it came to checking out the Art Nouveau buildings. I had picked up a brochure with a walking tour from the T.I. (no English ones available, but my French was good enough) and followed most of it in between rain showers. But although I found a few buildings I enjoyed, in general I thought the architecture more Art Deco than Nouveau.

The rain did limit my sightseeing - I abandoned plans to visit the Open Air Ethnographical Museum, and a possible side trip to Porvoo. The afternoon I went to the Church in the Rock (as much on as in, but interesting none-the-less) it rained so hard that I retreated to a cafe I had spotted near the tram stop. The coffee wasn't great, but it was a nice cafe, with well-filled book shelves and comfortable seats.

My last afternoon I gave up all pretence of being a tourist. I ate a late lunch sandwich in the Stockman department store, and followed the recommendation of the young local sitting next to me to take the underground passage to the neighboring Academic Bookstore. Here I drank coffee while I browsed a couple of guide books, and then settled into an armchair on the ground floor to read the first chapter of Bill Bryson's latest book. (I'm now reading the rest of it on my iPad, having borrowed it electronically from my home town library. I only get a seven day loan, though, and it's a big book.) 

That morning I had checked out one of the indoor markets and another, less famous department store, and been a little stunned by the prices. Not so much for the kitchenware and china, but for games and books. I haven't bought any physical games lately, but surely 50 euro for Monopoly and 35 euro for Scrabble is a bit excessive? And Lonely Planet guidebooks that sold for $26 in the U.S. were priced at 28 euro, while a slim P. D. James from the 60's cost 30 euro.

Helsinki was not kind to my budget. Aside from the two extra hotel nights, I also spent a fair amount on food. I tried reindeer once, in a sandwich at Cafe Strindberg, and thought it a little too strong. That night I had intended to eat cheaply at Cafe Engel, but was too hungry for their offerings, and went upstairs to the recommendable Sunn instead for a delicious appetizer of small fish and wild mushrooms, and a calves liver entree. Other nights I ate Chinese and then Nepalese/Indian - acceptable but not memorable.

Am now in Riga. Bus ride would have been boring without wifi and seatmate - lots and lots of pine trees.

Met skibumette, charming and well-travelled and no kind of bum, as planned - appreciate her taking the time out of her short trip. Had a lovely chat.

Interesting to see where you are and where you go next. Sorry to hear that Helsinki was expensive and wet. Have also rediscovered your Caucasus trip (was it really 2 years ago) as am thinking along those lines...

September 1- Indulgencies

It's less than a hundred miles from Helsinki to Tallinn, although during the Soviet occupation of Estonia it might as well have been a thousand - the invaders burned the fishing boats. Now there's plenty of choice, although I didn't pay much attention to the fastest, the Linda Line's catamarans, as the service is cancelled in rough weather. 

Between them, the other ferry companies offer an array of choices, with the price varying according to the time of day and the day of the week you choose to travel. The price from Helsinki to Tallinn goes up the closer you get to the weekend, when partying (and shopping) Finns head for the cheaper alcohol across the water. I opted for the mid-day Viking boat, although I would have saved money by leaving on Wednesday instead of Thursday. I would  also have saved money if I hadn't bought the buffet lunch, as there were other options available on board. Along with plenty of opportunity to buy alcohol, and to gamble.

Perhaps the rave reviews for the buffets on the ferries in this part of the world really apply to overnight boats? I wasn't overly impressed with this one, although as usual withbuffets I ate too much. The appetizers were the best part: I ate lots of salmon and shrimp. I appreciated the very tender beef, and the cheese I ate for desert, but the  veggies were very uninspiring. Maybe  if you drink enough of the unlimited wine or beer on offer, you may not notice any deficiency in the food. I thought I drank plenty, but I still noticed.

The 20-somethings at the next table certainly seemed to be drinking deep. Although I heard one of them mention working for the U.N., his companions were happily trying to throw food into each others' mouths, and call friends and family back home who were probably still asleep.

Solo travelers should be aware that although there are luggage rooms on the boat that are locked during passage, there is no watch on them when they are unlocked. The few lockers cost two euro and my carry-on size bag barely fit.

I was one of the first off the boat (not sure how I managed that), and noticed a sign for a free bus to the edge of the old town. this was definitely a first come first served operation, and I was lucky to get a seat. actually, since I had to trek all the way across the old town to reach my hotel, it might have been just as quick to walk the whole thing.

The Baltic Imperial has received some good write-ups here, but I was less impressed than I expected. I've posted a review on tripadvisor, so I'll just say I had issues with the location, the dim lighting, the shower, the lack of wifi in my room.... I did find the staff friendly, and I indulged in an excellent (and needed) massage. A warning to future guests: the small bottle of water on the desk that is NOT in the minibar? They will charge you one euro per bottle on check out. I consider that a scam.

Don't like the sound of the buffet on the ship at all...the clientele I mean. I did an overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki recently and saw none of that. We only had a buffet once, that was complimentary because the ship was late. It was good, but there was no booze apart from what we bought separately.
Hope it has stopped raining by now. Makes me wonder if autumn trips are often wet.

Had a mix of sun and rain in Riga (liked Riga). Am noow in Belgrade, where it's sunny and warm. Flight painful - wretched womaan with grating voice talked the entire trip. Can't remember the last time I was on a plane with propellers! Dead tired last night, maybe some updates today.

Correction: I should have said that Belgrade is hot!

September 1 - 5 - Tallinn, in town

I had arrived early enough to be able to spend the afternoon following the lower town section of a guidebook's recommended walk. Tallinn is divided between the government section up the (steep) hill, and the commercial section at the bottom. Commerce used to be the preserve of German merchant guilds, but these days consists of lots of souvenir shops. Luckily the medieval buildings, including parts of the wall and towers, can stilll be admired.

My second day I took in the upper town, which I found less interesting. The view points were worthwhile, and the interior of the Orthodox cathedral was more impressive than the one in Helsinki. Heavy rain drove me indoors that afternoon, to the Museum of Foreign Occupations. Unfortunately, the main sights here were videos, and I had trouble with the audio on most of them. It was pretty clear that the Soviets made themselves so hated during their first brief occupation in 1940, that the Nazis were initially regarded as liberators.

My last day in town I was luckier with the weather, and took a tram out to Kadriorg Park, where I visited the baroque palace built by the Russian tsar Peter 1. Reminded me of St. Petersburg, though of course on a much smaller scale. The immediate grounds included fountains and formal plantings, while the rest of the park consisted of woodland. I ate a meager lunch at the park cafe before wandering around, eventually crossing a main road to Tallinn's beach - a sandy strip apparently popular with the locals but not somewhere I felt like lingering. I took a tram back to town and returned to the cafe I had liked just off the main square on Saiakang, a place with excellent coffee and good open-faced sandwiches.

While alcohol was undoubtedly cheaper in Estonia than in Finland, food seemed to be just about as expensive, at least in tourist territory. I tried one recommended place for "local" food, and thought it way overpriced. I don't mind paying gourmet prices for gourmet food, but "Grandma's Place" offered pretty undistinguished fare. On the other hand, the high prices at Bocca, an Italian place just out of the center, were largely justified. I would have preferred my zabaglione without the almonds though, they spoiled the usually lucious texture.

Anyone besides gertie reading this? I just had a less than stellar solo dining experience and could use some human contact....

I'm here, thursday, poking around in search of ideas for our November trip and reading your updates. Sorry about your dismal solo dining experience. Tell us about it and maybe you'll feel more chipper. Please don't defect to the dark side and become an Azamarite!

Hi Marija - since my feet are still more or less functioning I think i'm safe from Aza-exile for a while longer. I'll write about dinner in Belgrade in Part Two, for now I'll just say to ignore everything Lonely Planet says about the Skardarska area, I should have taken one look and gone back to the empty Italian restaurant next door to my B&B.

Hi, thursday, glad to hear the sun continued some in Riga. It was lovely on Wednesday morning when we had to leave! Am enjoying your commentary on Tallinn and looking forward to hearing your overall impressions of Riga...as well as my (very) old stomping grounds in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Bulgaria. Don't give up!!

In Belgrade the best restaurants (decades ago) were places like the Cultural Workers Club and the Press Club. Don't know if there are similarly titled commercial ventures now? If so, there are no guarantees but perhaps check it out??

Still here, tho I fear you are asleep by now. Dining experiences sound altogether dire on this trip. Can't comment as haven't been to Tallinn, Riga or Belgrade, but hope to do the first two soon and will be checking your TR. On the bright side, at least Belgrade is hot and hopefully the booze is cheaper!

Just about awake and reading Bryson on Australia (the e-library took his latest back before I finished it). BTW, gertie, highly recommend my hotel in Riga, the Edvard, see my review on tripadvisor.

skibumette - the guidebooks recommend a place called the Writers' Club, apparently a "legendary institution" from the Tito period. Of course, they also recommended the place I tried in Skadarska.... The Writers' Club is at Francuska 7, if that helps you place it. Hope your event went off well and you made it home OK.

Yes, it was the Writer's Club that I was thinking of -- DH says the Press Club was in Sofia. And, yes, it was during Tito's time that I was there! <I'm dating myself a bit here!> The intelligentsia then had the good sense to hire the best chefs in town. Of course, those chefs are long gone...I guess I would resort to giving the menu a serious study before committing. It might be better for atmosphere than anything else?!

The Riga event was very nice, the trip home very long, and we arrived in the middle of a monsoon! We've had an earthquake, hurricane and now floods -- are locusts next?!!

September 3 - Outside Tallinn

While Tallinn is charming enough, at least off the main drag, it can’t keep you occupied for more than a day or perhaps two, plus I wanted to have a look at the countryside. Public transport to the National Parks looked problematic, so I opted for a tour. Based on a trip report on tripadvisor, I picked Estadventures, which, as I noticed when I signed up online, had also been chosen by Intrepid for their “urban adventures”.

Estadventures offered both urban and rural trips, and took me to Lahemaa National Park. And it was just me – I was impressed that the tour went with only one client – and I enjoyed chatting with the expat Australian owner/guide. I even got lucky with the weather: although rain threatened it held off until the drive back to Tallinn.

The way east goes through the “Russian” part of town, where low-rise apartment blocks are emblematic of the Soviet era. Our first stop was for a much older relic: Stone Age graves. The circular stone walls and the rectangular coffins they enclosed had stood in the way of the arrow-straight road built to connect Tallinn to St. Petersburg for the 1950 Olympics, and had actually been moved so that the road could follow its planned course!

Next up was a walk through a pine forest and along boardwalks laid above a peat bog. I spotted several mushroom gatherers at work in the forest, but the peat bog was what I had come to see. I do admit that some might find it less than exciting – it is, after all, a large, flat expanse. I, however, was fascinated to find just how wet a semingly sold surfce could be, and pleased by the cloudscapes reflected in the lakes, and by the mosses, always some of my favorite plants.

I benefited from a mushroom gatherer’s bounty at lunch, which we ate at a place close to Palmse Manor. I couldn’t resist the chanterelles in cream sauce, which were delicious. The fish dish that followed filled my need for protein, but was otherwise forgettable.

The manor was pleasant enough, with grounds equipped with greenhouse, icehouse, boathouse and both a brewery and a vodka distillery, but I preferred the outdoor attractions on this tour. During the afternoon we visited a couple of places on the coast, with plenty of erratic boulders left when the glaciers retreated, and a waterfall.

The second coastal stop was unfortunately memorable because suddenly my camera refused to turn off…. I had visions of trying to track down a Nikon repair store, or, more likely, having to replace it. I breathed a sigh of relief when removing and replacing the battery fixd the glitch. If you have your own transport a couple of nights spent on the coast could be worthwhile downtime, but I wouldn’t try it by public transport.

I always like waterfalls, and this one was impressively wide if not tall, and we arrived to find a wedding “train” in possession. My guide explained that after the ceremony the wedding party will set off on a tour of neighboring locations, where the couple will be required to perform tasks or answer questions. This particular train came with a man with a bullhorn and a photographer. I felt sorry for some of the female guests, who seemed to be wearing the wrong shoes for the location.

That evening I ate Indian at Chakra, a restaurant that my guide had recommended and that didn’t appear in any of my guidebooks. I enjoyed a good curry in relatively peaceful surroundings, which in old town Tallinn on a Saturday night was no small achievement.

I also went to the 'Grandma place' and was disappointed. Rustic food does not have to be boring and tasteless like what they offered in that restaurant and they weren't cheap either. How they got that popular is beyond me. What really bothered me was the service or the lack of it. The two women waitresses were soooo unfriendly and did not care to communicate. It was one of the worse dining experience for me.
I discovered a nice inexpensive cafe called 'Magic buffet' in the Viru shopping centre. The place is super clean and modern looking, the food is nice and the price is right. 10 euro bought me a salad and some decent pasta (I chose the ingredients and the chef cooked in front of me) and a drink. The cafe is on the second floor, great place for lunch, they are opened till 9pm or so. Next to the seating area of cafe is the bathroom, you'll need some change to use the facility. There is another good coffee shop called 'More' on the top floor of that center. I didn't care for their pasta so much, the soup was good and the dessert were to die for. I particularly love the the 'Rhubard filing with almond crisp' pie(without the crust). YUM!!!!!!!!!!!I went back there several times for that crisp. The tourist info booth is on the street level, there is a nice pharmacy/healthstuff store opposite (not directly) to the booth where I bought some organic herbal skin care stuff and sole inlaid for the shoes(very good), they were much less expensive then NYC. The supermarket is in the basement, I like their croissant a lot, they were warm and fresh from the oven every time I was there at different hours so they must be baked on the premise. They come 3 in a package for less than 1 euro and they are not very rich and buttery and flaky. Though all the fresh baked goods looked really good, I really fell in love the local dark bread. They are in the bread department which is in front and to the left . They are not warm but they are fresh and healthy tasting. Good to have them for the road (because they are filing)and they don't get stale easily(last for 3 days easy without getting too hard). Wine is available in that supermarket at good price. My NY neighbor told me to try Georgian wine but the ones I got were not good. i could have bought them from RIMI in Riga. She said the sweet white wine are outstanding but the ones I got were not that sweet. They were very inexpensive. The Viru shopping center is a block from the Radisson hotel where I was staying. The view on the roof is really great. I particularly like it during and after sunset. The pix I posted on my profile is taken from the window of my room. You can walk in without buying anything. Nobody asked.
I didn't care for the lido restaurant.
From Tallinn to Riga, I recommand the Hansabuss business line. The very comfy bus comes with a hostess. She offers cushions for neck and she serves coffee(1 euro) and snacks. The seats were huge and roomy. The toilet on the lower level was super clean. There were only five other passengers on the bus excluding me and Dl.
I'll write about Riga later.

I know people who have done a day trip to Tallinn from Helsinki. Maybe that's the way to see it as there isn't much there. It also has the reputation of a stag night place, maybe that accounts for the curry shop! Sounds like you checked out the food pretty well.

I am reading and enjoying. thanks for sharing!

How wonderful that the tour went with just you!

Hi Thursdaysd - I'm reading as well - have been reading your TR's since your sore foot days....these are places I probably will never go but still find them interesting to read about...nice that you had a solo tour outside Tallinn - sorry about so much rain - enjoy the rest of your trip!

Further correction: it is VERY hot in Serbia. In the 90s!

Mara - would you believe I have unhappy feet again? Not as bad as the sore foot tour, at least not yet, but I currently have my right foot propped up and resting against icy beer cans from the minibar.

Since I also have a cold I'm not enjoying Serbia so much! At least the stuff the pharmacy sold me yesterday (principle ingredient paracetamol, cost about $2.30 US) knocked down the fever and seems to be drying things up a bit. Am currently in Novi Sad, still hope to do a day trip to Subotica tomorrow (more Art Nouveau), then I break the journey south to Sofia with an overnight in Nis.

September 5 - Riding to Riga with a Russian

I had considered the Hansabuss line recommended by mohan, but the schedule for the Lux Express suited me better. While I had to fetch my own coffee it didn't cost anything. I didn't check out the onboard toilet as we made a brief stop at the halfway point. I would have been more cmfortable if my seatmate had moved into one of the empty seat pairs, but at least she moved her seat sideways, which made typing easier, although the seat-back tray tables were useless.

Actually, having a seatmate who spoke English, as well as the wifi (which worked better in Estonia than Latvia) was an advantage as the scenery was pretty boring - mostly dead straight road lined by pine trees. While the pine trees were nicer than the ones I saw too much of driving aross South Carolina (in-laws in Savannah) four hours is a long time....

The young woman sitting next to me was coming off the generous three years of parental leave mandated in Estonia (part paid, part not, but your job is guaranteed) and was headed to Riga for job training. We were a good way into the trip before I learned that she was Russian, or at least that she identified as Russian. She was a third generation immigrant to Estonia, but said that she spoke better English than she did Estonian. (Her English was quite good.)

As I had discovered on my trip out to Lahemaa, the Russian community lived a largely segregated existence. It had also successfully lobbied for Russian-language schools after Estonian independence. While I am obviously just an ignorant bystander, I can't help wondering what they think the long term situation will be. I understand elderly first generation immigrants having trouble with the language, but surely it would make more sense to have the third and fourth generations taught in Estonian? They'd learn Russian at home.

Presumably the Russian community doesn't expect the majority Estonian community to suddenly adopt the Russian language and customs associated with a hated occupation? Do they perhaps think that Russia will reclaim the Baltic states? Wouldn't that make them some kind of fifth column? I didn't express those thoughts to my companion, but I did wonder what languages her daughter would speak in 20 years time.

I had chosen to stay outside old town Riga - it sounded like a noisy, party place, and I preferred to be closer to the main Art Nouveau section - so I was pleased that the Lux Express dropped me at the Radisson near my hotel instead of taking me all the way to the main bus station. This was the Radisson Blu Elisavete: there are at least two others. My hotel, the admirable Edvards (see tripadvisor for my review), was just a short walk away.

While I was too early to check-in, the hotel kept my bag and sent me down the road to the Flying Frog for lunch. The food was fine, but the prices were higher and the environment smokier than I expected.

thursdaysd: waiting to hear about your experiences in Riga...before moving on to Part II (Belgrade and Bulgaria)! Did you make it to Sigulda?

Hi skibumette - if the train to Sofia had been the nice, comfortable Intercity I was hoping for (but not necessarily expecting), I might have written the first Riga piece this afternoon. But it was an unwelcome leftover from the past... Will see what I can do - my journal is almost up to date, so that's the most important thing. Didn't make it to Sigulda, I thought Riga deserved more time. BTW, best thing about Serbia was Subotica, but unfortunately that was more Hungarian.

Interesting use for cold beer.....hope your feet appreciated it and you're doing better....

Hello Thursday. Still with you but you seem to have gone quiet of late. Hope all is well. Maybe you have so much to report it is taking a while to marshal your thoughts. Where are you?

Hi Gertie. Just reached Plovdiv. Train ride Nis to Sofia not conducive to writing. Then joined tour, ditto. Last night we stayed in Rila monastery, no wifi. Have loads of emails and need to get journal up to date.

Why Plovdiv and where next?

See http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours11/product.cfm/rurl/code/BUL11/222

Looks great!

wow - your itinerary really brings back memories from 1978-81: the golden domes of Nevski, Rila monastery, old town Plovdiv, the Kazanluk tomb, Nesebar, Veliko Turnovo! But things were a lot grayer then: no one was allowed to worship in the cathedral, very few folkloric dancers, the Fulbright professor living in Veliko Turnovo had to carry water up to his 4th floor flat. Will be interested to hear your impressions of modern day Bulgaria!

Sept 5-9 - Riga: Art Nouveau

Riga surprised me - much bigger and more crowded than I expected. But being bigger turned out to be a good thing, because Riga has enough space for its multiple personalties to flourish. 

Cheap flights bring in the drinkers and partiers, who populate the old town's cafes and pubs in the center. Oddly, it was busiest on Monday afternoon, and things quieted down considerably as the week progressed. I don't know whether Monday was the end of some European long weekends, or whether the wetter weather kept people indoors. Aside from one expensive drink at an outdoor cafe on one of the main squares, and a good meal at the Hotel Neiburg (so-so mushroom soup but delicious salmon salad with avocado and fennel) I visited the old town only to take pictures and pick up some information at the T.I.

I had come to visit a newer part of Riga, home to the largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings anywhere, which gave me a good excuse to stay in the Hotel Edvards, away from the crowds. Where the old town walls once stood, a river and a necklace of pretty parks now separate the old town from the other Rigas. My first afternoon I took advantage of the sunshine to visit the Art Nouveau buildings scattered around the old town. The next morning I had arranged with skibumette to get together for coffee, and on the way I took a look at the lovely Art Nouveau museum at Alberta 12 (http://www.jugendstils.riga.lv/eng/muzejs - make sure you look UP the staircase outside the apartment that is now the museum) and picked up some brochures. I enjoyed both our talk, and the lovely Art Cafe Sienna skibumette had chosen, right opposite the museum.

Reading the brochures I made a discovery. Turns out there are three kinds of Art Nouveau, at least in this part of the world: Eclectic, Perpendicular (or Vertical) and Romantic/Nationalist, which explains the confusion I had felt in Helsinki, where there was very little Eclectic  Art Nouveau. Unfortunately, I very much prefer Eclectic, which is the style I really think of as Art Nouveau. While I saw plenty of Eclectic in Riga, many of the buildings in the brochures belonged to the other styles.

I took quite a lot of photos, but unfortunately I have yet to figure out how to persuade the iPad app for smugmug to let me upload more than one at a time, so those of you wanting photos will have to manage with the few I've posted to my blog. (See the first post for the link.)

Your pictures of Riga on your website are very good.

Thanks, gertie!

Sept 5-9 - The Other Rigas

Although my primary interest in Riga was Art Nouveau, I explored other parts of the city as well. I particularly liked the parks that lay between my hotel and the old town. My first afternoon I found the Orthodox cathedral, rather more impressive inside than those I had visited in Helsinki and Tallinn, and the iconic statue at the entrance to the old town. I have to confess that my favorite place around the parks, however, was the Apsara tea house. Not only did it boast a bewildering array of teas (including two varieties of my favorite white tea), after you climbed the spiral staircase to the top floor and took your shoes off, you could relax on cushions on the floor and watch the passing parade in comfort.

One day I took a bus north through the suburbs to visit the Open Air museum. Now I've visited open air museums in Wales and in the Netherlands and found them fascinating, and easily worth several hours. Unfortunately, I can't put Riga's in the same class. There are, after all, only so many wooden storage buildings, and even houses, you can look at without them all looking the same. And unlike the wooden houses I had seen in Russia, these were very plain - it was only houses from the far eastern reaches of Latvia that showed any decoration at all.

One afternoon I trekked over to the main market, held in four former zeppelin hangers. It was a very clean and orderly market, and I didn't take pictures. The next afternoon I walked the other way along the waterfront (mostly occupied by a very busy road), and admired the suspension bridge. Just inland, I found a new gold statue with an inscription in Latvian and Russian. I enlisted the help of a young woman nearby, who was befriending a stray cat, and she told me that the statue was very new - she hadn't seen it before - and was a new concept, as it was of an "ordinary" citizen of Riga.

I thought perhaps the wooden buildings in the Russian section of town might be more interesting, and took a bus off to the other side of the river. But no - those buildings were in serious need of TLC, and didn't look like they had boasted much decoration when new. I should have visited the "garden" suburb instead. I grew up in Letchworth, in England, known as the First Garden City, and had been intrigued to read that this part of Riga made the same claim (wikipedia backs Letchworth). I'll check it out next time, as Riga made my revisit list.

I found two good wine bars quite close to the Hotel Edvards. One, the more expensive D'Vine, was attached to the Radisson, and served me a nicely dry sherry and a good Chilean Viognier alongside acceptable bean soup and salmon with asparagus. The Tinto, a block further away, and much less posh, had a larger wine selection, although its tapas were minute. The Serrano ham, what there was of it, was good, but the wild boar hamburger and fries were just OK. The Chilean Malbec, however, was excellent, and the Cointreau cheap. I'd recommend both places, although not the Armenia, which I tried the first night.

Hi thursday! So glad to get your Riga report at last! I'm sorry there wasn't time to give you Ski's walking tour of Old Town, my old stomping ground...before the days of the British bachelor party excursions. We lived in Jacob's Barracks across from the old city walls, near the Swedish Gate -- but our house is now a youth hostel!

I'll have to do some research on the new golden statue -- you've piqued my interest! We noticed that the wooden buildings along the main road on the "Pardaugava" side of the river (across from Old Town) have been restored, but others are still waiting their turn. There was a movement about the time we left (late 2004) to restore all these buildings, but hard economic times meant that any restorations were individual, not a city-financed effort.

Glad to hear you'l return some day to check out Mezaparks!

I'm feeling very technically challenged here, since gertie managed to find your photos! I have looked and looked and do NOT see the link to your blog! HELP!!!

http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/

Sorry skibumette, it was in the Asia board thread....

Hi thursdaysd, I'm still reading this too! Fascinating report on a part of Europe I've never been, and I'm enjoying the photos on your blog!

Thanks gertie! The golden statue is new to me - definitely not the almost "socialist realism" style you see in many of the monuments. I'll ask some friends there more about it...

I'm enjoying reading your report and looking forward to the next chapter.

The Bulgaria tour just finished - I'm typing in the hotel lobby so as not to disturb a room mate with an early flight. I take a bus to Skopje tomorrow morning, and hope to have more time for writing now the tour is over. My journal is up to date, but I've had no time to do more.

we'll wait until you gave time

have time, that is...

Just tuned you in and am following with interest. Did you get to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia? Harrowing, informative and extremely well done. What are your impressions of the people of Skopje? You've hooked me in, keep it up.

i'm still here although i lost touch for a while..

i'm sorry you were disappointed with the hotel imperial in tallinn and with the town itself... i loved them both... i thought the location of the hotel was perfect for us and we loved walking around the town over and over again.

Very enjoyable. I'm in Riga now. Wa amazed by your statement:

generous three years of parental leave mandated in Estonia

Egad! At first I misread thinking that parents sent their grown children off for 3 years. LOL

Bob - I liked Tallinn well enough, and am glad I went, but I don't feel any need to go back. Riga and Vilnius, on the other hand, which I don't think you've seen, I think would repay a second visit.

Tdudette - hope you're enjoying Riga! Yes, European social policies are very different.... Although I don't think you get three years in the UK, for instance.