5 Castles, a manor and a cable car ride...sore feet and blisters!

We are in Segulda, Latvia now this is said to be the adventure capital of the Baltics. Right around the corner from our hotel is a chair lift for the ski hill.... however, I dont see anything that is really much bigger than a hill we would tobogan down. There are a lot of biking Nd walking trails through beautiful forest areas.

We set out this morning for what the lady at the tourism info place said would be a 6km walk. Megans guide book also said this...they only failed to mention tht it was 6 km just between two of the castles....one way. So once again we have walked over 15km in one day and our feet are screaming!

It was a very beautiful walk through the centre of town, seeing the Segulda new castle and ths Livonian order castle before crossing the Gauja river on the cable car. The cable car ticket office looked like a watch towet or something from world war ll...and the czble car didnt look the best either.  And people bungee jump from this thing!!! I am all about adrenaline and would love to bungee jump one day, but this thing looked far from safe to jump from.

At the other side of the cable car was an old manor that looked like a ghost town. There were a few other houses around it that ws assumed were abandoned,  until we saw people pull up and go in with bags of groceries. Would love to see what these places look like on the inside.

We began our quest to find, Gutmams Cave next....and yes it felt lime a quest with poor signage. There are many well maintained walking trails in the area its just a matter of picking the right one to get to where you want to go! We did eventually make it to the cave....in travel books and other write ups about tbe cave it is said to be one of Latvias top attractions with inscriptions dating back to the early 1800s. Although interestig to look at and find the oldest inscriptions the cave itself is small and not so impressive to be called a top atttraction. If I was driving past it would be worth a stop to see.....but maybe not walking a few kilometers like we did. Hahah.

The highlight of the day a d bigfest castle In Segulda is the Turaida Castle....a 2km walk up hill from the cave. Its a fairly well preserved castle and the workers are in medieval dress. It was worth the hike.

Our feet are very sore and tired and scream everytime I get up. We walked back to town (only a 2min walk) to try to find some dinner.....there is not a proper sit down restaurant to be found! You can have your pick of amazing bakeries though!  After walking down a number of streets we settled for a pizza from a small deli like restaurant and a couole of pastries from a bakery.

Since our feet will not tolerate any more walking tonight I believe it will be a night of reading.

Today we fired Steohanie, our Tom Tom guide

This morning we left Saaremaa early, but not before exploring the beautiful Angla windmills. There are 5 of them lined at the side of the road and such beautiful scenery with farming fields behind them. We were able to go insjde the largest of the windmills and see the inner mechanics. I would love to see one of these in action to make flour!



We got to the ferry over to the mainland without any isssues. And then Stephanie, our computer Tom Tom voice, decided to take us on a little adventure! As wwe were on our way to our next country, Latvia, She told us to turn right so we did, then turn left...ok.....now once you're outside of the big city, Tallin, it always looks like you're in the middle of nowhere, so driving a quaint country road didn't seem odd....well that quaint little road soon became a gravel road! The signs we were seeing still made sense but it kept going ang going. We decided to let Stephanie continue to guide us until her next directions whicb were coming up in 12kms. Well the road was still gravel! We were debatig at what point we should turn around wheen we came across a sign! WELCOME TO LATIVA!!! I am now officially a quarter of the way to my bucket list goal of visiting 100 countries!!!! But we are also in tbe middle of no where literally and as we continued just a little bit futher there was less and less signs of civilization......we turned around and fired Stephanie! Well, we gave her a bit of a time out and just followed ssigns and the teeny tiny map in our travel book. It has been impossible to find an actual map here, so Stephanie has been somewhat useful.

With the detour it took us a bit longer to make it to Segulda but what a day of adventure! When we were finally back on track and came to cross over in to Latvia again we pulled over to get another picture of the welcome to Latvia sign that wasnt in the middle of nowhere and a border lady came out and told us we cant parm because its the border property....all these coutries are part of the EU so there aren't any real borders, you can come and go as you please. So weird. At least we got our picture in tbe middle of nowwhere and a good story to go along with it.

So we are now in Sigulda, the adventure capital of Baltics, i the middle of a beautiful national park! Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings!

kiek-in-de-kok and 15kms of walking

 I really wish I coukd post pics on here but it's just nit working....

We walked over 15kms today, and it was so cold! About 8 degrees but with the wind chill it was about 3 or 4, we had to buy toques to keep somewhat warm. We explored every street of old Tallinn and did a tour of the old bastion tunnels under the Keik-in-de-kok tower.
 These tunels were built in the 1500's (I think). It was very interesting to here the stories of what the tunnels have been used for.....transporting goods from one tower to another, sealed shelters for chemical attacks during world war l, during world war ll about 1,000 people escaped to the tunnels as Tallinn suffered two air raids in one night that left Tallin in ruins and 20,000 people dead. Later the tunnels werent used for their original defence or protective uses....in the 80s punk bands would hide out and perform in them, from 1991-2005 after Estonia won its freedom once again, the economy took a huge blow and homeless people started to find their way into the tunnels. In 2005 excavation of the tunnels began and the last homeless person was forced to leave. The kiek-in-de-kok tower is now a museum of all old weaponry.

We walked 2 km to check out Kadriorg palace. This palace was built by tsar Peter the Great, as a gift to Empress Catherine who was given to him as a gift. The palace really wasnt that impressive and was closed....along with all the other museums on the grounds.

After our 2 km walk back to old town we rewarded our selves with amazing crepes! Mine was covered with vanilla icecream and fruit and megans had chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup. A well deserved, hit the spot treat!
Tomorrow the real adventures begin....we pick up our rental car and start our road trip through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania! Oh it's gonna be fun!

For now I am exhausted and ready for bed!

Churches, Towers and Old City Walls

Oh how I love walled cities and Old Town Tallinn did not disappoint!

As we approached the old town, we began to see the red roofs of the wall towers and steeples of numerous churches. The Old Town is comprised of buildings dating back to the 13th century. The cobble stoned streets twist throughout the city and connect with many alleyways and what seem to be hidden gems. History just seeps from every building and between every stone, it's truly an amazing place.

We visited many churches, there are at least 7 within the Old Town, each of them very distinct from the last. The Russian Orthodox, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral , built in 1900, is cleary the most impressive with it's massive domed roof and size looming over the city.
St. Olaf's church takes the cake for the tallest, with its spire reaching 124m! This church was built in 1267, but between 1625 and 1820 the church burnt down 8 times after being struck by lightening.  The inside of the church is unimpressive with simple white walls, but you are able to climb 232 steps up the spire! If your lungs and legs can make it, it is well worth the view that rewards you at the top. It is not for the faint of heart, as the walk way on top is very narrow.

We were able to explore the city walls. We went through the Nun Tower and climbed narrow spiral stair cases to the top. It is an amazing view from the tiny windows and a peacefull walk along the wall itself. We were able to climb up to three of the 9 towers. The walls of the Old Town were mostly constructed during the 14th century and citizens of medieval Tallinn were obligated to perform regular guard duty.

One of the most impressive towers (for size) is Fat Margaret. Her name is well earned, as she is very large and boasts walls that are 4 meters thick!  This once served as the city's prison.  There are many theories of how the tower got the name Fat Margaret. Some say it was named after one of her canons....other say it was named after the cook!

We had such a great time just walking through the narrow roads, looking through the many souvenir shops, getting lost and finding streets with such character. Truly this city is a photographers dream.

We have another day here tomorrow and look forward to exploring more!

Exploring Helsinki in a day

Our flights getting to Helsinki were really good. It has been years since I have been through Heathrow and wow what a busy overwhelming airport! My first trip ever, 100% on my own, was coming home from the Canary Islands when I was 18, and I had a connecting flight through Heathrow and my flight getting in there was late. I do not know how I navigated through it, on my own, running! I'm impressed with my 18 year old self right now.

Neither of us had a great sleep so we started the day off really tired, but that didn't stop us from taking it all in.

Helsinki at first glance isn't a visually appealing city. They skyline is dull and most of the buildings are unimpressive.

The hotel we stayed in, Glo Hotel Art, was really great. The outside and the lobby look like a castle, yet the decore and furniture is very modern, a stunning contrast. The room was very comfortable, the beds had a remote to raise the head or foot, so cozy! The only thing I would complain about this hotel is the bathroom.... I remember working at the Fairmont and we were worried that the wood slat doors didn't provide enough privacy...and that was really just if you needed some privacy for undesired noises or bathroom goings on. But this bathroom.....a glass wall into the bedroom. It was black glass but you could still see fully in and fully out. Makes bathroom and shower usage a little awkward. But beside an awkward bathroom, the hotel was amazing.

We started the morning off with an amazing buffet breakfast at our hotel, Glo Hotel Art. A huge spread of cold cuts, cheese, eggs, sausage, bread, yogurt and amazing locally roasted coffee.

When Megan and I travel together we walk everywhere! We will rarely get in a taxi or bus, we just walk. And walk we did! For six hour straight! We started off in the Market Square, a lot of craft, souvenirs and food for sale. Any animal lover would hate this market though. There are a lot of animal pelts and teddy bears made out of animal fur. All very soft and cuddly.

We vistied the Uspenkin Cathedral, a building that catches your eye! The Cathedral was built as a Roman Orthodox Church in 1868 and boasts a red brick exterior and a green roof on the steeple. It now serves as a Finnish Orothdox church. Mass was in progress when we visited so we got to hear the choir sing a bit, it was beautiful.

We wandered to the Senate square, you are immediately overcome by the Cathedral. It is a massive white building with amazing pillars and domed roofs. When on the water this Cathedral dominates the city skyline. The square was a busy place, with tourists and street performers. A great place to sit on the cathedral stairs and people watch.

One of the highlights of Helsinki is the Suomenlina Sea Fortress, which is a short 10 - 15 min water bus ride. This is a massive fortress that was cunstructed in the 1700s. The fortress has been in the hands of Sweden, Russia and finally
Finland. It is a great island to walk around and just get lost exploring. I really wish I had my headlamp with me today. There were a lot of little tunnels that went down to what I assume to be prison cells and storage rooms. We wandered through areas that looked like we were in the middle of the Shire, with beautiful wooden doors right in the side of a grassy hill. The defence of this fortress would have been impressive in its days. Canons flanked the perimeter of the island and most seemed well camoflauged in the natural rock and geography of the island. What once was used for war is now a monument of times past and provides people with grassy parks and rocky beaches to enjoy their lunch.

We saw the majority of the hightlights in Helsinki today but saved a couple more for our return at the end of our trip.

We ended the day with a ferry ride to Tallinn Estonia. We took one of the fast ferries that only took 1 hour and 40 minutes. Some of the bigger ones can take up to 3 hours! The first impression of Tallinn from the ferry was breath taking. We could see the towers from the old city wall and the steeples of cathedrals. Can't wait to explore tomorrow!!!