Tallinn’s Architecture

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Travel Spirit

We arrived to Tallinn, Estonia’s harbor after a 2 hour ferry ride from Helsinki on June 21st and took a taxi to our Airbnb. The taxi ride was quite odd because initially the taxi driver said he knew where the address was (which was only about 1.5 miles from the harbor), but then drove past it and when we spoke up and said we think he passed it, he assured us he was on the right path. A few minutes later, he realized his mistake and took us back to the Airbnb. I told him I wasn’t paying any extra for his mistake and he didn’t try to cheat me.

There was also a mix-up with the Airbnb host, but she eventually arrived and gave us a partial ride to a grocery store located 15 minutes walk from the lodging. The Airbnb was in a great location, within walking distance of Old Town. We were spending three nights here, so after returning from the grocery, we explored Old Town Tallinn and its amazing architecture!

According to Wikipedia: Estonia was founded in 1248 but the earliest human settlements date back to 3000 years BC, making it one of the oldest capital cities of northern Europe. Often dubbed as the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of many international companies including Skype. In 2011, the city was a European Capital of Culture.

Some of these photos were taken the following morning when I went out exploring on my own…

Continue reading →

Sweet St. Petersburg, Russia

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Here are some moments or things I found “sweet” while in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Russia’s version of an Asian “Tuk Tuk”…

Brides, one Groom, and one Mother…

Because I shoot in Manual and not auto or aperture, I have to react quickly in these types of situations…

Continue reading →

Peterhof Palace and Gardens – truly amazing!

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Travel Spirit

We visited the dazzling Peterhof Palace and Gardens on our last day in St. Petersburg, Russia. Built by Peter by the Great in the 18th Century, Peterhof is spectacular! The Palace was closed because it was a Monday, but we were most interested in the gardens anyway. I had the visit scheduled on the itinerary for the previous day, but it was rainy and we definitely wanted a pretty day for our visit.

We walked 10 minutes from our lodging at Comfort Hotel to the Pier with Lions embankment on the canal where we boarded a 40 minute Hydrofoil boat to Peterhof.

Upon arrival, there is a beautiful 10 minute walk to the centerpiece of the complex, the Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain in front of the Palace.

Even with my wide-angle lens, I wasn’t able to capture the entire complex!

The gardens are also referred to as the “Russian Versailles”.

The creativity is astounding!

You can barely view the sea in the distance…

Continue reading →

St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Built in the mid-1800’s, St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the fourth largest Cathedral in the world and its main dome stands 333 ft. high and is plated in pure gold! An interesting fact: the Cathedral sits on 10,000 tree trunks that were sunk into the ground.

With a church of this size, it’s impossible to convey what the interior feels like, but here are a few photos…

part of the ceiling…

Continue reading →

Church of the Savior on Blood

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Travel Spirit

A visit to St. Petersburg, Russia isn’t complete until you step inside the ornate and gorgeous Church of the Savior on Blood! The multi-colored exterior and medieval Russian architecture of the Church draw millions of visitors per year.

Intricately detailed and colorful mosaics cover the walls and ceilings of the Church…

The Church was finished in 1907 and erected on the site where Alexander II was mortally wounded.

This was my favorite of the four Churches/Cathedrals we visited while in St. Petersburg!

Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg, Russia

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Travel Spirit

While planning my trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, I discovered the St. Petersburg Card, which includes free entrance to over 60 of the best museums in the city, free or discounted tours, and a rechargeable transport e-purse. I purchased three of them, one for myself and the two tour participants I was taking on the trip, and had them delivered to the Comfort Hotel, where we would be staying, to save the time spent having to walk to one of the pick-up locations. Anyway, one of the tours is a free hop-on/hop-off canal cruise, so we took that to see the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Peter and Paul Fortress was the first structure to be built-in St. Petersburg, therefore, its birthplace. There are quite a few buildings, museums, and exhibitions to explore, and the beautiful Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Russia’s oldest church and final resting place for most of Russia’s imperial rulers.

The interior of the Cathedral was sumptuous!

Continue reading →

Dazzling, Massive, Exquisite — The Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Walking into the Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace I was naive thinking I could see most everything in two or three hours. This place is beyond enormous! There are over 1,000 rooms and halls, 1,786 doors, and 1,945 windows! I read that if you were to spend one minute looking at each item, you would be there for 11 years! The Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most respected art museums in the world.

Having just arrived via ship that morning from Finland, we only had 2 1/2 days to explore St. Petersburg, Russia, through the Visa-free passage, hence the limited time allotted for each site.

While pushing my way through throngs of crowds, I was happy to have my wide angle lens! I was able to get very close to the roped off areas to take my photo…

Some of the smaller details are just exquisite!

The Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great.

According to Wikipedia, “The Hermitage buildings served as a home and workplace for nearly a thousand people, including the Imperial family. In addition to this, they also served as an extravagant showplace for all kinds of Russian relics and displays of wealth prior to the art collections. Many events were held in these buildings including masquerades for the nobility, grand receptions and ceremonies for state and government officials.”

Continue reading →

Visiting St. Petersburg , Russia for 72 hours Visa Free

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Travel Spirit

If you’d like to visit St. Petersburg, Russia without having to go through the hassle and expense of obtaining a Visa, you have the option of taking an overnight ferry from Helsinki. The St. Peter Line Princess Maria ferry leaves at 6:00pm from the West Harbor in Helsinki and arrives the next morning in St. Petersburg at 8:30am, and you have two nights and almost three full days in St. Petersburg before returning!

We arrived to the Helsinki West Harbor ferry on June 17th around 4:15pm and it was a rather quick boarding process. They say no food or drink may be brought aboard, but I had a small bag of food (coffee, crackers, pasta, nuts, chocolate) in my suitcase. When you’re booking the transport/cabins on the St. Peter Line website, you’ll have an option to book meals, and I chose “without meals”. There are a variety of restaurants for dinner and breakfast that you can choose from once on board. The alcoholic drinks are very reasonably priced.

The total round-trip cost for the transport/cabins/fuel/harbor fees/city bus tour (shuttle) for three people was 266 Euros (not including food) – a great deal!

This is what the B-cabin looks like. Small, but adequate with a bathroom. After dropping our luggage in the rooms, we went to the top deck for a drink.

These are some of the restaurants and entertainment areas on-board…

Continue reading →

The Rock Church, Kampii Chapel of Silence and other Helsinki sites

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Completed in 1969, Temppeliaukio Kirkko aka Rock Church in Helsinki, Finland is awe-inspiring! It reminds me of a space ship and the ceiling resembles a fried egg. Built into the surrounding rock (hence it’s name), it’s one of Helsinki’s most popular tourist sites.

Kampii Chapel of Silence is also definitely an interesting piece of architecture…

Continue reading →

Fortress of Suomenlinna

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Travel Spirit

According to the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Fortress of Suomenlinna was built in the second half of the 18th century by Sweden on a group of islands located at the entrance of Helsinki’s harbour and consists of 200 buildings, 6 km of defensive walls, and stretches over six separate islands.

The purpose of the fortress was originally to defend the Kingdom of Sweden against the Russian Empire and to serve as a fortified army base. Sandbanks, barracks and various other buildings were added during the 19th-century Russian period.

After Finland gained independence in 1917, the fortress was renamed Suomenlinna (or Fortress of Finland) and served as a garrison and a harbour. The military role of the fortress declined after World War II, and in 1973 the area was converted for civilian purposes. Since then, buildings have been renovated to serve as apartments as well as workspaces, to house private and public services, and for cultural purposes.

Today, Suomenlinna is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Finland and constitutes a district of Helsinki with 850 inhabitants.

Jing, Paul, and I boarded the 30 minute ferry to the Fortress.

Continue reading →

Exploring Helsinki by Bicycle

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Travel Spirit

On June 14th, my birthday, Jing and I left our Airbnb in Sibiu, Romania at 4:45am to walk 1/3 of a mile to the train station to catch our 5:25am train bound for Bucharest. It was a six hour train ride and we met a nice Romanian man that upon learning it was my birthday, gave me a sealed bag of coffee and helped me with my luggage when we arrived in Bucharest. He also negotiated with the taxi drivers to find the best rate to take us to the airport for our flight to Helsinki. We encountered many rude people in service oriented jobs while in Romania, but like anywhere, there are people like him that make up for it!

Our flight left at 3:00pm (15:00) and arrived at 7:40pm (19:40) in Helsinki. We then took a 40 minute bus into central Helsinki, and walked 15 minutes to our beautiful Airbnb, arriving after 9:00pm (21:00). The apartment is owned by a very special lady named Pirkko, who was there to welcome us. Here is the living room…

The dining room…

and the kitchen where Jing was making us something to eat for dinner later the next day…

This Airbnb was by far the best-stocked place I’ve stayed at and Pirkko is such a sweet and generous person! She knew ahead of time it was my birthday and had prepared a delicious cake for me and had a bottle of champagne. She also let us use her bicycles while we were there and took us to the harbor three days later when we left by overnight ship for St. Petersburg, Russia. Hugs to Pirkko!

Anyway, the following day, Jing and I set off on the bicycles to explore Helsinki…

This statue is hilarious!

Continue reading →

Sibiu, Romania has it’s eyes on you!

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Travel Spirit

One of the first things I noticed while roaming the streets of Sibiu, Romania were the roof vents that appear to be eyes. So cool! If you’ve never heard of Sibiu, you’re not alone. Before planning my Eastern European journey, I hadn’t either. Sibiu was originally part of Germany and dates back to the 12th Century. After World War I, it became part of Romania.

In 2007 it was designated the European Capital of Culture for the year, along with Luxembourg. Forbes has ranked Sibiu as “Europe’s 8th most idyllic place to live.

My last post left off with having stopped in Sighasoara for a few hours on route from Brasov to Sibiu. We boarded the 3:00pm train in Sighasoara, after picking up our luggage from the holding room at the train station, and arrived in Sibiu at 6:05pm. We walked the 1/3 mile to our Airbnb and after settling in, walked to a nearby Supermarket for some breakfast items.

The following morning, with only one full day to explore, we set off to see this delightful City!

We wandered down this cobblestone street…

and decided to climb these steps…

We stopped in the lovely Holy Trinity Cathedral…

It was a perfect day for exploring…blue skies and comfortable temperatures!

Continue reading →

I’m in Love with Sighasoara

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Travel Spirit

We departed on a 2 1/2 hour train at 8:52am ($7.50 per ticket reserved online ahead of time) from Brasov for Sighasoara, one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Europe. We didn’t spend the night, just explored for a few hours, before boarding a train to Sibiu. The train station has a place to store your luggage for a small fee.

The brightly painted houses and cobblestone streets were just so darn cute!

We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe and I had a refreshing lemon beer with my pasta…

Fortified with some food in our bellies, we climbed the 160 steps (we’re half way up at this point) of the Scara Acoperita where there’s a church and then we came back down.

A park bench, wooden door, and beautiful flowers provide the perfect setting for a photo…

Continue reading →

A Spooky Visit to Bran Castle aka Dracula’s Castle in Romania

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Bran Castle aka Dracula’s Castle, situated 18 miles from the quaint and historical town of Brasov, is so much fun to explore! Dating back to the 15th Century, there isn’t much evidence that Vlad the Impaler, who the character Count Dracula was devired from, had many ties with Bran Castle. During our visit, there were school children running through the castle and visitors were allowed to freely roam the castle.

Here’s the courtyard…

The entrance to the castle is at the top of these steps…

A spooky stone passageway leading to…

The bearskin room…

Continue reading →

Beautiful Brasov, Romania

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Arriving to Brasov, Romania via train in the afternoon after exploring the breathtaking Peles Castle, we checked into our Airbnb located conveniently in the Old Town, and walked to the Supermarket. With only 1 1/2 days to explore, we were anxious to get started.

The main square called Piata Sfatului, is full of life and beauty! The large dark brown building in the background is called the Black Church and is over 500 years old.