KUMU-Art Museum of Estonia

Tallinn's newest art museum. Unbelievable. Big spacious galleries, amazing architecture nestled in a quiet park. This afternoon couldn't have been more perfect for me. I spent a couple of hours of roaming through this amazing museum. There were two exhibits that were remarkable: 1. A room full of busts. Full of them. Up the walls, and about 50 others on glass pedestals in the center of the room. Striking, different, memorable. 2. A temporary exhibit of hundreds of speakers, all on re-bar legs, playing white music in a wave like pattern. the mess of speakers, stands, and wires, coupled with the wave sounds was pretty amazing.

The other part of this art museum is housed in an old chruch in the old town. Old churches serving as museums is one of the coolest things I think I have seen. I have seen two of them, and each time I am impressed and awed. The feature of this particular place was a "Dancing with Death" painting that came with subtitles! Basically it was death telling the Pope, Emperor, King, Bishop, and Empress about what will happen when the follow death. Pretty cool stuff. Always makes you worry about your karma.

See below for how I spent the morning.

Tallinn's Towers

Tallinn's old city is dominated by several different towers on churches, etc. Today, because it was sunny, I decided to tackle Tallinn's towers. I figured I needed a workout. For the most part you travel up to the towers around centuries old spiral staircases where rope has been added as a handrail. From the top of each one, you got a slightly different view of the city, and of the people below. I am not sure what it is that makes people want to climb towers, but I do like to view things from above. I have learned over the years that pictures taken from a tower (or other high viewing type platform) are not very interesting cityscapes of roofs and a few other distinguishable sights.

But I guess I am a slow student. Once I have made my way up the narrow twisted steps, avoiding the people coming down, and not tripping up the uneven stairs, I am rewarded with amazing views of a city. I guess somewhere in there I want to take that view, the accomplishment of climbing, with me. I want to capture the image. I know that these pictures never quite capture this image in my head. They haven't for me over the years. Did that stop me? Nope. I clicked away with the best of them today. Maybe not the best pictures for others to look at, but I hope that they help me remember the beautiful day, the amazing scenery and the warm sun.

Dancing in Tallinn

I made my way back to the mainland today and all the way to my last stop, Tallinn. Tallinn has a reputation from some of being the most beautiful of the three Baltic capitals. I think that all three are actually very different, although Tallinn is pretty remarkable. It has about 2 km of its original Medieval Walls. It also has northern Europe's oldest town hall. It really is a pretty amazing place. Lots of churches and lots of history. It was a bit more Russified then the other capitals as well. I spent the rainy day exploring some of the sights, seeing some cool churches and visiting some shops. I had planned to go to some of the museums today, but alas, it appears in Estonia, museums are closed on Tuesdays, not Mondays (like in most other cities).

Tallinn is in the middle of a dance festival right now and there are free events from noted choreographers from around the city. Today I think I saw the weirdest dance/performance art that I have ever witnessed. In the main square, in front of all the cafes and the old 800 year old Town Hall, there was a back hoe. It was there all day and I figured that there must be some sort of construction happening. Well, actually it was a character in this dance. Apparently the male dancer, fell in love with the backhoe, drama ensued and then one of them died. I am not really a good interpreter of dance really, but to be honest, it was the weirdest thing imaginable. At one point he kissed the shovel of the back hoe for a while! He swung from it, stood on it, you can't beleive it. All set to opera. At the end, there was a rousing applause and the guy (and back hoe driver) seemed very very pleased. I can't wait to see what is on for tomorrow!

Commitment is Sometimes Good!

Although I checked the weather last night (the forecast was for rain all day), I planned to rent a bike today and see a bit of the island. When I woke up, there was some evidence of rain, it was overcast and breezy, but no actual rain. Buoyed by my recent success (or survival) in the Gauja National Park, I decided to stick with the plan. I got excited. I got organized. I packed my bag with my three traveling companions (Lonely Planet guidebook, journal, and book), along with some water, a hat, sunglasses, and my trusty LL Bean shell. Off I went!

First stop, (really committing) I paid for another night at the hostel. Stop 2: buy my bus ticket for tomorrow. Stop 3: Rent the bike...problem, I couldn't find the bike shop. Stop 4: Consult the map and decide it has to be around here somewhere. Stop 5: Bike shop!

I hop on my metal stalwart steed and we are off and riding for about say 3 minutes, when it starts to downpour. Shame. I dash back under the safety of an overhang and wait out the shower. It is too late to change plans, I am committed. I put on the jacket and head out on to the road. It is still raining a bit but better. I have a 15 mile ride to the Kaali Meteorite craters along the main thoroughfare on the island. I am keeping my spirits up and the rain spits a little but it is mostly dry. The crater was created by a meteor hitting the earth between 2500 and 7500 years ago. According to the museum the date is in dispute...I guess so! Have you ever seen a meteorite crater? It is basically a hole in the ground with some water. Sort of like a round pond. I waited out the next shower with a cappuchino and then I headed off to my second destination: Good Kaarma.

I figured I can always use some good karma and I would check this place out. This was probably about a 10 mile ride from the crater. This is a farm in the Kaarma region of the island that has turned into a handmade organic soap factory. Not really a factory, but a small place that makes soap by hand. It was very nice, as soon as I rode up I could smell the different scents that they use in soaps. With in a few minutes my olfactory senses were a bit overloaded. She showed my briefly about the process and then sold me some nice handmade soap. Since I was the only patron there, I declined the offer of coffee and jump back on my bike to head back to town. The ride back was good, (another 12 miles or so) and was all against the wind. I got a decent workout and once again learned to appreciate my bike back in Suffield. Well deciding to go to Good Kaarma and buying some soaps seemed to work, it didn't rain again all day. Eventually even the sun was peeking through the clouds.

I guess today I learned that if you stay committed, even if it doesn't look good you can have some happy results. Hows that for my philosophical moment of the day?

Tomorrow early bus to Tallinn, the final stop on my Baltic adventure.

Calming Kuressaare

Sometimes plans work well. I had originally thought that I would get up early and check the bus departures and head to the beach for the morning and leave on an afternoon bus to Kuressaare on the island of Sarremaa. But when I woke up and saw the rain and clouds I decided that I would take the 10:30 bus and rolled over for another 90 minutes or so. It was such the right decision!

To get here, you need to take a bus, but the bus goes on a ferry. I don´t know if I have been on a ferry that takes cars in a long time. This one was cool. On one side the cars drive in, when the level is full it is on a big (huge) elevator, and it lifts them all up to reveal another similar deck just below! perfect. The bus drives on right to the front. At this point we must get off the bus to go into the ferry. I have a nice little pizza for lunch, a coke, and then it is time to get back on the bus to head into the town.

The hostel is actually a college dorm, so I have a double room to myself, which to be honest is sort of a pleasant surprise for $15/night. I will take it. The town is very small and is known for two things. The 800 year old castle/fortress and spas. I took in the castle today, avoided the rain by carefully timed cappuchinos, and enjoyed wandering around this small place. Even had a coffee in a windmill! Very nice. The plan for tomorrow is to rent a bike and explore the rest of the island. Hopefully the weather will hold out for me so that I can see a good bit of it. It is a very chill kind of place, just perfect for a break in the action. Or perhaps it is becuase of all the Spas. I guess if it rains too much tomorrow, I just might need to get a massage!

Estonia-Lots of kroons

After what turned out to be a big night on the town in Riga (I suddenly looked at my watch and it was 4:00 am), The day was good. A two hour bus ride and I successfully made it across another border and into my fourth country (after the day in Helsinki) of this trip. I settled into the hostel fine as well. Apparently my new roommates had a big night as well as they were still sleeping at noon when I arrived!

The plan today was to be on the beach. Parnu is all about being a beach/resort destination. I figured after a day of rain, nothing like a day on the beach, unless it rains. The bus ride here was hot. The sun was beating into the windows of the bus. On the walk to the hostel, I could feel the sweat. I was happy. As I make it to the beach, I see the dark clouds lingering over head. They seem far off and I am not so worried about it. I walk along the beach it is nice. They have the changing spaces, the games, the lifeguards. They have everything that makes a nice beach experience. They even have a bit of thunder! the rain came briefly with the front that was moving through. It was breezy and cool, although only rained for a few minutes. After that, the sun came out for the afternoon. With the sun out, so came the Estonians! It turned out to be a great day on the beach. Tomorrow, I am going to spend the morning here in Parnu and then travel to Kurresaare.

This morning when I arrived, I exchanged money. I don't often exchange money anymore, I usually just use the ATM. I turned in 61 Latvian Lats and 10 Lithuanian Litas and in return I got 1300 Kroons! Everything is expensive in kroons, or it feels like it because the numbers are so big. A beer is 40 Kroons. Dinner was 145 Kroons. They have a 2 Kroon bill up through the 500 Kroon bill. Thankfully, not as many coins as in the last two countries! At least the exchange rate is easy to keep track of at 11 kroons to a dollar. I am just taking off a zero to keep it all straight!

Castles in the (thunder) Clouds

Today was the day to explore Gauja National Park and Sigulda. I had checked the weather. Rain all day. I was undaunted. I stuck to the plan. Wow. I got wet. Soaked through by 10:00 am. You know it's gonna be rough at that point.

Sigulda is "gateway" to the Gauja Park and only an hour train ride from Riga. It is a great place pick up some trails and see four of the most important sites of the river valley. I had a great plan. There was about a 10k walk to the different sites, including a cable car ride! So I went for it. I brought my LL Bean shell and my Colby baseball cap and walked. At first I was ok. As the rain came harder, I was further away from shelter. What do you do at that point? Keep walking. I went the panorama square to look at the clouds in the valley. I walked to the old and new Sigulda castles. I found my way to the cable car. Brief respite from the rain. Walked to the Krimulda estate and castle ruins. Walked down the cliff stairs. A brief break in the rain. Hallelujah! I rejoiced! I dripped. I smiled. I saw the Gutmanala Cave (the largest sandstone cave in the Baltics, all carved up with 200 year old graffitti). It sprinkled a little bit. I stayed the course. It rained again, but buoyed by the dry spell, I was walking and determined to see the best of the three the "fairy tale like" Turaida Castle and grounds. I hiked back up the cliff. I made it to the castle grounds. The sun came out. I smiled. And rejoiced again. I spent the next hour or so on the manor and castle grounds. Although mostly restored, this castle is 800 years old. Pretty amazing. I saw the museum, read all the plaques, and basically enjoyed the sunny weather, began to dry out and was content. The trip, the walk, the wetness, was all worth it to be at this place. I climbed the "Main Tower" the highest point to see the beautiful vistas! Then...what was that I heard? Thunder? What? No! NO! Shame. Yes. Thunder again. Then rain. And more rain. I wait. It lightens a bit, so I leave, get a couple of quick pictures and then wander the grounds to look at the sculpture gardens before heading back to Sigulda.

The highlight of my trip was going to be a wheeled luge down the Soviet (then Russian) bobsled training facility in Sigulda. It was going to be great. Fast, lots of adrenaline. Two things: 1. Only open on the weekends. 2. Not running in the rain. Shame, again. The rain stopped and I decided to have lunch at a place called Elvi! I was expecting to see several Elvis impersonators, you know plural. The sun came out for a while as i was jumping on the train back to Riga.

While it was a wet day, I saw some amazing 800 year old castles, took a cable car ride, and hiked. But you know what? I am in Latvia. So wet or dry, it is still pretty awesome! Today will certainly be memorable and isn't that what traveling is all about?

Jurmala--The Latvian Riviera

Today was my day to spend on the Latvian version of the Riviera, Jurmala. When I got up the weather looked good. On the train there, the weather looked good. As soon as I got there, the rain came. At first is was just sprinkling into a steady yet light rain. They a brief downpour. Then the rain stopped and it stayed cloudy and overcast. Since I had traveled out to the beach i decided to take a walk down the miles and miles of sand. It was a day my mother would have loved. A bit cloudy, but not too many people on the beach and you can walk for miles in the sand and water. The rain started again lightly, but I was determined to enjoy the beach. And I did. It was great. Perhaps a bit solitary, but nice. And calming. I walked for about two hours, through intermittent rain. Still worth it. I went back to town to have something to eat and a cup of coffee. While I was there, the clouds cleared. While the day never turned out to be a warm and sunny beach day, the second walk on the beach in the sun was well worth the wait.

Jurmala is actually a collection of towns that line this stretch of beach which has been famous for years as a hotspot to go for some beach time. it is a favorite resort town for many people in the Baltics and Russia. The town sort of grew up in the early 1900s and maintains some of that charm, with unique old homes lining all the streets and a main avenue full of shops and restaurants. Much like all sleepy beach towns, it was "discovered" and became a resort location for many. What is so nice is that the beach is not lined with high rise apartments, but pine trees. There are a couple hotels but not many. There are tons of cafes, each that rent paddle boats, volleyball nets, sell coffee, beer, and snacks. I could imagine on a hot weekend day, the place crawling with people covering the beach. Even the town's energy picked up as soon as the weather got a bit nicer.

Tomorrow is the other extreme. I am heading to Guaja National Park and the town of Sigulda for some hiking in the forest!

Soviets and Latvians

Today it rained. I was a little sad. I had bought a ticket to go to the top of one of the church spires to see views of the city. I picked the moment that the rain and wind decided to lash out! It was wet and cold, though the promised views were there! I spent quite a bit of time at the Museum of the Occupation. it reaffirmed my post from yesterday. It is pretty intense to have your country occupied. More intense that they make up the rules. And worse that the rest of the world knows it is happening to you. I once again was a bit confused about how I felt about supporting countries whose sovereignty has been challenged by another. it is an awkward position for all involved. More distressing was that I am continuing to learn about how dominating and intimidating the USSR was. Wow. Stalin and others weren't really nice guys at all. The hardest part: You are a happy Latvian who is forced to participate in the Nazi army during the war, then the USSR says you were a Nazi sympathizer and sends you to Siberia. You might just have been trying to survive. It is intense!

The rest of the day was just exploring the city. I found out one of the traditional Latvian dishes is dumpling. Who cares what is in them, I love dumplings. They made my day. Overall...great day in the city.

Everything is Old

What is amazing to me on this trip is how old everything is. There are cities that are 800 years old with people who have been living here for two millenia. That is impressive. I guess when everything is so old it needs to be restored periodically. That is what seems to have happened in Latvia. All the old churches have either burned down, or crumbled, for just gotten face lifts over the years. So while you have an 800 year old church, the version you are now looking at is about 150 years old, because over the past few centuries they have pulled off the old walls and built new ones. They may have removed all the grave stones (because they aren't using it as a crypt any more). They are restoring the organ for the third or fourth time. It is truly amazing how old some places are and everything in Riga, Latvia is old. Or restored.

This trip has made more more clear to me the impact of the Soviet Union on all the republics that made it up. I don't think that I truly understood the devastation of culture that was brought on by the Soviets and the Cold War. They didn't like something, they tore it down. They didn't like you, they either killed you or sent you to Siberia. Add to that the Nazis, and you can see why Eastern Europe, and these countries in particular fought for their independence. In an act of defiance and nationalism, there was a 650 km human chain of more then two million people from Tallinn to Vilnius. So much of the architecture wasn't destroyed by WWII but by the Soviets if they didn't like it, or it didn't represent the "right ideals". Luckily, many of these cities are building replicas of everything that they had.

I did a walking tour of Riga today and then wandered a bit. I will spend the day tomorrow exploring Riga and then decide where to go from there! Oh yeah, my dorm room in a very highly recommended hostel? Yeah, it smells a bit like vomit. Shame.

Soaking up the Sun on the Spit

I made my way to Klaipeda so that I would be able to see the Baltic from all three countries. Plus, I heard that the beaches on the Curonian Spit were supposed to be amazing. This morning, I got off to a good start and was up and ready to head out of the hostel early. I have to say that I am glad that I spent all those years sleeping on an old and flat futon mattress, it left me in good stead to deal with what I had last night! (The benches at the beach were more comfortable!)

Planning to take in some of the sites in Klaipeda as I wandered down to the ferry to the Spit, I was realized it was Monday. Monday means that museums are closed. There isn't too much to do here, and I had wanted to go to a clock museum in the town. Then I was planning to hit the Klaipeda Castle Museum. Shame. So I stopped for a nice breakfast and coffee, did a little shopping with the amber hawkers, and then took the ferry across to this little strip of land, The Curonian Spit. It is mostly a national park throughout the whole piece of land with a couple of small towns. It has been saved from being completely washed out to sea by the reforestation of pine trees covering a major portion of the place (during the 1700s). You walk through pine forests and you find your self on a long wide white sand beach. Preserving the Spit is an important environmental project in this part of Lithuania. The water has a smaller percentage of salt in it then in most of the world; you don't feel that sticky beach feeling when you get out of the water. It was actually quite nice. I stayed out there until about 8:00pm. Remember it doesn't get dark until 10:00!

Interesting about this this beach is that there are special and specific places for people. There is the mixed beach (for men, women, and families), the men's beach, the nudist's beach (again, for men, women, and families), and the women's beach. They cover about 2 km of beach in that order. I am sure that there are some repeat designations after that. Also interesting to note, that for the single gender beaches, most people were also sun bathing in their birthday suits. No one seemed to mind that there was a bit of cross-over from one beach to the next, and that the cross-overs were naked. No one seemed to mind walking their little kids through the other beaches. I was particularly surprised at the number of families enjoying their day in the sun at the nudist beach. Whole families playing in the buff! I spent a bit of time on each of the three beaches I was allowed; I respectfully let the women have their own beach). Each had its own vibe and was unique for sharing the same sand. I came away a bit more brown then when I left and enjoyed the day in the sun!

Tomorrow, I am heading to Latvia. Still not sure which route I am taking...game time decision in the morning!

Crosses, Crosswalks, and Cemeteries

Today couldn't have been better!

I moved on from Vilnius to Siauliai for the day. I took the 9:00 train and arrived in Siauliai at about 11:45, stored my bag and then made my way to the tourist info center. I talked with the tourist office and learned I had just enough time to rent a bike and get to the Hill of Crosses and back before the tourist office closed. They recommend about three hours, and the office closed at 3:00!

First, the bike. Perhaps I have been spoiled lately riding my road bike. After a bit of training this spring and summer, I have come to appreciate a few things about it, that I think should come standard on all bikes. 1. There should be gears. For the first 15 km or so, I didn't think it had any gears. Well my mistake, it had three. They really could be called, easy, medium, and hard. 2. My feet kept flying off the pedals. No clip in shoes here. 3. Brakes. There was a back brake that squeaked, but my favorite aspect of the bike was the fact that if you pedaled backwards, it also braked. A throwback to my younger days. The kicker of the whole experience (besides the ridiculously low and unmovable seat) was that this was what would be considered a woman's bike. Shame. Honestly, though, it was a beautiful day to be riding in the Lithuanian countryside on a bike. Hands down, a great afternoon.

The forty minute ride to the Hill of Crosses on the bike was well worth the trip. It is unbelievable. Hundreds of thousands of crosses placed on this hill. Big ones, tiny ones, crosses of wood, crosses of metal, ornate crosses, simple crosses. All were on the Hill. You can't believe the numbers. They are tied to other crosses, they are stuck in the ground. It is really amazing. Overall, the hill has been an important/sacred place for Lithuanians for hundreds of years. They first crosses were planted during the eighteenth century. They were all taken out by the Soviets when they took control of Lithuania in the 50s. People replaced crosses, and they were removed systemically four times during the Soviet Occupation. Since independence, this hill and its surroundings have become a Holy place and a monastery was built here. Striking about the monastery chapel was that there was no crucifix. Just a simple wall of glass behind the altar which looked over the hill. I, too, placed a cross on the hill in remembrance of my four grandparents.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. I saw another church, I sat by a lake and wrote in my journal, and I read my book while sipping some cappuchino. It was really a great afternoon. One of the things I saw was this cemetery. What was amazing about it was the way people were buried in a haphazard way, while at the same time being very tightly packed. The cemetary was overgrown and individual plots were being taken car of. it was very shady and damp, but truly amazing in the way that people were packed in. Above each grave, there was a cement kind of border, and people were able to plant flowers, etc. for individuals. I think the newest grave I found was from the 1950s...and some plots were meticulously maintained. interesting to see the two extremes side by side.

The thing about crosswalks is that everyone waits for the lights to tell them to walk. There may be no cars in sight, but people are waiting on the street corners. At 2:00 am on the way back from the bars with no cars around, people are waiting for the green walking man to guide them safely across the street. It is such a funny, but safe, thing to see. Oh yeah, the second part of this? The cars will always stop for people in the crosswalks. If you put your foot on the street a car will pause. The pedestrian deaths here must be really low!

Tonight I made it to Klaipeda. Spend the day here and at the beach! I think Tuesday I am off to Riga.

Wedding Fever

It seems this weekend is a popular one to get married! Yesterday, Friday, I was wandering around the old town of Vilnius. As previously mentioned, there were a lot of churches. I saw three weddings. I figured that it was strange it was a Friday, but I chalked it up to cultural differences. It made sense, there were so many churches. I thought it was nice, too, that the churches were not closed for the weddings, anyone could attend/watch!

Today, I headed out of Vilnius for a day trip to Trakai. This small town that is dominated by two castles, one on an island and the other on the peninsula. It has been restored and it was striking and very beautiful. I did a nice long walk from the train station to the castle, around the town a bit, then I toured the castle. What I couldn't believe was the number of weddings! I saw NINE weddings. Not actually happening, but all were there to take pictures. The entire wedding party, posing in front of the castle and moat, with hundreds of tourists looking on! August 8 must have good omens or something. It was pretty interesting to watch it all happening.

Tomorrow I have a big day planned. First, train to Siaulai, store the pack, rent a bike and ride 12 km to The Hill of Crosses, ride back, take either a bus or train to Klaipeda and then hit the beach!

A City of Churches

I grew up Catholic. In fact, I went to church every weekend growing up. I went to a catholic high school. I went to church all through college and even after for about eight years. I am no stranger to the inside of a church. I can appreciate the beauty of the columns and spires of a gothic cathedral, or the over the topic decoration of a baroque church or even the simple beauty of a classical building.

Vilnius is over run with Churches. This city is famous for its architecture. It has a variety of styles all throughout the city. In fact, many of the buildings were destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. I guess that happens when the city is at least 700 years old. Most of the sites here in Vilnius are churches. Literally, it felt like on every corner there was a church and the guide books are full of descriptions of the churches. I started my day (a bit late) at the Cathedral. While impressive for the scale and the square, I was more impressed with many of the smaller churches along the way. St Ann's gothic brick church. St Bernadines, originally gothic, then destroyed, now baroque church. St John's which is hidden inside the University. The Orthodox cathedral, St Michael's, St Casimir's etc. there were a lot of chruches to be seen. And I saw them. (Not all, but many). My question is though, how many prayers can one guy say in a day?

Tomorrow is a day trip to Trakai...

Nothing Went Right, All Was Great

My trip got off to a fateful start. I was hoping that it wasn't a bad omen for the Baltics! I was late getting to the bus station. No real worries, because knowing myself I built in some extra time. I went to purchase my ticket (that I had checked and double checked online) to find out that the bus to Logan wasn't direct, left a bit later, had a 40 minute layover and change at South Station! Fine, I was still to have plenty of time. I decide to have McDonald's for lunch, but the line wasn't moving. I finally got a coffee and jumped on the bus. I arrive in Boston only to find that the bus to Logan wasn't listed on the monitors and the Help Desk seemed to be on a break. To avoid my own stress (at having to rush) I decided to take the new Silver T-line to the airport. I was excited because I didn't even know it existed! I guess it was part of the Big Dig. Anyway the Silver line is a bus line that is both electric and gas. Pretty cool and really easy from South Station. Definitely the right move. I got the airport with plenty of time for a quick chair massage to start the trip off right!

Finnair. Wow. I was thinking this might be like Thai Air, or British Air. It was sadly, more like US Air. We boarded late, I guess there were problems with the plane, we ended up leaving about 90 minutes late. I had a hard time sleeping but I did get to see a baseball movie, High School Musical, and Baby Mama. Needless to say, we didn't get to choose our movies! We arrived in Helsinki and I had missed my connection. I, of course, had issues at security. (No worries, I held my tongue.)I got a pat down and feel up, and they took my soda. Shame. Finnair redeemed itself and gave me a 17 Euro voucher for food at the airport and a whole day in Helsinki. Bonus! I had planned a couple of days here in Vilnius but frankly was pretty psyched to be able to spend the day in Helsinki. I even took a ferry out to a massive armed fortress in the harbor.

Back to the airport, back on the plane. I landed in Vilnius, Lithuania, with no problems and my bags. I finally found the money change place, although I got impatient so I went to the ATM. I waited too long for the money changer so I missed the train to the city. I ended up taking the bus, but of course didn't have any money small enough to pay the fare. After trying to pay with big Lithuanian Litus, then with Euros, then with Dollars, the driver finally was too exasperated to try to talk to me anymore! I got the trip for free. Living up to the stereotype of a dumb American tourist.

The hostel is fine, although I couldn't get my laptop to connect to the internet. I will continue to work on that. All in all, a pretty typical travel day with a bunch of ups and downs, but honestly, everything was pretty smooth and I got a bonus trip to Helsinki, Finland! Gotta love it.