We are back from our annual Christmas trip to Tallinn, Estonia (we were there first last year, and made it a tradition by returning this year!).
We had a wonderful and refreshing time. We left before dawn on Sunday the 20th, rode a bus to Riga, Latvia, and then got on a different bus and headed to Tallinn, Estonia.
Here is a picture of the sun at high noon in Riga, at the bus station.
We rolled into Tallinn at about 4:15pm (we were running early, the requirements for a bus driver here are that they know how to drive fast, and pass every other car on the road. No worries, we made it safely. It was dark as midnight when we got there...and due to riding on a bus all day, it felt like midnight too. Steve is reading along as I type and is suggesting that I end the parenthetical thought. Good thing he is here to keep me in line!). After arriving at our hotel, we decided we needed to eat some food, so we went to a place we'd never been, the Grillhaus Daube. It was very tasty.
Then we walked around for a while and admired the Christmas Market. It was even better than we remembered!
Monday we spent walking around. It was quite a bit colder and snowier this year, so we got me a woolen hat from the knit market located on the city wall.
Me outside the Revel Cafe...one of our faves. If you look in the background, you can see that there is a sign for Segway tours...we didn't do it this time (too snowy, perhaps?), but someday.
Other Monday Adventures:
- Steve helping a frail old lady walk across town (stopping to rest about every 4-5 steps). Good to know that if I am ever that frail someday, Steve will patiently take my arm and walk with me!
- Listening to a Christmas Choir sing carols in Estonian for a little over an hour in a big old church. Very beautiful!
- Walking around in the winter wonderland, as large snowflakes fell all day...making us feel like we were in a Christmas snow globe.
Steve in front of the Guild of the Blackheads (for Harley...also note the snow in all of these pictures)
A wintery, Christmas-y alley.
One of my favorite pictures of Steve in front of the Christmas Market
One more...isn't that tree magnificent?!
Tuesday we woke up and the sun was out. The earth was covered in snow, but it was a tad bit warmer (Monday was about 10 degrees F, and Tuesday was about 20 F).
Tuesday's Adventures:
- Wrote some postcards and sent them via the Christmas Market post office (which is right next to Santa's house.
- Took a walk in a park.
- Outdoor ice skating (so much fun! makes us miss Minnesota).
- Playing lots of Cribbage in various coffee shops (could also be added to Monday's adventures)
Wednesday we traveled back to Klaipeda. Apparently all of the Baltic states were getting lots of snow while we were away (and all the way home it snowed non-stop in Latvia). We made it home safely though. Thank the Lord!
Yesterday and today have been pretty low-key. Last night we got together with the Johnsons and read advent verses and sang carols, and this evening we got together with some fellow student life staff who were also in town and had a christmas meal and read together the Christmas story (and read The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever as well). It was a good time of fellowship.
We have been wishing we could be home with our family this Christmas, but have been fortunate to have other people around here to spend it with. We're already planning our traditional trip to Tallinn for next year, so start saving your money, get a passport if you haven't already, and come with us. You would love it. Merry Christmas! I will try to get the rest of the Tallinn pictures up soon.
2 comments:
Laura, your outfit in these pics is ADORABLE. I have NEVER SEEN CUTER boots, and I have seen some cute boots in my life. Love it.
Thanks! There are plenty of boots to be had here...leave some room in your suit case :)
Fun to talk with you guys the other night, even if the call dropped every 6 minutes. :)
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