Well, it's 2am over here and the fecking tourists outside won't shut their traps. I'll lighten my statement with a :p. Yep, turns out Old Towne Estonia is much like the Las Vegas of Nevada; a huge tourist draw, huge and fun, but not necessarily reflective of the entire country. Prices are inflated within the old town, but eh, what to do since here is where the fun is, where the experiences are. Or so we thought. Yesterday we went out on a tour of the country, via some help from our hostel *which is fabulous by the way. Estonia is so incredibly green, with grasses and just trees everywhere! Still no pics, but when we do get some you'll see photos of: Circular graves-much of the area is covered with limestone, so if you were ... read more

We have arrived in Estonia via our ferry trip across the Baltic Sea. It is always good to be on the water and the site to behold when arriving in Tallinn was amazing. We are staying right in the middle of the old towne, with shops and medieval styled buildings everywhere, the perfect location to be in. The streets are cobble-stoned and it rained buckets there for a while, but that didn't stop us from getting out and enjoying the area. Am a bit surprised that the absolute cheesiness that Las Vegas has created with the Excalibur is really not too far off, in a weird way, hopefully Estonians don't take offense! Tomorrow we will go to the national park and enjoy the city more. Am not able to upload pics, but definitely have some good ... read more

All I can say is WOW! Our hosts have given us the most wonderful view of Finland ever imagined. They took us out into the countryside to a delightful cabin by a lake and let us see what a piece of heaven looks, tastes and feels like! We traveled by car 100 Klm through the farms of Finland. The plants and trees were spectacular and oh what scenery! On the edge of the lake was a wood fired sauna and a path for taking a plunge into the cool water. I have been in saunas before, but I can honestly say that this is the first time I enjoyed it the right way in the right place. We had a wonderful dinner cooked on the Weber grill and a few different cocktails. Soile and Sanna you ... read more

Because of my friend Amber I have seen the Impressionist Art at the Hermatige Museum in Russia. Works that have not been copied and reprinted a million times! She truly is a trooper! We tried three times before I was able to get to the third floor of the palace. I encountered some very rude women who cut into the line that I stood in for an hour. Good thing I didn't speak Russian at that moment cause the five of them probably could have taken me out. I think they were Italian anyway. All I can say is the nerve! It is now Wednesday and I have hauled my overpacked bag half way around the world and it is time to send home a box of goodies and give away some clothes that are just ... read more

Arrived in Finland, without a moment to spare getting on the train! We were stuck in some serious traffic and in a burst of last minute panic we were able to catch our train with about 3 minutes to spare! Russia was amazing, and Finland promises to be full of great things. We have amazing hostesses to show us around and are so incredibly grateful to them for taking us in. More on the culture and our antics tomorrow, just wanted to post some pics tonight for you to check out. Some of the photos need to be rotated to be viewed correctly, but am tired so you all just need to hold your heads sideways. Love, A... read more