London and the Midnight Sun

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And the winner for best airport is...Tallinn, Estonia. 3 minute security, free public wifi throughout the terminal, and buses that run to the center of town in 10 minutes. Due to the ease of check-in, this blog post comes to you from the lounge by gate 13. In order to get to Tallinn, though, I had to go from London Stansted, which wins the award for longest, most crowded security line. Said security was experienced at 4:30am (where were all these people going?), and my travel process to the airport had previously involved a bus and coach trip begun at 2:50. Such is the price for wanting to jam everything in. My second stint in London was nice as well. I was able to grab dinner with a friend who was there, saw two shows on the West End, hit a few museums, and saw the London landmarks I had missed my first go-round. I was able to procure cheap rush tickets to theater performances on both ends of the spectrum--the serious, probing drama Another Country on the first night, and the hilarious comedy The 39 Steps on the second While Another Country looks at the dark like of English public schools in the 1930s, The 39 Steps was a combination of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged with the Pink Panther, as 4 actors play out a farcical saga to stop top-secret government secrets from leaving the country. Having come from Scotland, I was particularly attuned to the numerous parodies of Scottish people and culture (like plaid and diction). During the day, I visited the Tate Modern to see some thought-provoking works from 1930s Surrealism to the present day, as well as the British Museum, where the highlight included their ancient Egyptian and Syrian collections. They also have most of the key figures of the Athenian Parthenon reconstructed in the museum, so I'm not quite sure what's left to see when I get there later this trip--the British were really good at taking ancient things out of other people's countries for themselves. I also got a chance to see the Crown Jewels of England at the Tower of London; they were both newer and grander than the Scottish Crown Jewels, but I think my favorite part of the collection is the Royal Punch Bowl (see photo), which can hold 144 bottles of wine but has never been used. A good example of the ceremonial excessiveness of the British royalty. Finally, I took the Tube to the end of the line to Wimbledon to see the grounds as they were preparing for the tournament, which starts tomorrow. For this reason nothing except the museum was open, unfortunately, but it was neat to see the men's and women's champions' trophies in the museum (wow, they are old!). I will definitely need to be back to see the tournament in action. Lastly, I attended an evensong service at Westminster Abbey. I wasn't able to see the crypt like the tourists do, but I saved 20 pounds and got to experience the building as it was intended to be used. All in all, a really wonderful time in an impressive city.

Tallinn is quite different, but my long weekend here as been a blast. I visited this far-north Baltic country only because I have a friend here for the summer, but I'm so glad I made the trip out of the way. I came in with no expectations for the country, but have been pleasantly surprised in every way. Estonia actually ranks higher than the US in most quality of life indexes, and ranks as one of the most connected countries with free public wifi as practically a social right. That being said, Estonia did only adopt the Euro in 2011 and is currently on its fourth president in it's entire history. And that history is quite interesting--they've been conquered by the Danes, Fins, Germans, and Soviets, with only a brief blip of independence between the world wars until regaining it in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. With only 25 years of independence, though, it has come a long way. It's trying really hard to be Scandanavian, from its language origins to its social systems; as a result, it has been one of the fastest-growing and most successful former Soviet countries. Some say it was because they had access to Finnish television during their occupation that they saw the 'good life' of free markets and aggressively Westernized when they had the chance. Unfortunately, despite being out of the way, Tallinn's charm made it much more touristy than I anticipated. It's a main cruise stop given its proximity to Helsinki (only 80km), so there were lots of groups wandering around the Medieval city center (considered one of the best preserved in all Europe). We visited a bunch of small museums, ranging from the summer cottage of the Russian Czar Peter the Great to the tunnels below the Swedish bastions. We also ate indulgently--by far the best on the trip not counting the cheese fondue in Switzerland. We focused on getting traditional for dinner--Russian bear dumplings, elk soup and pies, salmon--while gorging ourselves on dessert delicacies at the cafes throughout the day. The desserts are also local, like kama (a thick, sweet yogurt), marzipan (ground almonds and sugar made into artwork), and rhubarb cakes. Let's just say that I didn't meet a dessert that I didn't like. Since things don't open until late morning and I was staying at a quiet hostel, I also got quite caught up on my sleep (although it's tricky here because of the summer midnight sun--only getting 4 hours of darkness makes you think it's earlier than it is). In summary, it was great to meet up with friends and get off the main tourist track while exploring a faraway corner of Europe. Now straight south to Turkey, for some warmer weather and more Mediterranean cuisine.

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Photos

London Bridge
Obligatory tourist photo

The Royal Punch Bowl
Check out that jewel-encrusted handle. Think of how many starving children that could feed.

Tallinn Skyline #1S
Sunny but chilly (around 45 degrees Fahrenheit)

River Thames at night
London Eye, Parliament, and Big Ben

The oldest cafe in Tallinn
Yes, that's a Ferris wheel made out of teacups and sugar spoons.

Estonia reunion!
My wonderful weekend guide, Laura, with the Russian Orthodox Nevsky Cathedral in the background

The Criterion Theater, West End
Gorgeous old theater where I saw The 39 Steps. It's below ground so you can hear the Underground trains departing from nearby Piccadilly Circus.

The Rosetta Stone, British Museum
Also obligatory

Tallinn skyline #2
Medieval Old Town with the more modern financial center in the rear.