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July 2022
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  • Tui Snider

July 2022

Baltic Sea: Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia & more! Read more
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  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Pottering Around the Bay of Finland

    July 6, 2022, Baltic Sea ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Every day at noon, and again before we set sail, either the captain or the officer of the watch speaks over the intercom to the entire ship.

    They fill us in on pertinent info, such as when we will embark pilots, what speed the ship will go, any route changes, what the weather will be at the next port, etc. Sometimes they add a bit of nautical trivia, or share an anecdote about the upcoming port.

    As we left Helsinki, the captain told us that since Estonia was so close, “We will spend much of the night pottering around the Bay of Finland.”

    As you can see from the FindPenguins route detector, that’s exactly what our ship did last night.    Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    56 Shades of Slate

    July 6, 2022 in Estonia ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    I didn’t expect to learn so much about slate on this trip, but the topic keeps coming up. In Tallinn, our guide told us there are 56 layers of slate here and that each one has a name.

    The best stone masons not only know the name of each layer, but the best uses for it. Some are better for interiors, while others are better for siding, and so forth.Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    First Rainy Port

    July 6, 2022 in Estonia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    After taking the entire Hop On Hop Off loop in Tallinn, we decided it was time to hop off.

    Just as we were about to step off the bus, however, the skies opened up. “Good idea,” chuckled the bus driver as we clambered back aboard.

    Heavy rain ensued for the next hour! We lost our wonderful front row seats and I pouted hard for ten minutes, but finally got over it.

    After another loop around town, we hopped off and had a wonderful time exploring the Tallinn’s medieval walled city.

    This was the first rainy shore day we’ve had! We fared fine, but at dinner, we heard tale after tale of other passengers getting soaked to the bone during the deluge.

    I bet the ship’s laundry room is extra busy tonight.    Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Busy port

    July 6, 2022 in Estonia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Tallinn is the busiest port we’ve seen! Not only were several cruise ships in the harbor, but several short haul ferries were in operation.

    Finns and Swedes enjoy shopping in Tallinn because the prices are lower here. Estonia uses the Euro, so it’s especially convenient for the Finns. (By the way, the Euro and the Dollar are nearly equal right now, so it’s a good time for us to shop, as well.)

    The Swedes still use their own Kroner, so there’s an exchange rate to deal with, but they still come here in droves.

    We met a sweet couple from Stockholm who were spending the day in Tallinn. They peppered us with questions about what it’s like to take an ocean cruise.    Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Helsinki harbor

    July 5, 2022 in Finland ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Sunny day in the Helsinki’s harbor. We just had a 5 minute downpour. It then returned to the previously scheduled program of breezy sun.

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Seabird

    July 5, 2022 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Pretty seabird perching above seaside food vendors in Helsinki, Finland.

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    City beneath a city

    July 5, 2022 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    FUN FACT: There’s a network of tunnels below Helsinki’s rocky landscape. It was built to house 600,000 people… just in case!

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Rock Church

    July 5, 2022 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    It’s difficult to convey the interior of Helsinki’s Temppeliaukio Church. It’s built deep into the bedrock. The roof slats made me feel like I was standing under a huge mushroom. It’s a popular concert hall, too, and is known for its excellent acoustics.Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Big Christopher

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    The following text is from a plaque:

    LEGEND OF RIGA
    "Once upon a time, long ago, before the city of Riga was founded, a tall strong, man named Lielais Kristaps (Big Christopher) carried people across the river Daugava.

    Kristaps lived in a cabin on right bank of the river. While sleeping one night, Kristaps heard a small child crying on the other side of the river. He immediately rose to fetch the child, and began to carry it across the river.

    Halfway across, the child became so heavy that Kristaps barely managed to get to the other bank. Exhausted, he laid the child down to sleep in his shack, and fell asleep himself.

    The following morning Kristaps awoke to find a large chest of gold coins where the child had been. Upon his death, the money was used to found the city of Riga, the first building was build on the spot where Kristaps cabin had once stood."

    Gints Upitis in 1997 made copy of the original wooden sculpture built by Michael Brinkman in 1683. (The original statue is
    located in Museum of History of Riga and Navigation.)    Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Crones on Brooms

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    It’s been ages since I read Joseph Campbell, but did he ever touch on the preponderance of crones on brooms around the world? (This one reminds me of Italy’s La Befana, but I see similar ones in shop windows all over Riga.)Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Bread flavored ice cream?

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    I’m on a quest to find black rye bread flavored ice cream here in Riga today, but so far I’m striking out. There’s also a dessert featuring cranberries and dark rye bread that intrigues me.

    Latvian cuisine sounds really interesting. They use a lot of fermented foods, too, fermented cabbage as well as dairy. You could say these folks are highly cultured both gastronomically as well as historically.

    As for this hamburger poster, I wondered if “beckona”means bacon?    Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Amber jewelry

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    When traveling, photos and journal are my main souvenirs. That said, when we come across local artisans selling regionally made items, I like to buy a trinket or two.

    Today we stumbled upon a small craft market in the shadow of a church where I purchased some amber jewelry from this friendly woman.Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Freedom Way

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    The legacy of war and oppression is everywhere you look in Riga, Latvia. Larry and I saw several canons repurposed by doorways as we wandered through the old part of town.

    Riga offers many museums dedicated to various aspects of a difficult history: The Museum of Barricades, The KGB Museum, The Museum of Latvian Occupation (Soviets and Nazi Germany are the focus there), and The Museum of War, just to name a few.

    One of the main boulevards here has been named after various conquerors over the years: Alexander, Stalin, Hitler. It’s currently called “Freedom Way.”    Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    House of the Blackheads

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Starting in 1334, men belonging to an organization called “The Blackheads” lived in this fanciful looking building. The Blackheads were young, unmarried merchants, sea captains, and goldsmiths. This place was like a rowdy dormitory for them.Read more

  • Tui SniderJuly 2022Traveler

    Controversial Statue

    July 4, 2022 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    The Latvian Riflemen Monument is a controversial landmark here in Riga. Some Latvians consider it a Communist statue. Others see it as an homage to the citizens who fought in World War I.

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