Across the Baltic Sea

Don't think I've ever been away so soon into the holidays before, and not sure I'll do it again in my old age (someone force me to take a rest day please and thank you very much!?) - I am SO TIRED. But our Baltic adventure sure was an excellent way to kick-start the Summer.

The last night of term was celebrated with a trip down memory lane in Hoxton at the George & Vulture and the legendary 'Bonnie's', so the arrival of a taxi at 4:30am on the Saturday morning was a struggle.

Barbie soundtrack loaded by our incredibly friendly taxi driver made for a journet as pleasant as could be and we were soon at Stansted, on board, and touched down in Tallinn 3 hours later all before the hangovers had really had a chance to materialise.

Fully embraced the Medieval side of Tallinn from the get-go, and were soon enjoying tankards of local beer to wash down some wholesome and hearty food - I had a chicken broth which was just what was needed given the delicate state we were all in.

After lunch at Peppersack, we headed back to base - our apartment was right on the central square, which was ideal - to freshen up and decide on a POA.

Clair had found a short walking tour of the Old Town in her guidebook, so she led the way and we followed! Highlights included (not the cobbles. Why do we always end up in places with cobbles?) a couple of exciting viewpoints across rooves and towers and out to sea, and a visit to the Orthodox Cathedral where afternoon prayers were in full swing and we were treated to much drama and vocal splendour.

Our evening meal was at Olde Hansa and it was an experience from the moment we stepped inside: we had no idea whether or not we were being led to a table, which floor we were supposed to be on, what we were supposed to be eating, how Sarah was supposed to wash her hands, or indeed how Stuart landed himself with the title 'My Lord'. The live music was fun, but we were glad to use our 'magical plastic' and be on our way.

Sunday arrived, and after a hearty breakfast of bits purchased at local supermarket Rimi (snigger), we found ourselves feeling considerably more human that the day before, now a distant memory.

Not exactly beach weather, we decided anyway to head out of the city in search of the coast. Throughout our stay, we were struck by the higgledy-piggledy nature of the architecture. Out by Pirita Beach, we were met with houses resembling those usually inhabited by Sims alongside warehouse buildings. Pristine green lawns with robotic mowers offset by concrete carparks behind high metal fences.

The coast path from the beach offered fantastic views back towards the city, although we didn't stick to it for as long as we may have liked on account of the stench of seabird..

Took a detour by the Maarjamäe memorial in memory of those killed during the Communist regime. It was there that the ominous cloud we'd watched approaching from across the sea decided to burst.

The torrential rain that ensued made for rather a dramatic viewing of a collection of Communist statues removed from the city and displayed at Maarjamäe Castle. We stopped a while in the hopes of the rain easing off, then went to find some lunch and shelter when it didn't.

Our last stop of the day was the park at Kadriorg where we fan-girled over red squirrels in the Japanese Garden and enjoyed a stroll through the baroque palace gardens accompanied by the dulcet tones of teens singing at what we can only assume were rehearsals for their summer ball. 

Back at the apartment, it was time for a nap for me. Awoke again just in time to join the others for food and more beers at Old Estonia in the square. Still drooling at the thought of the dumplings we shared there, and my blood sausages and sauerkraut.

On Monday, we went full Baltic mode, and hopped on a ferry to Helsinki for the day. A return ticket cost us less than €40 each, so it seemed rude not to!

We could walk to the port terminal from our apartment, and as soon as we had scanned our tickets and joined the throng waiting to get on board, we were up to the sun deck and settled in (with eyes on the horizon) for the journey which was only around 2 hours and would have us docked in Finland well before lunchtime.

It was a windy journey, and we definitely found ourselves wishing we'd taken an extra layer (blanket, fluffy dog) or four, especially on the night-time return.

Once we arrived into Helsinki, we went for a short wander to get our bearings and in search of food - we were hungry after our early start and all that sea air exposure. Walked along the Esplanadi then re-traced our steps to the food market on the waterfront as we discovered that the Finns only seem to brunch at the weekends.

Were rather pleased with our two mixed plates to share between the four of us; one reindeer meat and the other fish.

Suitably fuelled, we headed off on a walk that I'd found in a leaflet from the Tourist Information centre. Claiming to be around 2km, we thought it would be the ideal way to see Helsinki's 'best bits'. Well, I think we saw them, but it certainly felt like we covered a lot more ground than 2km (sorry, Clair)!

Highlights of this walk included beers in an old prison where a waitress kindly wrapped my shivering self in a blanket and also beers on a boat where we all ended up wrapped in blankets to shelter from wind and rain at this point. Also had a moment to swoon at the fleet of mighty Icebreaker ships designed to cut through Baltic ice in the winter.

Turned out that Finnish food is even more expensive than Estonian food, so we made our way to the student area and found a Ramen bar which was warm, inviting and (most importantly) tasty and set us up perfectly for the return to Tallinn.

Walking back, we wondered if we'd been entered into some kind of Hunger Games-esque event. Transpires that traffic lights in Tallinn are turned off at night, so there was a certain element of peril on our way back into the city as we threw ourselves in front of container lorries and hoped for the best.

Made it in one piece (just) to our final day where we finally got a little lie-in before 'the breakfast where everyone finishes up all the bits of everything'.

Managed to fix the dishwasher just in time to load it, and had myself one last swing (yes there was a swing in our apartment. No, not that kind of swing. We tested it. The angle was all wrong). Luckily it was ok to leave lur bags at checkout, so we were hands-free for one more day of exploring.

Leaving Stuart and Clair to philosophise in the church, Sarah and I climbed the many steps of St Olaf's tower for another magnificent view over the city. The viewing platform was so narrow that we found ourselves - more often than we would have liked - entrusting our lives to an ancient tin roof as others tried to pass by.

Made it back to the bottom with jelly-legs and a sense of relief at having narrowly missed a hoard of German tourists from one of the visiting cruise ships. At this point, the rain returned as we walked to the Creative City near Tallinn's main train station.

Here we were pleased to find lots of covered food stalls so decided again to create a bit of a tasting platter of dishes to share which included more dumplings, some pastries, buns, and bubble teas.

Still raining when we left, found shelter and more beer (and cocktails) in an old rail carriage at Peatus then went back into the Creative City to browse antiques while we waited for a dry spell.. which never came.

Powered through and returned once more to Peppersack for our final meal (I went for rabbit meatballs this time) and to collect our cases from the apartment nearby ready for the airport.

By the time we were prepared to leave, the rain was fairly Biblical as it ran in rivers along the roads and pavement. We were soaked by the time we reached the airport. A small silver lining of our delayed flight meant ample time to dry off in the 'pubi' (lol) while we waited.

We certainly fell in love with Tallinn and it is absolutely somewhere I fully intend to return one winter for snowy scenes and Christmas markets. Until next time!

Signs of Spring

The beginning of this week feels like forever ago. I'd like to suggest that such a statement is a sign of a half term very well spent. Like with last February half term, I've actually been walking a lot (surprise, surprise). Unlike last February half term, however, the weather has been glorious for the most part, so I've made sure to get plenty of doses of Vitamin D.

My holiday this year actually began a day early, on the Friday. An extra day gave me time to prepare for the arrival of Ma and Pa for a weekend stay, and also led me on a new walk from Hammersmith to Barnes along yet another new stretch of the Thames Path. As I wandered through a wooded path, looking across the river at only a handful of buildings, I definitely felt like I'd escaped the City. I also found myself a new reservoir, and got a little lost on Barnes Common resulting in very muddy shoes. Sign of an excellent wander, I felt!

Unfortunately the weekend then offered very little sunshine (apart from on Sunday, when we were mostly inside enjoying a pub roast at the Pig & Whistle), but instead thick grey cloud, a little wind, and even some rain. Unperturbed, we took a trip down memory lane and along the river to Putney on the Saturday, around Wimbledon Park on the Sunday, and into Richmond on the Monday. We saw the tide at both its highest and lowest that I've ever seen it before, and made our way a little further down the river at Richmond than I have before, to Richmond Lock and Weir.

On Tuesday, I met up with an old colleague, and good friend. Stuart and I walked from Waterloo along the South Bank, headed for a new rooftop garden that had opened only a day or so before. The Garden at 120 Fenchurch Street was a very pleasant alternative to the neighbouring Sky Garden. Lower down, you're amongst the buildings as opposed to looking down on them. It's open air, too, and yet the surrounding glass provides a barrier against noise pollution from below. I definitely want to return with my book. The peace was surreal, and quite the contrast from the hoards also walking along this particular stretch of the Thames.

Wednesday I chose to go into school for some much needed organising. I walked to and from in the sunshine, and left feeling very accomplished.

Thursday was my first proper chance for a lie-in. I took full advantage of this, and had a much slower day. Never one to waste sunshine, however, I headed out for a shorter walk in the early evening as the sun began to set. Having already headed in the direction of Putney earlier in the week, I dragged Paul in the direction of Battersea. We didn't get that far, for fear of the light disappearing, and there was a short stop as I geeked out over a helicopter taking off from the London Heliport.

I made my first journey on the Overground in what felt like forever on Friday. I still can't quite get over the contrast between East and South West London, so was grateful to be headed back to Hackney for a haircut and a lunch date. It was lovely to wander in and out of vintage shops, and past many a graffitied wall.

This weekend has been the first in about 3 weeks that we haven't had any guests to stay. Yesterday we did our fair share of socialising, but today has been all about lazing around for a proper PJ day. We've done a little organising here and there, in between sitting on the sofa with several cups of tea.

A circular walk in Castle Combe

This time last year I was in Bath for a Hen Party. This time this year I was in Bath again for catch ups over gin, walking, and a lot of food.

Today Nic and I visited the village of Castle Combe where I've been wanting to explore for some time. It was a short drive from Bath and when we arrived we soon found a place to park, from where we could then walk into the village itself.

Even before midday, the central street was bustling with a various mix of tourists; families old and young, dog walkers, and a slightly odd number of groups of women around our age. We chose not to linger, but instead began a circular walk out of and around the village that we'd found online the night before.

Armed with a fairly simple map, and some written instructions (always a bit of a challenge in my experience), we followed 'The Street' through the centre of the village before taking a footbridge to cross a small brook into a field full of donkeys that sounded and looked deceptively like sheep from a distance (closer inspection told us that our initial instincts were wrong).

The combination of glorious sunshine and an uphill path along the top of the field and into woodland kept us so warm that coats came off (in November!?). Our instructions told us to look out for gates with stiles which we were pleased to find; and crossed them into a lane leading us through a small hamlet of beautiful mill houses backing onto the brook.

Several pathways had us kicking up more than a few leaves; a welcome reminder of the Autumn which I think has felt especially long and glorious this year! At the end of one particularly leafy path, we came into a field full of actual sheep this time, and carefully made our way through, eyes on the ground at all times in a bid to avoid excessive amounts of poop.

Out of the field, we were back on the road and heading for yet another field and more woodland (there was definitely a theme going on). Our final uphill path was the steepest yet and had us both slipping and sliding, huffing and puffing. Once at the top, the views over trees in all sorts of colours in the low Autumn sun were fairly special.

Having done a pretty good job of following our instructions up to this point, it was here that we took a wrong turn and suddenly found that our circuit had been cut short. Tummies rumbling, we decided that we were actually back in the village in perfect time and enjoyed tea, paninis, and some cake in the Stables Coffee Shop.

Hunger satisfied, we decided to investigate the bit of circular walk we'd missed, but backwards. Once on the path again, we realised that it might just lead us back to the car park. So we followed along the edge of a golf course before coming out between a little row of houses that we'd seen earlier in the day, and were soon back on familiar ground and headed to the car.

Like last year, I managed a spot of Christmas shopping in Bath itself this afternoon and then there was just time for dinner before I had to catch my train. We're not sure how I do it, but I do seem to get lucky with the weather on my visits, and with the loveliest company, too, today was another truly beautiful day.