Alex and I have been super busy lately and traveling like crazy. Here is an update of where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks.
Riga, Latvia: For the long Easter weekend I wanted to go somewhere a little different. When Latvia and Estonia came to mind, we jumped on that idea. We arrived in Riga at about 10pm and even though Alex had just gotten back from a trip to South Africa (that morning actually, poor guy) he wanted to go out for a drink. We decided on a nearby bar and enjoyed a local beer before bed. The next day we joined a 2 hour walking tour where we learned all about the history of Riga which helped us get a better feel for the city. After the tour, Alex decided he wanted to go to the local market. Our first stop was to the fish section, Alex’s favorite thing to see at the markets. He loves walking through and seeing all of the weird ocean creatures while I usually walk through with my nose covered. We walked through the rest of the huge market, ending at an outside area where they were selling local specialities and playing Latvian music. We spent the rest of the day walking around and exploring the rest of Riga. Since it was such a beautiful day, we stopped for a drink at an outside bar and listened to live music. We ended the evening at a pretty authentic medieval restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our short time Riga.
Tallinn, Estonia: We hopped on a bus early the next morning to Tallinn. It was a 4 hour drive but in a comfortable coach bus with free WiFi, coffee, movies (I finally got to watch A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody) and a toilet, the time just flew by. When we arrived in Tallinn, the old town was buzzing with people. Alex and I were surprised by the architecture and how medieval looking the town was. Tallinn is even known as one of the most well preserved walled cities. We wandered around the walls and through the old town, taking in the new (to us) town. Tallinn really uses the medieval theme to their advantage with tours, restaurants, souvenirs etc. so when we saw a medieval restaurant with a line out the door, we knew we had to try it for lunch. I’m not super into the medieval themed meals but this one was actually pretty cool. It was a really small place where you ordered at the counter with a woman dressed in medieval garb giving you some old time-y attitude. The menu was limited to elk soup, sausages and 6 kinds of pasties and no utensils in sight. And if you felt adventurous, you could try your hand at fishing pickles out of a big wooden barrel located in the middle of the pub. Of course, we had to try it. We then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring all the nooks and crannies of Tallinn. We found a spot for dinner then had a drink at a bar that used to be an old underground tunnel.
We started out the morning with a delicious breakfast at a nearby cafe. Then wanting more information on the town of Tallinn, we joined a walking tour. Out of a group of about 25 people, we were the only Americans. The tour lasted about three hours and we listened to stories about Estonia and the history of Tallinn. After the tour, we walked up 258 stairs to a viewing platform at the top of St. Olav’s church where we had beautiful views of the town below. Then we visited a old KGB prison turned museum. I was excited for dinner because we booked the best rated restaurant in Tallinn and it didn’t disappoint, it was very delicious, especially their homemade pumpkin bread. After we were good and full, we found a bar to enjoy a cocktail. Sigmund Freund one of the coolest cocktail bars we’ve been too. My cocktail called Lucy in the Sky was super tasty and it even came with a side of skittles!
Helsinki, Finland: Bright and early the next morning we boarded a 2 hour ferry to Helsinki. We had a flight out later that afternoon so we had a few hours to explore the modern city. It was big and to be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. We walked around for a few hours before stopping for lunch. We then headed to the airport for our flight to Düsseldorf, Germany. We stayed the night in Düsseldorf because we had an early flight out the next morning.
Manchester, England: We headed straight back to the airport early the next morning and boarded a flight to Manchester. We landed in Manchester at 7:30am and headed to our hotel. It was too early to check in so we did the very English thing and had a cup of tea while we waited. Since we were in England for work, Alex’s coworker picked him up and they headed out. I then had the rest of the day to explore the city. The bustling city had a lot to offer and I found myself just wandering around, stopping when something interested me. A beautiful library made the top of the list and it was fun to meander through the old collection of books. Once Alex finished work, he met me in the city and I was able to show him a few things I had seen earlier in the day. We settled on a bar and since the weather was so nice, we sat outside and listened to some live music. Once we got hungry, we found a traditional pub for fish and chips.
Liverpool, England: When Alex headed to work the next morning, I took advantage of the fact that Liverpool was so close to Manchester. I got a Ticket to Ride the 40 minute train to the home of the Beatles. In My Life, I never thought I would be here so I took full advantage of my day in Liverpool. My first stop was a “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (and Help! I’ve had that song stuck in my head ever since). A hour ferry took us from one end of Liverpool to the other and was, From Me to You, a good way to see the city from the water. After the ferry, I said Hello, Goodbye to the Beatles statue then walked to the Albert Docks, a UNESCO sight and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Liverpool. It also happens to house The Beatles Story Museum. A museum dedicated to everything Beatles starting from the beginning of their career to the end. Let It Be known, I was really excited! The museum did an excellent job recreating some of the Beatles most iconic events. It was very well done and I learned a lot about each member that I didn’t know Yesterday. My last stop was the the Cavern Club where the Beatles (and countless others) played almost 300 times. They had live music going on and I listened for a bit wishing Alex could be there to enjoy with me. Next time we will definitely Come Together. I eventually had to Get Back to Manchester so I left Liverpool vowing to return someday. I called Alex on my way home and told him “Here Comes the Sun.” Too much? I had to throw that one in there!
Köln: We returned to Köln and two days later had a quick visit from my childhood friend, Hannah and her friend Hallie (who also happens to be a separate childhood friend of mine). We picked them up from the train station and toured them around Cologne. We had a fun day walking around, drinking kölsch and catching up. We took them to our favorite beer hall for dinner. The next day we drove to one of our favorite castles, Burg Eltz. It’s such a beautiful castle and we were happy to show it to our guests. After the tour we headed back to Köln to enjoyed the rest of the evening before dropping Hannah and Hallie off at the train station. It was really nice seeing them and being able to catch up. I’m so happy they made us a stop on their busy European trip.
Epernay, France: Last year, Alex and I went to Reims, the champagne region of France. We had such a nice time we knew we had to go back. This time we choose Epernay about 30 minutes from Reims which surprisingly had such a different feel from each other. When we arrived, we started out by walking up and down the Avenue de Champagne. A beautiful street lined with pink flowers and gorgeous houses, welcoming you in to try their champagne. We stopped into a smaller (compared to some of the other houses on the street) house offering a tasting of two of their champagnes. We walked up to the door and it was locked. Alex hesitantly used the metal door knocker and thankfully we were immediately greeted by a woman welcoming us into her home. It was a cold and raining day so there was, much to our surprise, about 20 people packed into one of their smaller rooms. She motioned us over to a group of people who happened to be from Canada and gave us information on the six champagnes they had to offer. We were able to sample two glasses each for the tasting. I looooved the two I tried. One was even voted ‘Better than Dom Perignon’ in 2016. From having to knock on the door to enjoying a small intimate tasting, this one ended up being our favorite stop of the day. Later on, we decided to do a tour/tasting of two of the bigger champagne houses – Mercier and Moët & Chandon. We then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around to the different houses and sampling the different champagnes. The sun even came out for a bit and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the weather. It was such a fun day that I’m already planning my next trip back.
We’ve had so many fun filled weeks in Europe this year with more even more coming up. We’re definitely trying to make the most of our last few months here.
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Wow…you 2 have been busy! I think I want to try the restaurant and the bar in Tallinn. Your descriptions of Liverpool with song references was pretty ingenious, Sunny!
Totally loved reading this one…could picture some of the places as you described!
That said, we still can’t wait until you’re both home. Lots of fun sites to visit In USA when you’re back in the states. ❤️
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Wow, so much to take in! Great trips, the adventures continue! Glad you didn’t need any, HELP planning them. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE (of travel) and a TICKET TO RIDE….(also time and money) to continue what your experiences!! Great job Sunny, really enjoyed reading your blog and seeing all the pics!
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