Citytrip!

What is your Erasmus time all about? Right, travelling. Uhm, study somewhere else of course.

So next to our hard work at our clinic practice and following our Finnish class, we want to spend our free time and weekends for travelling and exploring Finland and the countries that are close by.
But besides that travelling is good for the soul, it's also a great opportunity to get a look at the cultures, so it's the perfect subject to write about for this blog ;)

The next stop that we wanted to make is in a country that never ever crossed my mind or has ever been on my travel bucketlist: Estonia. I didn't even knew that the name of this country was Estonia in English, because in the Netherlands we say it so much different. But you know, topcats often begin as underdogs.

And man oh man, I wish I knew so much sooner that Estonia is such a beautiful country. I totally fell in love with Tallinn, the capital ( I think it defeated Helsinki...).
But before I will spill my love for Tallinn here and bore you guys with declarations of love for this city, I will come to the point.

So as you might noticed already, our next citytrip was to Tallinn, Estonia. This time I did not only have my one and only travel bud Emma by my side, but also the girl next door and two friends of her. Our neighbor is from Ireland, and her friends from Germany and Slovakia. So together we were a nice mix of different countries and cultures.

To get from Turku to this place, you can take a plane or the boat. We decided to go with the last one, the boat. So back in the bus to Helsinki, again. Maybe I should make this my hometown? (As you can see, Helsinki is the one with the prettiest of views, so it wouldn't be that bad). As real travelers we walked with our suitcase to the harbor and check in place. The boat was already waiting for us to arrive. And it was not just a boat, this thing was huge, enormous, giant. How will this thing not sink and let us all die?! But hey, you only live once right (insert cheesy quote here).

The crossing to Estonia isn't a really long one, all together it will take you two hours and thirty minutes, which is nothing compared to our next crossing to Stockholm... But that is a worry for a later time. The boat is divided in different decks, with a kinds of shops, bars and cabins. When we left the port, nature gave us a beautiful look at the moon. It was just rising, and colored yellow. It was breathtaking with all the lights of the city in the dark, getting smaller and smaller.

So as I mentioned before, the crossing is not that long, Well, it felt as an eternity... I got seasick. I felt like shit, bought some Happy Socks to cheer myself up and I was the happiest girl in the world when the harbor came into view and I could leave the boat.

After getting of the boat together with the entire Finnish population, the search to our Airbnb began. On the way there we got already glimpse of what Tallinn has to offer. Beautiful old buildings, this city just smells like culture. Once we arrived at our place we went straight to bed for our beauty sleep.

The Airbnb gave us a present in the form of a great morning view and we got ready to get some breakfast. And what a surprise, we found, again, a place where we could get some Dutch food in our bellies: pancakes. And what is better than pancakes for breakfast? I went with a sweet one (of course), quark cream, strawberries and whipped cream. My sweet tooth was satisfied for the day and I was ready for some sightseeing.

Tallinn will show you the most beautiful buildings, views and will give you a look back in time. The most buildings in the city are old ones and the city is all about the Middle Ages. The waiters are dressed in clothes from that time and also the food is Middle Ages inspired.

I can't even describe how this city will let you feel. It is peaceful, quiet, it will make you feel like you are in your own little bubble.

After the sightseeing we decided to go find some got spots to make some photos and figure out Emma's camera. I enjoyed the sun, the company and we got some nice shots.

Unfortunately the weather on our second and last day, wasn't that good. It was raining cats and dogs, so we decided to do some shopping. And in the end we finally found the viewing point: the city wall. Luckily we could get a last glimpse of Tallinn before we would headed back to Finland.

Back on the boat, back home. And the funny thing is, when we arrived back in Turku, it really felt like coming home. My second home.

Estonia, and the Baltic Stated in general, are so underrated. I am also guilty of not even think about going to explore these countries. But now, after that I got glimpse of Estonia, I would love to go back, make a road-trip through the Baltic States, get to know the culture there and explore the countries. I think that they have to offer the most beautiful things. So please, if you don't know where to go, give Estonia a chance. It will conquer your heart, I promise.

Nähdäan!

Aniek