Thinking Allowed: Moving up the Baltics

In a funny way Tallinn felt like an extension of Riga. The two countries are similar in many ways as they are geographically very close together and share some of the same difficult history. While both Riga and Tallinn are 1/3 Russian both cities had a scandinavian feel. Tallinn felt more Scandinavian to us but maybe that is just due to it being wealthier. Tallinn's medieval old town draws in a lot of tourists and I can see why given its intact city wall, towers, fortresses, churches and tunnels. We got to experience the medieval vibe in a restaurant made to imitate restaurants of 500 years ago. Before electricity indoor spaces were so much darker! With my parents visiting we explored town as much as possible given two children were ill and Zadie had to be taken to the clinic twice for bandage changes. Highlights included the tunnels under the city wall and the maritime museum. Tova got to swim at my parents hotel numerous times making her very happy. We did a day trip to Helsinki where we did a long meanding walk in the rain and fell in love with the library. Helsinki seem sthe type of place that tourists might label uninteristing but seems lovely to live in. I probably have more to say but suffice it to say that we were all impressed by both Estonia and Finland.