#baltixxx

[tacovazzi-blog]

[tacovazzi-blog]

5/14-5/15 Riga, Latvia

As we left Estonia I couldn’t help but feel sad that I only got to experience the city of Tallinn for what seemed like a short moment. However, I know I will be back one day and greater things are yet to come on this trip. We headed south to the city of Riga, Latvia. Now going into this trip, I knew almost nothing about Latvia. I believe the only time it had ever even come up in a conversation before this trip was when a family friend decided to serve as a missionary in Eastern Europe. In my head, I expected a small European town no bigger than the size of Nashville or Cleveland. My preconceived notions were quickly blown away. The city, or rather metropolis of Riga reminded me back to our days in Helsinki. A massive city with old and new buildings alike. Cars bustling down one way streets and casinos, hotels and bars lining the curbs. Our hotel was also top of the line. Based around Albert Einstein, the hotel designed their carpets with atoms along with Einstein quotes covering their walls. I mean, even the wifi password was E=MC2. The best part though, was the penthouse terrace overlooking the entire city. A stunning lookout to the brining city of Riga and the buildings from the market to the business district. Our group was fairly tired from our journey though, so we stayed at the hotel that evening in the penthouse lounge. The next day we were taken on a walking tour of the entire city. We started towards the westernized part of the city and eventually worked around to the much more classical parts of Riga. The city is also abundant in parks or open areas for people to lounge and cruise along the river. Later on I ended up spending most of my time in the park because it was just way too nice to leave. Our tour group eventually made it to the Riga market. A place where citizens come to buy and sell produce, meats and other trinkets in an outdoor and indoor setting, much like the West Side Market in downtown Cleveland, OH. While the stench was sometimes unbearable, I got a chance to people watch and taste some of the produce given out for a small price. We then made our way to the town square where coffee shops and street venders greeted us. We then split up and decided to embark on the small adventures that awaited us. We ate at a restaurant dedicated to Riga’s love of cats. For anyone who knows me and my awkward obsession of animals, I was right at home. A group of me and some lovely girls also walked around to some street venders to buy some paintings, shot glasses, and amber jewelry. Latvia is known for its abundance of amber that washes along the shores, so merchants make EVERYTHING from amber. After several hours of walking and lounging in the park, our day slowed down as we went to dinner, a cigar lounge and eventually back up to the scenic terrace. Unfortunately, our hotel location did not cater to a busy nightlife, but no one seemed to mind as we sat on the terrace overlooking the humble glow of the Riga skyline.

Well that’s all that I’ve got for today. Again, I’ll post pictures in a following entry. I hope you all have enjoyed my amazing journey so far. Our next stop is Vilnius, Lithuania which we will be there for about two days. Until then. Take care!

-Nick

[tacovazzi-blog]

[tacovazzi-blog]

5/12-5/13 Tallinn, Estonia

Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been so late with my blog posts but it has been a long journey and we have been e̶x̶c̶e̶s̶s̶i̶v̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ so incredibly busy that it is sometimes difficult to sit down and write for you all. Anyways. I’ll try and catch up the best that I can in the next few days! Our time in Finland had come to an end. We loaded up the bus, said goodbye to the foggy city of Helsinki and set sail on a ferry across the Baltic Sea to the Country of Estonia. The Baltic state of Estonia borders to the west of Russia and was under communist rule until roughly 1992. Since then, it has slowly become a capitalist nation and has been exposed to the ideologies of the western world. When we arrived in Estonia we immediately headed to the historic palace of Tallinn, where we toured a summer home used by the Russian Czars during their reign. It was a lavish home filled with extensive religious paintings, regal decorations tinted with the colors of Russia and extensive gardens surrounded by fountains and sculptures of influential Russian figures. For a roughly an hour, we toured this mansion and snapping several hundred pictures, but the next day was where we got to see Estonia come alive in the historic Old Town. While Estonia had rapidly grown into a modernized country, it has been build around the medieval city of Tallinn, which at a time was a feudal system with the haves and the have nots. Today, Old Town is still very much intact and the locals have preserved the culture of the historic city as well as update it to a hub of tourism, bars and a replication of the medieval culture. Around the city, individuals in tunics, pointed shoes and ruffled dresses can be found creating baskets, selling nuts, flowers and partaking in traditional music. Our tour guide wound us through the cobblestone streets of Tallinn, pointing out the pubs, legendary guild houses, the original pharmacy that had been open since the 1400’s and landmark churches of the Estonian people. The city was riddled with urban legends both old and new and stores were filled with old antiques from the controversial history of Estonia. At the end of our tour, our guide to us to the top of the castle walls for an absolutely breathtaking view of the skyline of Tallinn, which was a moment on this trip I will remember for the rest of my life. After our tour and a quick dinner, our group decided to spend the evening at a hostel located right next to our hotel. Eli Roth may have given hostels a bad reputation, but experiencing an authentic European hostel is something that cannot be missed. Filled with individuals with all different countries, we sang, drank, played pool and spoke with all different walks of life. The locals seemed to love our presence at the hostel and became very friendly as we traded differences of our nations and eventually exchanged contact information if we ever find ourselves in each others home countries.

Well, that concludes my time in Estonia. It was definitely one of my favorite places to travel to and has set a high standard for the rest of the trip. Our next stop is Latvia so be sure to check out my next couple posts. I will also have pictures up soon. Until next time!

-Nick

[tacovazzi-blog]

[tacovazzi-blog]

5/11 Porvoo, Finland

For our second full day in Finland, our group took a trip outside the city to the small town of Porvoo, a small medieval town about 45 minutes outside of Helsinki. This small town seemed to frozen in time and untouched by the modern world, almost as if it was the picturesque town that one can imagine when recreating an image of old Europe. Filled with churches and colorful wooden houses, the small village was surrounded by trees and rivers with natives fishing and biking at every corner. Our tour guide explained the controversial history of Porvoo and how overnight, the city turned from Catholic to Protestant and the extreme outrage that occurred those 400 years ago. During our tour, a local cat decided to chill with us and hang out while we learned about this quaint city. I've gotta say, that was probably the highlight of my afternoon, but I just have a lame obsession with cats. When our tour was finished we took a trip to the more modernized part of Porvoo to a famous Finnish chocolate factory named Brumberg where we were able purchased copious amounts of rich (and slightly racist) chocolate. Later in the afternoon/evening we returned to Helsinki, a handful of us were pretty wiped from the day and the night before, so four of us decided it was time to experience a traditional Finnish sauna. Apparently we missed the info on how long you're supposed to stay in the room and we ended up almost passing out but it was totally worth it (#yolo). Overall, it was a pretty relaxing night because tomorrow we are taking a ferry to Estonia, where we will be staying for a few days. Be sure to check out my posts from Estonia and I hope you've enjoyed what I've written so far. I'd also love some tips or feedback from any of you readers. That'd be awesome! Alright I'm gonna go pass out. Thanks for reading! -Nick