So we managed to buy the simple parts needed for Pablo from an auto shop, but Nissan couldn’t fit us in for 4 days. As it was an easy job replacing two bushes to stop a clanky noise, we could get any garage to do it, so we asked around. Kia charged double Nissan, and…
Category: Europe
Our final bite of the Baltic sandwich
Lithuania was always going to be hit or miss. I’d read that the locals don’t smile at strangers, and if you smile at them they’ll presume your laughing at them, which clearly doesn’t go down too well. As we head south, the populations are growing country by country, and the sun is sinking quicker and…
Exploring Riga and Jurmala, Latvia
We drove south to Riga, Latvia’s capital. It had a beautiful old town full of art nouveau buildings; the finest and largest collection in Europe infact. Faces followed us around the city on the edges of buildings and carved into walls. The old town was a maze of tall pastel buildings, all so well preserved…
Trying out the Olympic Bobsleigh track in Latvia
We visited three towns within Gauja National Park; Cesis, Ligatne and Sigulda. The sights revolved around the Gauja river, with red cliff walls along the banks and orange coloured caves. The towns were pleasant for strolling around with nice castles, churches and old squares. It was all ‘nice’ but not blow away nice, so we…
Our first slice of the Baltic Sandwich
We didn’t spend long in Estonia, just 3 days, but we enjoyed what we saw of it and Tallinn is one of my favourite cities. Heading south we stopped in a few villages, and at Soomaa National Park looking for wildlife. The park is mainly made up of bog, and is said to have a…
From modern Helsinki to medieval Tallinn
We managed to get a free IKEA bus into Helsinki city centre, and repaid them by eating 5 hot dogs, 2 calzones, 1 ice cream and 1 drink for a romantic dinner. I enjoyed walking through the Tori Quarter with its little lane ways and hidden cafés. It reminded me of the lanes back home…
An amusing experience with the Poliisi
We were rather surprised when we first arrived in Finland; all the lakes had red water, instead of the beautiful azure ones in Norway and Germany. But, here they have sand instead of rocks, which means a nice soft beach (I’m grateful for this after slipping on a slimey rock in Norway and falling into…
Finnish Sauna – Go nude, or go home
The sauna is a way of life in Finland, it’s not a luxury like in the rest of the world and the locals use them at least once a week. We couldn’t leave Finland without visiting one, but I’ve read that most of them are separate sex, so I’d have to sit in a room…
A fed bear is a dead bear
While in Kuusamo I spotted a leaflet advertising watching wild bears from a hide. It was over our budget, but I would LOVE to see these beautiful beasts in their natural environment. I asked a lady about it, as I expected your chances of seeing a bear to be very low. But she said they…
Attack of the flying ants in Finland
We’ve gotten used to living with flying things in Scandinavia; Mosquitos, midges, horse flies, and standard flies. But tonight we experienced the flying ant for the first time – worst night so far!! After a wonderful night at a beautiful lake last night with no flying insects (this is a rare and joyful experience), tonight…
NON STOP TRAVELLING 