(Just) plan B for a rainy day in Tallinn

Hmm, spring seems to be advancing slowly, and Weather forecast for Easter time is not looking very promising.. :( But just in case, I crafted somewhat of a plan for a rainy weekend in Tallinn for the whole family. It seems that focusing on Saturday would be the way to go.

First of all selecting the right hotel is essential part of the plan. Who cares if it's cold an raining outside, when there's hot saunas and pools inside? So I would choose between Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel, Kalev Spa and Meriton Grand Spa Hotel. Pirita Top Spa is the fourth choice, but during last visit we found the pool facilities a bit unsuitable for small kids..

But then again, it's not worth to travel to Tallinn just to spend the whole day inside. So.. what to do? Any sights, or museums - inside? The new Solaris shopping center seems interesting with a 3D movie theatre, but on a second look it might not be that much fun for a 2-years old just yet..

Estonian Maritime Museum would be open on Saturday during the Easter holidays. But eventually I'm not sure if my kid (or wife) would appreciate visiting it as much as I would..

Estonian Puppet and Youth Theater looks very interesting and would certainly be an experience for the kid (unless it's even too exciting).

A bit further from the centre, in Kadriorg park, would be Miia-Milla-Manda activity centre for 3-11 year old kids. Sounds good and it seems to be all inside. During Easter seems that it's also open only on Saturday. Perhaps I would then have a chance to visit KuMu (KUnstiMUuseum) myself if the kid is having a good time..

Hmm, I think these options would keep us busy for at least one rainy Saturday!

Better start checking if reasonably priced tickets are still available..

European Capitals of Culture 2011!

Wow, for some reason this information had slipped past me and suddenly almost caught me by surprise - Tallinn and Turku are nominated Capitals of Culture for 2011!

Tallinn site
Turku site

It's time to already start prestudy for next year.. I think it's very convenient, both cities are located less than 200 kilometers from Mäntsälä.. ;)

Just plans: low budget city break abroad

This is kind of an easy choice: when thinking of a short city break for the whole family abroad, on "zero budget", my default choice would be Tallinn. With a bit more money we might take a cruise to Stockholm, or ultimately travel to St. Petersburg - regarding the latter the main problem is that visa to Russia costs quite a lot of money, but otherwise it's a great city for a tourist to see.

There is a whole new world to see in Tallinn according to those two books I bought recently (see http://eimotee.blogspot.com/2009/12/few-new-books.html), though maybe they are not exactly intended for family travellers..

So, besides "Soviet style" suburbs, local bars and architecture, what might there be to see in Tallinn? During previous day trips or stay overs we've been to the Old town, Pirita area and Kadriorg park, Tallinn Zoo and Rocca Al Mare's Estonian Open Air Museum, just to name a few interesting sights.

There are at least the Patarei prison, Naissaar and Aegna islands on my list to see, but I'd better wait for summertime to check those out.

Here is one place that might be worth visiting (for the whole family; open even during winter time): Nõmme Seikluspark.

I'm really hoping for the spring to start soon.. :)

A few picks from the vault

I stumbed upon some truly old school cell photos.. VGA ones are probably taken with Nokia 6230, and the better one with Nokia 6230i. Sure, I probably was also carrying a "real" digital camera already at that time, but I thought these are so beautiful (or at least they instantly brought up nice memories) that I might as well share them via this blog. :)

Arthur Guinness Day

Now this is another update with a bunch of "old news", I know.. the title could as well also be "Malta & Gozo (part 3)".

Anyway, as in Finland I guess it might really be somewhat illegal to boost alcohol sales with this kind of themed offerings, for once I was glad I was abroad when Arthur Guinness was celebrated for his 250th anniversary.. Cheers.. ;)

Malta & Gozo (part 2)

I bet y'all thought you'd never see the sequel coming.. ;)

After a long winter I think it would be nice to feel the sun again.. So here's another "recap set" from last September, just to keep me warm..

Some Czech souvenirs

Just a few suggestions to consider.. Especially the selection of Skoda miniature cars looked really nice, as their real-life versions probably would come in the same forms and flavours.

Výtopna restaurant

This was very nice dinner place on the side of Václavské náměstí. Too bad my son wasn't with me this time, he would have loved it! ;)

Pivovarský Dům

A nice microbrewery in Prague, with some exotic beers to taste, and "beer based" drinks.. The place is located a few metro stops from the old town.

Tourism - what a wonderful way to exercise!

My pedometer's logged results for a weekend in Prague:

Friday 13535 steps (~7.17 km)
Saturday 17733 steps (~9,39 km)
Sunday 16498 steps (~8,73 km)

Although there were not that many aerobic steps it still kinda proves (to me at least) that "I did my part" to enjoy a few beers with good conscience. ;)

"The Golden Tiger pub"

(Admitted, I wasn't going to mention this place in the first place.. until I read later about Václav Havel favouring this place. Bill Clinton and Angela Merkel have also visited here, among many other famous people. So special thanks to George for showing us this place!)

And come to think of it, this place offered something a bit different really. I found it kind of refreshing to feel like a tourist, but in a very different way than in most other places (totally contrary to what I wrote in the previous entry). I recall it took us some 10-15 minutes to get service, and we couldn't find a seat to sit down, but in this case I don't mind.. And yes, naturally I tipped the waiter as he wasn't asking for it.

Nothing much to Prag about

Tourism is what tourist does. Now don't get me wrong.. I understand that people work to get money, and price level in Prague is ovbiously higher than in Ostrava (for example) so either you need to get paid more, or work more. Also, Prague is crowded with tourists from all over the world. Including Americans. And Americans especially have this "tipping culture" for good service. So, tourists are supposed to give tips when they think they've received good service.. right?

I was faced with the situation several times in Prague's old town pubs and restaurants: usually I wasn't even getting much of service, barely even a smile, but I still was supposed to pay more as "please note that service is not included, in general you can give ten percent" was frequently stated when getting the bill (usually after waiting five minutes to get it).

Now again, don't get me wrong, but I was happy to give tip in Ostrava, especially when not being constantly reminded to do so. Really, waiters were more friendly and I was getting served fast. And everything didn't cost so much in overall. I don't even want to imagine what things might be like during the high season..

But well, I guess that is how the world turns these days. Deset bodů pro Olomouc..

Vyšehrad

A historic and very beautiful area. But somehow it almost spells the same as "Suo-men-lin-na" for Finns. ;)

Hard Rock Cafe @ Prague

Last time the cafe wasn't open, but now I had chance to czech it out. It sure is a big venue..

Praha

What can I say.. still one of the most beautiful cities in the world, without a doubt..

Na zdraví!

"U doktora" was a nice place, with beer taps on the tables. Also the dinner from traditional menu I enjoyed here was *very* interesting. Thanks again guys. :)

Qasek @ Hobit

I'm glad I had local friends with me, to find this local gem! :)

Lunch and dinner in Czech style

Njam - some gulash, and then chicken with a slice of niva (and bacon of course).

Ostravar brewery tour

It was nice to see how good beer is made, although it was mostly Czech pensioners on the tour with us, and it was also mostly explained in the local language only. :)

Burfi

Rather brilliant vegetarian cuisine.

U Rady

"It's a traditional Czech pub with a long history, a bit like U Fleku, but it's in Ostrava".

Poruba

Route of the Utopian Dreams.. a.k.a "walking tour number four". Was really nice especially as we had a local guide and got a peek inside one of the apartments. :)