A Baltic boating adventure TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 11/19 - Page 54 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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The cobblestone streets are so quaint! But I can imagine how bumpy they are!
That's always the problem with them. Part of the London Marathon is on cobbles each year and they always say that's the killer part of the course.
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I noticed the church you visited earlier had quite a bit of memorabilia hanging on the walls, and now you say St. Nicholas is home to a collection of artwork, so it seems some of the churches are being used as museums.
Could well be... I must admit I didn't really notice the memorabilia on the walls.
I really can't get over the buildings in this town! You're right, every photo is just more and more.... I love it! Add in that cobblestone street and it's a perfect European town. Well, aside from the rude tourists.
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I really can't get over the buildings in this town! You're right, every photo is just more and more.... I love it! Add in that cobblestone street and it's a perfect European town. Well, aside from the rude tourists.
It was just a lovely place to visit and I really enjoyed the fact that everything tourists would want to see was in such a small, compact space. It made it the perfect place to visit on a cruise, as you only have limited time to see things.
I remember that steep hill! We went UP that way in our touring.
While it is possible the tourist group you saw was just rude, I'll offer another perspective. Until I went to China, I had no concept of crowds. When I came home after my first trip, anyplace in the US I'd previously seen as crowded now seemed far from it. Because there is such a crush of humanity in most Chinese cities (someplace with 'only' half a million people is considered a small town), I truly believe people there have a VERY different sense of personal space, compared to those of us who grew up in the West. I always try to look at social norms for a group when looking at behavior in other places. So, I tend to be pretty forgiving of what most would see as rude. Yes, rude in our culture, but maybe not in someone else's. I can't hold someone to US standards if they aren't American (which is why I'm never one to ask why more people don't seek English in Russia, for example - something I know some Americans do), so I try to look at other explanations, and treat it more like a cultural anthropology experience. Also means that I tend to not get very stressed on a trip (not that I NEVER do, just not maybe as often as others).
Hope this didn't sound obnoxious - I also know I tend to be touchy on negatives about China/Chinese, given my daughter's heritage, and the fact that I really do China so much!
So you still haven't come to the building I mentioned.....do you recall whether or not you saw the old KGB headquarters?
I remember that steep hill! We went UP that way in our touring.
Oh my goodness... that is definitely not the way to do it!
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While it is possible the tourist group you saw was just rude, I'll offer another perspective. Until I went to China, I had no concept of crowds. When I came home after my first trip, anyplace in the US I'd previously seen as crowded now seemed far from it. Because there is such a crush of humanity in most Chinese cities (someplace with 'only' half a million people is considered a small town), I truly believe people there have a VERY different sense of personal space, compared to those of us who grew up in the West. I always try to look at social norms for a group when looking at behavior in other places. So, I tend to be pretty forgiving of what most would see as rude. Yes, rude in our culture, but maybe not in someone else's. I can't hold someone to US standards if they aren't American (which is why I'm never one to ask why more people don't seek English in Russia, for example - something I know some Americans do), so I try to look at other explanations, and treat it more like a cultural anthropology experience. Also means that I tend to not get very stressed on a trip (not that I NEVER do, just not maybe as often as others).
Hope this didn't sound obnoxious - I also know I tend to be touchy on negatives about China/Chinese, given my daughter's heritage, and the fact that I really do China so much!
Not at all and I completely understand what you're saying. It would certainly explain their lack of concept of personal space. We've only been to Hong Kong and I thought that was crowded enough, but from what you're saying, obviously not. Wow, I guess we need to be prepared for that whenever we finally get round to our China trip and visiting places like Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu etc.
On that subject, and I guess following on from what you said, I do wish more people would try and firstly understand then secondly respect cultures when they visit other countries. If you're in a tour group as well, the guide can do a lot to explain those cultures and ensure people observe them. For example, in a lot of Mediterranean countries, it's disrespectful to visit churches without covering your shoulders, so I would always take something to do that, as I didn't want to appear disrespectful in any way. Things like that would make everyone's lives so much easier.
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So you still haven't come to the building I mentioned.....do you recall whether or not you saw the old KGB headquarters?
I am really struggling to remember now. I remember someone saying something about the old KGB headquarters, but I think that might've been in St. Petersburg or Moscow even?
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I totally agree about the beauty of the buildings here. That cobblestone road did look quite slippery and steep, but still beautiful as we just don't see that kind of road much anymore.
Such a beautiful town and love the colorful buildings and cobblestone streets!
I don't know what it is with the native Chinese as I recall you having trouble with several groups of them on various tours...possibly Switzerland from a few years ago and the train ride I remember my experience with some of them in a casino in Sydney (back in July, 2001) as they were quite rude and placing their bets at the last minute. This was really irritating the staff there at my table and some were told to leave and many would just barge in and try to take other patrons (betters) seats. So repulsive. I bet very conservatively, so I can last the whole night and have my limit. But the Chinese were betting very heavily and got wiped out within minutes, which I loved and well deserved!
As the saying goes...."What goes around, comes around!"
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I totally agree about the beauty of the buildings here. That cobblestone road did look quite slippery and steep, but still beautiful as we just don't see that kind of road much anymore.
No, that's true. I hadn't thought of that. I guess that's progress for us. People probably think it's better to get rid of them, as they're not exactly great for walking/driving over, but they are a bit of history.
Such a beautiful town and love the colorful buildings and cobblestone streets!
I don't know what it is with the native Chinese as I recall you having trouble with several groups of them on various tours...possibly Switzerland from a few years ago and the train ride I remember my experience with some of them in a casino in Sydney (back in July, 2001) as they were quite rude and placing their bets at the last minute. This was really irritating the staff there at my table and some were told to leave and many would just barge in and try to take other patrons (betters) seats. So repulsive. I bet very conservatively, so I can last the whole night and have my limit. But the Chinese were betting very heavily and got wiped out within minutes, which I loved and well deserved!
As the saying goes...."What goes around, comes around!"
I do remember from our Macau trip that the Chinese are massive gamblers. That's why they built Macau (it's the Vegas of the Far East) to capitalise on that. I remember being so shocked by that, as I had no clue. We were told stories by our guide on our day trip to Macau from Hong Kong about how they get gold fillings put in, so if they run out of money while gambling, they can then use the gold fillings. It also explained why the last time we were in Vegas, there did seem to be a lot of flights to the Far East, which really surprised us. As soon as we learnt this, it made so much more sense.
Friday 10 June – part six: yes there is only one McDonald’s here
We then made our way down Pikk street, which I knew was one of the city’s main streets…
When we got to this area…
… Miina told us the story of how marzipan was created. Apparently, in the Town Hall Pharmacy, which was first on this site in 1422, a boy used to have to taste all the medicine. One day he got sick and wasn’t able to, and his boss had to do it. After that, he suggested the boy come up with something that tasted nice, and that’s apparently how marzipan was created. Who knew?
We headed into the Town Hall Square, which today was home to a market, so the place was really buzzing. Miina warned us at this point to keep a close eye on our belongings, as we didn’t want to fall victim to pickpockets. I guess sadly that’s the case in a lot of cities these days. They certainly seemed to have a lot of stalls…
The whole square reminded us of a Germany or a Belgian city, and we had been told that we’d notice a lot of German influence down here, so I was hardly surprised.
The town hall dates back to 1404, although we were told that it’s not open today, as apparently they had VIPs visiting.
We carried on walking to this road…
… which was undergoing major roadworks. Miina didn’t tell us what was being done here, although later on, we did see massive work being done on the tram network. She explained that apparently the city was developed when the Russians were here, very few people had cars. Of course, since 1991, car use has grown massively (I guess like many other cities) and Tallinn just couldn’t cope with it, so they were having to widen the roads, and add in more public transport, so it could cope.
It was at this point that Miina pointed out where McDonald’s was, which would be our meeting point in just over an hour’s time. And yes there was only one McDonald’s here – we had already asked that question!
We headed off to explore a bit more of the city, and it was one of those places where it seemed as if everywhere you turned, there was just beautiful architecture, and you felt as if you were stepping back in time.
We walked up this road…
… and found the Town Hall Pharmacy, although we didn’t actually go in…
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Also means that I tend to not get very stressed on a trip (not that I NEVER do, just not maybe as often as others). 
China so much!
I remember someone saying something about the old KGB headquarters, but I think that might've been in St. Petersburg or Moscow even?
That cobblestone road did look quite slippery and steep, but still beautiful as we just don't see that kind of road much anymore. 
They certainly seemed to have a lot of stalls… 
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