MOM! LOOK AT ME! SEE ME?!

They say the 4 hour bus ride from Riga, Latvia to Tallinn, Estonia is rather pleasant. It travels through the pretty Baltic countryside, often times going straight up the coast giving great views of the sleepy Baltic Sea. I happen to agree.

I left Friday evening around 7 and arrived a little after 11. By far, the best part of the journey however was the sunset. First, the sun didn't even actually set until 10:30 or so - crazy, I know. Second, it didn't actually get dark until an hour later (even more amazing is that it began to get light again just after 2am - so by the time the dude I couch-surfed with and I were done cruising the town, it was already getting light!). The sunset itself lasted for nearly 2 hours - 2 hours! The sun slowly descended, as if were bright red apple being dipped into a sea of candy, down and down. And just when it was about to disappear, it seemed to glide along the sea horizontally hurling bright reflections of pinks, purples, and reds until finally, it dropped. It...was...gorgeous.

Saturday was spent getting lost in the city. My first destination was Kadriorg Palace. It was built by Peter the Great as a summer home. Most of the subsequent Czars followed suit and spent their short Northern summers there as well. It was the first "palace" I have ever seen - I couldn't believe how luxurious and decorated it all was. These guys definitely lived high on the hog.

Next I wandered over to Old Town Tallinn and got lost for half a day in its narrow, twisting streets, antique buildings and fortress towers. Tallinn is a very quaint and charming city with its medieval aura. Even despite all the people in medieval garb trying to sell postcards and the like - giving it an uncannily similar feel to Disneyland - it was a great place to spend the day.

One day was definitely ample time to see it all - Tallinn and Riga are very similar. We've all grown up with the adage, if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. This goes in the Baltics every bit as well. If I were asked to recommend which of the two cities offered a better visit, I would have to suggest Tallinn. It is a bit smaller and, consequently, it has a little more medieval charm to it (can I even say that? medieval charm? they weren't called the Dark Ages for no reason...). Plus, there was a museum that let me try on chain mail and hold a sword. Who wouldn't love that?

I felt rather foolish asking the docent if I could try on the armor (last time I checked, I was 24 years old). He looked at me funny and gave me the negative to the armor but offered to let me parade around in the chain mail. Naturally, it was just enough to put one of those quirky, boyish smiles on my face.