I had picked a few restaurants in Old Town Tallinn from Tripadvisor to check out on an evening walk. One highly rated one is Rataskaevu 16, named after its address. When I checked it out on a weekday, it was completely sold out and turning away people, one after the other. I took that as […]
I’m very interested in history and usually have the history or national museum of my destination on my itinerary. In the Baltics, I wanted to learn especially about the more recent history of these former Soviet republics. Estonia has established the excellent Museum of Occupations, covering the Soviet and German invasions during World War II
Compared to many European capital cities, Helsinki is manageable in size and it’s surrounded by nature. Finland is covered to 70% by forest and if you are visiting Helsinki, a great way to get a glimpse of that is to take one of the sightseeing trips by boat! Within a few minutes of leaving the
Vapiano is a concept restaurant that started in Hamburg in 2002 and I had eaten previously at their first location “Hohen Bleichen”. I didn’t realize that hey had become an international franchise organization with restaurants in 29 countries since and was surprised to see one on the central train station square in Helsinki during my
Helsinki is a compact city and with the beautiful setting on the Baltic Sea and the historic architecture, it’s ideal to explore by foot – at least in the summer time! I was fortunate enough to have gorgeous summer weather and walked all over town! Even if you only have a few hours to spend
I enjoy visiting museums when traveling – they tell a lot about the place you are visiting, not only by the exhibits but by the way the stories are told! Helsinki was the first stop on my Baltic Explorer trip, I had four days to explore and the city has has a lot of museums
When I’m traveling solo, like on my Baltic Explorer adventure, I sometimes pick a restaurant from Tripadvisor or guidebooks, but most of the time by walking around and finding one I like. The Cock, a self-described “eatery, rotisserie and bar”, was one of the latter. Two places I had looked up online were closed and
Probably the most popular tourist attraction, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and my personal favorite, the sea fortress Suomenlinna should be on the top of your list for a visit to Helsinki. Between the gorgeous setting on the islands, six museums and lots of cafes and restaurants, there should be something for everybody to enjoy
Lake Batur is one of those places on Bali where tourist masses and blissful silence are just minutes apart from each other – if you just know where to look! We combined it with a visit of Pura Besakih and Goa Gajah, as do many tours advertised in Ubud and South Bali, yet we were
If you are staying in Ubud overnight and have any cultural interests, you should add a dance performance do your evening schedule. It will make for a nice evening out and will provide some insights into Balinese history and culture. There are very different dance forms available, the “made for tourists” performances vary in quality
If you are staying in Ubud or visiting it on a day trip, you should add Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, to your itinerary – it’s an unusual site and only 5 km from town, so you can easily fit it into your schedule! And it’s in a very pleasant setting, so you can have
I have reviewed a few temples to visit on Bali. The biggest, most popular and most important from a religious perspective, is Pura Besakih. It’s located on the side of Mount Agun, the highest peak and volcano on Bali. It’s also the most touristy one, with all the good and bad that comes with it!