It’s a bit of an emotionally low day, but I like to try to stay productive, regardless (better than burying myself in Downton Abbey, right?). After posting on Facebook about a confusing professional situation, I suddenly realised I hadn’t posted any new photos in a while. So, without further ado: here’s what I saw on our first day in St. Petersburg, Russia.

While the whole of St. Petersburg was interesting, it was very clearly separated into the tourist areas, and the areas where Russians actually lived. (I will admit I didn’t venture out alone into the residential areas, for safety reasons.)

Yes, there are ceilings and museums in here, but I also tried to capture glimpses of daily life in St. Petersburg – the life behind the curtain, if you will. Whether or not you think I succeeded, I hope you enjoy what I chose from the first day.

I can’t believe it’s been more than a month since I last updated this blog! And I have a positive plethora of images to share, which makes it all the more inexcusable.

Today’s post takes us to Tallinn, Estonia. The first time I heard of Estonia was in a comic book – Archie Comics*, actually. I vaguely remember Archie Andrews lying to Ms. Grundy about why his father was unable to sign his abominable report card (or something). Our favourite redheaded chap said his parental unit was in Estonia. At the time, I sincerely thought he had made up the country (this was before the Internet was accessible without dial-up; and yes, I just dated myself, but, like a fine wine, I just get better with age ✌️).

In any case, the place I saw in my head was cold and dark and covered in snow. It was remote and desolate. But that isn’t the place I went. Yes, it certainly was raining, but the country has clawed its way out of post-Soviet control and poverty with vigour. While the portion of the city I saw was primarily the tourist-y area, there was more beyond. Even more surprising? There were two dedicated vegan places in the area. I tried the grub at Vegan Inspiratsioon, and while the salad was superb, I must confess my favourite thing there was the kirju koer, a traditional Estonian jam cake. I basically wanted to take the entire cake with me, but I somehow managed to resist. Ugggghhhh. It was. So good.

I don’t have any photos of the cake (mainly because I ate it, without stopping; sorry not sorry), but I do have photos of the rest of the town. One caveat: it was raining, and, because I am supremely intelligent, I completely forgot to bring an umbrella. Thus, most of my time was spent trying to keep my camera safe, which made for fewer photos than usual. Enjoy!

*Don’t talk to me about Riverdale, or what happened to Archie, in the comics. My aged heart really can’t take it. K thx bai

The first thing I noticed about Copenhagen, Denmark, was the morning light.

It’s different from the morning light in the U.S. It may be because of the latitude, or I may have just gotten lucky. But, for the briefest of moments, the city and her people were transformed into paintings.

Among the photos here are also a few wedding photos. I didn’t know it at the time, but I managed to stumble across Copenhagen’s City Hall.* It’s hard for me to pick a favourite photo, but I think it’s a toss-up between the rice-throwing photo, and the very ‘Inception’-esque photo – you’ll see what I mean, with regards to the latter. In any case, enjoy!

*Getting semi-lost in unfamiliar foreign cities is one of my favourite things to do, when I visit a place. It’s the best and most interesting way for me to better learn about them, and for me to later find my bearings.