Paldiski could be classified as the worst city I have ever travelled to… purposely. Apparently, the guide books even say “Welcome to Hell” when talking about the small, former Soviet naval base, but still my current fascination with all things “Soviet style” helped Sam talk me into checking it out. Apparently there was even going to be the remains of a submarine training center as well. How could I possibly pass up a day trip like this?!

It took an hour by train of travelling through rural Estonia before arriving in the desolate factory town of Paldiski. In the small cafe in the train station, Sam and I acquired a third companion, an English lad whom I saw bumbling through a Lonely Planet guide. He, too, was in search of the submarine base. As three now, we made our way into town, wandering aimlessly towards the sea in hopes of discovering the base, one which apparently can be spotted from ANYWHERE in town.

We marvelled at the lifelessness of this tiny town - the torn up basketball court, the one pub, and the barb wire protected car factories. One can only imagine an Estonian winter in this part of the world!

We wandered a bit longer with no luck in finding the submarine base when yet another person with a backpack and guide book saw us on the street. Our group became four as we scoured the town for any signs. We eventually ended up on a long, long walk outside of town towards a lighthouse.

Unfortunately, we never found the base. We’re convinced that the guide books are out of date (haha, go figure) and it doesn’t exist anymore. Oh well. Sam and I had a great time and made some new friends in the process. Can’t go wrong with a day filled with good people and good conversation in a town that at least has a nice coastline.

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Rimi is a grocery store chain popular in the Baltics. I fell in LOVE with it when I first arrived in Riga, and especially in love with their premade turkey and pepper sandwiches. They made perfect lunches. However, I have found that the Rimi stores in the different Baltic countries carry different types of sandwiches. On my first day in Estonia, I decided to try out a Kebab sandwich, but something didn’t taste quite right. Expiration date was still far off but I ended up with a little bit of a stomach bug which led me to having a more quiet weekend in. This aside, I still somehow managed to get some fun drinking experiences under my belt with the “flaming Tallinn” and an old favorite “hot wine”.

Tallinn has the most amazing Old Town of the Baltic countries - super medieval to the core. On my first night in town, some of us from the hostel went out to dinner at the Peppersack - a restaurant that even has a sword fight show in the evening. This was where I experienced the “flaming Tallinn” drink served by a young girl looking like she was on her way to a Renaissance festival.

The drink is composed of one part vana tallin alcohol and one part vana tallin cream. They then proceed to light the drink on fire followed by you quickly slurping it down through a straw, just before it catches fire and melts.

Dan, a fellow Illinois resident, attacking the flaming Tallinn!

On another day while walking around Tallinn with my new pal, Sam, we happened upon “Tallinn’s oldest hot wine bar”. Well funny thing was that we were just talking about the deliciousness of a nice mulled wine on a cold day, so of course we made our way to the bar and oldered a few. I first had a nice hot wine back in Poland and it immediately became a favorite. This stop off was just what we needed after hours of walking in the cold!

More fun to come! I am currently in or on my way to Tartu, Estonia - Estonia’s college party town. This should be interesting

Imagine my shock when the day I flew from Kazakhstan to Latvia I also went from sweating to freezing! Everyone in Riga was wearing a coat, hat, gloves… the works. “Ugh!” I thought. I really despise cold weather, but don’t get confused. That doesn’t mean I like summer either! So I may be a bit sensitive to temperature, but I eventually got past the “I think its winter” phase and am now realizing I’m actually experiencing a nice autumn.

On my last day in Lithuania, I took a nice little daytrip to Trakai where remains an amazing castle on an island - just like a fairy tale. I felt autum in full force, from the rainy sky, from the cool breeze, and also from the falling leaves. It felt almost a suiting time to visit a castle, and a small Lithuanian town such as Trakai for that matter. Here are some pictures from my little excursion:

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I have since moved on to the very northern country of Estonia. I can’t help but think of the movie Encino Man when I think I am actually in Estonia! Even so, I am loving the autumn weather and am looking forward to hot wine and sweaters. To be honest, I am a little sad that I will be missing a home Halloween and Thanksgiving this year, but I am sure many other new and interesting experiences will help cope with that reality.