We visited Invalides, which houses the stunning Dom Church and Napoleon's Tomb. The church has a grand dome, and intricate sculptures and paintings. Below lies the tomb of Napoleon, inside a beautiful wooden coffin, surrounded by bas reliefs of Napoleon.
Kamalini and Rehaan were tired after the visit. They sat at a park bench, while I took a half hour's walk, and saw
, two prominent exhibition halls.
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| Pont Alexandre III |
That evening, we went to
Jardin du Luxembourg, a beautiful complex that has sprawling gardens, a palace, a lake, and numerous sculptures. The evening would have been a lot better had the various cafes at the gardens been open, but they were shut for the day.
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| Jardin du Luxembourg |
Day 5 -
We visited Musee du Louvre, undoubtedly the world's best known museum. I would have happily spent the full day at the museum, but after about 4 hours, it got a bit much for little Rehaan. But that was enough time for us to see the museum's main highlights, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Winger Victor of Samothrace, to name just a few.
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Musee du Louvre
|
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Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa,
Musee du Louvre |
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Venus de Milo, Musee du Louvre
|
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Winged Victor of Samothrace,
Musee du Louvre |
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Raphael's Virgin and Child with the Infant St John,
Musee du Louvre
|
After the museum visit, I wanted to visit
Jardin des Tuileries, the beautiful gardens outside the Louvre, full of lakes, sculptures, cafeterias and the
Arc de Triomphe de Carousel. It was uncharacteristically hot. Kamalini wanted to just get back to the apartment and rest (even though the apartment had no fan or air conditioning). My enthusiasm didn't let me. A small exchange followed, given our different intentions! In the end, while she and Rehaan sat at a cafe, I did a quick walk around the gardens, and we left for our apartment within half an hour.
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Jardin des Tuileries, overlooking Musee d'Orsay
|
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Arc de Trimophe de Carousel,
Jardin des Tuileries |
Day 6 -
This day was dedicated to Rehaan, as we spent the day in Disneyland, an hour away from the city. We ended up staying there will almost 11 pm. It was not easy dragging Rehaan, or his mother, away from the amazing rides that the park has on offer. We did numerous rides, including the Disney Train ride, the Carrousel of Lancelot, Dumbo The Flying Elephant, the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, the Adventures of Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan's Flight, Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain. What a fun, exciting day it was in this magical land!
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Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland
|
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| City Hall, Disneyland |
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Carrousel of Lancelot, Disneyland
|
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Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Disneyland
|
Day 7 -
We visited Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's victory arch, which also has the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We climbed to the top, for a great view of the city. Afterwards, we walked down Champs Elysees, one of the world's most fashionable streets. We enjoyed a nice French lunch at Bistro des Champs.
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Arc de Triomphe
|
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| Bas relief of Napoleon, Arc de Triomphe |
We then went to
Opera Garnier. We didn't manage to see a performance there, but we admired the rich, baroque interior of the opera house.
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| Opera Garnier |
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Ceiling of the Hall, Opera Garnier
|
Kamalini and Rehaan returned to the apartment. I briefly stopped at La Defense, and saw the
Grand Arch, a modern day arch in the newer part of the city. In the evening, we went and had dinner with Kamalini's cousin, Bonu, who lives in Paris with her husband Chetan (a scientist with the Louis Pasteur Institute) and their two teenaged daughters. Bonu is the daughter of the prominent Delhi based structural designer, Mahinder Raj, who passed away just a few months ago at the ripe old age of 97. The family was very warm and hospitable, and we really enjoyed our evening with them!
Day 8 -
We were joined by Tanuka Ghoshal, Kamalini's childhood school friend from Loreto House Kolkata. She came all the way from New York. Together, we visited Musee d'Orsay, the world-famous impressionist art museum, that houses masterpieces by artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Manet and Renoir. What a fabulous collection it has!
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| Manet's Olympia, Musee d'Orsay |
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Monet's Women in the Garden,
Musee d'Orsay |
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| Renoir's Moulin de la Galette, Musee d'Orsay |
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| Renoir's Young Girls at the Piano, Musee d'Orsay |
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| Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles, Musee d'Orsay |
We then packed in the Musee Rodin, which has a great collection of sculptures by the famous sculptor, Auguste Rodin. His works there include The Thinker, The Kiss, The Gates of Hell, and the Burghers of Calais, amongst many others.
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| Rodin's The Thinker, Musee Rodin |
Kamalini and Rehaan went back to our apartment with Tanuka. I got some solo time and went exploring. I visited Place de la Concorde, with its obelisk, fountains and statues. I then went to Madeleine, a church shaped like a Greek temple, having a stunning interior.
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Obelisk, Place de la Concorde
|
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| Fountain, Place de la Concorde |
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High Altar, Madeleine
|
I went onwards to Montmartre, where I saw the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret from outside, before walking up to Sacre Coeur, the famous white coloured domed church that has become one of the icons of Paris.
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Moulin Rouge
|
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Sacre Coeur
|
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Interior, Sacre Coeur
|
Day 9 -
It was time for a temporary break from Paris. We rented a car - a Renault Captor - from a car rental company called Carlily. I had got myself an international driving license. The car we got was a mini SUV, because it was the three of us, plus Tanuka, plus all our luggage. Renting a car in Paris defies logic, but for our countryside tour, a car was required. I was nervous about driving on the right side of the road, and about the strict traffic rules in France when compared to the almost random and chaotic systems back home in India. However, after a little while, I was quite comfortable, but Rehaan had to be constantly told not to disturb me or nag me to go faster!
We drove to the Loire Valley. There we visited the region's largest castle, Chateau de Chambord. Unfortunately, the exterior had scaffolding, as work was going on, but we had a good walk around inside, and enjoyed the double helix staircase, the photographs and sculptures of royalty, the stuffed animals that had been hunted by the royalty, and the sprawling gardens.
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Chateau de Chambord
|
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| Bust of Francois I, Chateau de Chambord |
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| Drawing Room, Chateau de Chambord |
We then made our way to
La Balastiere, our home for the next couple of nights, near the village of Beaumont en Veron. It was situated in the middle of vineyards, in a stunningly beautiful landscape, which in some places made us feel like we were inside a Van Gogh canvass! We had a great room, and our host - Thierry - was extremely friendly. For dinner, we drove to the nearby town of Chinon, where we found a nice eatery - Le Cave Voltaire (it was more of a wine outlet actually) - on Rue Voltaire, the town's main street.
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| La Balastiere |
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Kamalini, Rehaan, Tanuka and Thierry
at La Balastiere
|
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Kamalini, Rehaan and Me,
Beaumont en Veron
|
Day 10 -
We got a great breakfast at La Balastiere. Thierry and his wife took a lot of personal interest. Thierry told us about the places we should try and visit in the area. Kamalini, Rehaan and Tanuka had a great time with Thierry's 3 dogs. One of them had just given birth to 10 pups three days earlier!
We visited Chateau du Rivau, a much smaller castle than Chateau de Chambord. The castle had huge gardens, with attractions for children in the form of props from fairy tales. There were also peacocks roaming around freely, and we were fascinated by a particular peacock that let us come so close to us. We enjoyed the interior of the castle, and had lunch at the castle's cafe. From the castle's shop, I got Rehaan a toy knight that he was very happy with.
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Chateau du Rivau
|
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Stuffed Animals, Chateau du Rivau
|
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| Peacock, Chateau du Rivau |
We visited a winery called Lambert Winery in Chinon. We tasted different types of white wine, red wine and rose. Tanuka bought some wine too. Poor Rehaan felt quite left out, but they gave him a glass of grape juice, much to his delight!
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| Vineyards, Lambert Winery |
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| Wine Bottles, Lambert Winery |
Day 11 -
We enjoyed our morning walk in the picturesque surroundings of La Balastiere. We said bye to Thierry and his wife. Thierry had become quite a friend, and we have been in touch even after returning to India. He has been sending regular photos of the pups for Rehaan to see. We went to Chinon, where we ate lunch at Au Local, a restaurant perched up on a hill. We got to it by going in an outdoor elevator. The restaurant was right next to Chinon Castle. Plus on the other side, we had a great view of a nearby winery.
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| Chinon Castle |
Post lunch, we drove for several hours and went to the village of Giverny, famous for Monet's house and gardens. Giverny is situated in Normandy. We stayed at a quaint place called Les Rouge Gorges. To get to it, I had to drive up a narrow, steep lane, and the car really struggled with that! I later found out there was a much easier, alternative route. GPS doesn't always give the best advice!
At Les Rouges Gorges, we met Shalini, another childhood school friend of Kamalini's. She too had come all the way from New York along with her teenaged daughter, Maya. Kamalini was thrilled to have two of her close childhood friends with her.
Les Rouges Gorges was charming in its own way. Our cottage was actually a theatre, with chairs, a stage, and props (even a piano - much to the delight of the two pianists in my family!). However, hygiene levels could have been better, as the place had its share of dust and cobwebs! There was also a steep flight of steps leading to the bathroom downstairs. Kamalini was very worried about my safety, but I assured her I would be extra careful while going up and down. Giverny has a main road - Rue Claude Monet - and we dined at a restaurant attached to a well known hotel, Hotel Baudy.
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Kamalini, Rehaan, Tanuka, Shalini and Maya
at Restaurant Baudy, Giverny
|
Day 12 -
Oh oh! Tanuka had developed a bit of a cough a couple of days earlier, and she was diagnosed with Covid! Luckily her symptoms were mild, but she had to isolate herself from us for the next few days.
We visited Maison de Claude Monet. That was the house where the famous impressionist artist lived during the later part of his life. His spectacular gardens and the water lilly pond behind inspired numerous paintings by him.
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Monet's Water Lillies and Weeping Willow Branches,
Musee des Impressionnismes |
I visited
L'Eglise Sainte Radegonde, a small but well known church. In the church's graveyard, there were numerous graves. I got to see the Tomb of Claude Monet.
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L'Eglise Sainte Radegonde
|
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| High Altar, L'Eglise Sainte Radegonde |
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| Tomb of Claude Monet, L'Eglise Sainte Radegonde |
Shalini and Maya decided to return to Paris. They just didn't like the hygiene levels at the hotel. Rehaan and I dropped them to the railway station, in nearby Vernon. Before they boarded the train, we rented bicycles for Rehaan and Maya, and they rode around town for half an hour, while Shalini and I walked briskly behind them to ensure their safety!
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| Rehaan and Maya on bicycles, Vernon |
Day 13 -
Tanuka too returned to Paris. Kamalini, Rehaan and I drove to the town of Rouen. What motivated us to go there was undoubtedly Cathedrale Notre Dame de Rouen, once the world's tallest structure, and made famous by Money through his various paintings of it. The beautiful gothic cathedral with its grand scale made the trip very worthwhile.
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Cathedrale Notre Dame de Rouen
|
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Chapel of Saint Joan of Arc,
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Rouen |
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Main Portal,
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Rouen |
Kamalini and Rehaan sat at a cafe, while I took an hour to walk around and explore the centre of Rouen. I loved the pretty town, with its beautiful architecture and lively vibe. What impressed me most during my walk was
Le Gros Horloge, a beautiful clocktower, which reminded me of the clocktower in the Swiss capital, Bern.
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| Le Gros Horloge |
I saw the Vieux Marche, the old market that has stalls selling cheese, meat, fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables. Right next to the Vieux Marche lies Eglise Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, an interesting modern church dedicated to Joan of Arc, who fought against the British and was later burned at the stake.
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Place du Vieux Marche, Rouen
|
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Cheese, Vieux Marche
|
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| Eglise Sainte Jeanne d'Arche |
I rejoined Kamalini and Rehaan. We went on an hour's ride around the centre of town in a trolley train with pre recorded commentary in different languages
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| Trolley Train |
We then went to Historial Jeanne d'Arc, a museum dedicated to Joan of Arc. It was a unique museum indeed, with multimedia displays showcasing her life and story, in addition to sculptures and paintings.
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Sculpture of Joan of Arc,
Historial Jeanne d'Arc |
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Multimedia Display, Historial Jeanne d'Arc
|
We drove back to our hotel in Giverny for the night. The day trip to Rouen had been wonderful!
Day 14 -
We drove back to Paris in the morning. Having already spent a week in Paris, it was almost like a mini homecoming, back to familiar territory. We drove straight to Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, the best known shopping centre in Paris. I was more keen on the grand architecture there than the shopping. The store has a huge glass dome, under which there are numerous shops. The store has anything you can think of, from clothes for men / women / children, to cosmetics, to accessories, to souvenirs. There are also many food options. From the top, there's a great view of the city, and especially the Opera Garnier, which is a stone's throw away. We bought some souvenirs, for ourselves and to give to close ones back home. Kamalini also "claimed" a gift from me in the form of a pair of Prada sun glasses!
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Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
|
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| Dome, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann |
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| Souvenirs, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann |
We then went to our hotel, Sejours et Affaires, in another Parisian suburb called Bagneux. The hotel was well connected, with the RER station very close by. Our unit had a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room with a sofa cum bed. It was comfortable but rather small.
Day 15 -
We started the day early, because we had a timed slot at Chateau de Versailles. We met Tanuka, Shalini and Maya on the way, and we all got there together. The palace was grand, really grand! Saw the Hall of Mirrors (where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, marking the end of World War II), and many rooms with paintings and sculptures of the French monarchy, particularly Louis XIV (who set up the palace), Louis XVI (the last king before the French Revolution in 1789), and Louis XVI's wife, Marie Antoinette. The Queen's Bedroom was particularly ornate. The palace also has numerous paintings depicting the life of Napoleon, and there is also an impressive gallery showcasing paintings depicting important wars from the history of France.
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| Hall of Mirrors, Chateau de Versailles |
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| Queen's Bedroom, Chateau de Versailles |
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| Room of Abundance, Chateau de Versailles |
If the palace was impressive, the gardens were even more so. They were full of sculptures, lakes, fountains, and stunning landscaping. It was a pity that it started drizzling, but I still went ahead and walked around the gardens, while the others sat sheltered from the rain.
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Fountain of Latona,
Chateau de Versailles
|
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Bosquet de la Colonnade,
Chateau de Versailles |
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Hercules,
Chateau de Versailles |
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Me at Chateau de Versailles
|
The others went back to rest after the hectic visit to Versailles, but I packed in another museum in the form of
Musee de Cluny. The interesting museum has works of art from the medieval period. It largely has sculptures, paintings and tapestries. The most famous work in the museum is the series of six tapestries of The Lady and the Unicorn.
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| Fontaine Saint Michel |
Day 16 -
I started getting nervous about finishing my agenda for Paris. There were just 3 days left, and a whole lot of places still to cover, though most of the main sites had been covered. Kamalini and Rehaan were quite tired by now. They wanted late starts to the day, and they didn't want a hectic agenda. I left by myself early in the morning, and I went to Marais, a beautiful neighbourhood in Paris. There I visited Place des Vosges, a large square with a park in the centre, and buildings in symmetrical fashion on all four sides. Victor Hugo used to once live at 6, Place des Vosges.
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Place des Vosges
|
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| House of Victor Hugo, Place des Vosges |
I then made my way to Champs Elysees, and I visited the American Cathedral, with its soaring tower.
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| American Cathedral |
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| Nave, American Cathedral |
I went back to the hotel and joined Kamalini and Rehaan. We headed out for the day. My plan was to start with Musee de l'Orangerie, but on the way, Rehaan started saying he didn't want to see another museum. I got very flustered, but I could understand that so many museum would be a handful for a young kid. I was adamant about going, but Rehaan also started feeling unwell, and said he wanted to visit the zoo. I gave in, and we went to
Parc Zoologique de Paris. The highlights at the zoo included a sea lion show, lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, llamas, and penguins. It was an enjoyable visit. However, after a couple of hours there, despite his interest, Rehaan said he wanted to head back to the hotel because he was tired and not particularly well.
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Sea Lion Show,
Parc Zoologique de Paris
|
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Penguins,
Parc Zoologique de Paris |
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Rhinos,
Parc Zoologique de Paris |
I dropped Kamalini and Rehaan back at the hotel, and I set out again on my own. The expectation was that I'd stay back at the hotel, but I was hell-bent on finishing my agenda in Paris. One doesn't get to visit Paris every day! I went to Place Vendome, and saw the statue of Napoleon atop an intricately carved column. I walked around the Tuileries and Place de la Concorde, and got back to the hotel by night. Kamalini said Rehaan had fever, and she had given him medicine. Luckily the fever wasn't high. She wanted me to stay back with Rehaan in the hotel the next day and take care of him. She wanted to spend some time with Tanuka and Shalini, who had, after all, come all the way from New York to spend time with her. I said that was fine, but I would need a few hours in the morning to visit Musee de l'Orangerie, and then I'd be with Rehaan in the hotel for the rest of the day.
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Place Vendome
|
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| Napoleon Statue, Place Vendome |
Day 17 -
I set out bright and early by 8 am. I went straight to Musee de l'Orangerie, which is situated in Jardin des Tuileries. I enjoyed my visit immensely. It was like a smaller version of Musee d'Orsay. Saw the series of eight large canvasses spread across two rooms depicting Monet's Water Lillies. Besides Money, the museum also has a fine collection of impressionist and post impressionist art by masters like Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Manet and Picasso.
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Monet's Water Lillies and Tree,
Musee de l'Orangerie
|
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Cezanne's Madam Cezanne in the Garden,
Musee de l'Orangerie |
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Matisse's Odalisque,
Musee de l'Orangerie |
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Picasso's Woman with White Hat,
Musee de l'Orangerie
|
As promised, I was back in the hotel by 11 am. Kamalini set out to meet her friends, and they spent the day around Pantheon, Jardin des Luxembourg, and Eiffel Tower. They went on the Emily in Paris trail, visiting some of the cafes that Emily visits in the popular TV series. I spent the day with Rehaan in the hotel. Luckily he was quite alright, and was just fine by the evening. He saw cartoons, he jumped on me endlessly as I tried to rest, and we generally had a nice, restful day (I probably needed the rest after my crazily hectic schedule - I was waking up at 5 am almost every day to write my diary, and I would typically sleep at midnight, after labelling the 200 odd photographs I was taking every day).
Day 18 -
This was our last day in Paris. I set out by myself at 7 am, to cover the few remaining places on my agenda. I visited Cimitiere de Montparnasse. The beautiful cemetery is a befitting resting place for some of the city's prominent citizens. There are close to 35,000 tombs, so finding any particular tomb is like finding a needle in a haystack. I did, however, see some of the famous landmarks there, like the Tomb of Charles Baudelaire, and the Eternal Sleep sculpture. The Tour Montparnasse, the city's second tallest structure after Eiffel Tower, stands close-by.
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Tomb of Charles Baudelaire,
Cimitiere de Montparnasse |
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Eternal Sleep Statue,
Cimitiere de Montparnasse |
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Tour Montparnasse seen from
Cimitiere de Montparnasse |
I then went to
Musee Carnavalet. It's a museum of the city of Paris, and has paintings and sculptures of royalty, recreated rooms from elegant French homes from the previous century, and exhibits on the history of the city.
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Musee Carnavalet
|
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Louis XIV,
Musee Carnavalet
|
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Ballroom of the Hotel Wendel,
Musee Carnavalet |
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Guest Salon of the Hotel de 'Uzes,
Musee Carnavalet |
I went to
Musee Picasso nearby, and was very happy to see the Spanish artist's extensive collection at the museum. What was very interesting was the large collection of paintings the artist made of his children, Maya in particular.
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Claude Writing,
Musee Picasso |
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Maya and her Doll,
Musee Picasso |
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Portrait of Jacqueline Picasso,
Musee Picasso |
I packed in yet another church,
Saint Paul, after which I had crepes at a delightful cafe opposite, La Favorite Saint Paul, which had pretty (though artificial) pink flowers as its theme.
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Balloon de Paris
|
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View of the River Seine and Statue of Liberty from
Balloon de Paris |
Day 19 -
The time had come to leave the city that I really loved so much. Across my various visits to Paris, I've spent a cumulative of close to a month there, and I feel quite at home there. My French is far from being fluent, but I can speak and understand a little, which makes it easier (of course, unlike a few decades ago, a lot of Parisians speak good English now).
We caught the RER and went to Charles de Gaulle Airport for our Finnair flight to Helsinki. We landed in Helsinki in the afternoon, and took the train from the airport to Helsinki Central Station. From there, we took the tram to our hotel, Scandic Park. It was a comfortable hotel, right in the centre of town. We walked to the nearby Elite Restaurant, where we met three of my ex Noka colleagues - Geetanjali, Aditya, and DK - for dinner. It was good to meet them after so many years. We caught up over a delicious dinner. Service was slow, but the good food and good company made up for it!
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DK, Aditya, Geetanjali and Me
outside Elite Restaurant |
Kamalini and Rehaan went back to the hotel. Geetanjali dropped me to
Sibelius Monument. I visited the memorial to the famous Finnish composer.
.JPG) |
Bust of Sibelius,
Sibelius Monument |
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| Sibelius Monument |
I went for a short tram ride to Senate Square outside Helsinki Cathedral. It was post 10 pm, but there was still light outside. I then returned to Scandic Park.
Day 20 -
Breakfast at Scandic Park was a delight, with a fantastic spread. Rehaan wanted to go swimming, so I took him. Unfortunately, the water was deep and cold, so he decided not to swim. We returned to our hotel room. I let him watch cartoons briefly to make up for his swimming debacle, but didn't go down well, because it went against his mother's strict rule for Rehaan that morning was no-digital time!! For his own sake, digital time is restricted to about 40 minutes per day, and that too, not in the mornings.
We went to the Rock Church, a church built under a large rock. It was interesting and very unique.
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| Rock Church |
We checked out of our hotel. Lunch was at
Stockmann, the famous department store in the heart of town.
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| Stockmann Department Store |
We took a taxi to the ferry terminal, to catch the Eckero Line ferry to
Tallinn. This was going to be my first time in Estonia. The gigantic 150 meter long ferry can take over 1,500 passengers. The ferry ride took 2 hours 15 minutes. The ferry has multiple restaurants, games for kids, gambling stations, a supermarket, shops, and a sun deck. We had lounge access, but didn't realise the privileges till half an hour before we reached. We were entitled to complimentary food and drinks, and could sit in luxurious comfort. Not having realised this, we had been lugging our suitcases around, and we had been going from place to place, and we had even bought beverages, whereas it was all complimentary for it!
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| Lounge, Eckero Line |
.JPG) |
Complimentary Food at the Lounge,
Eckero Line |
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Rehaan at the Gaming Zone,
Eckero Line |
Once in Tallinn, we took a taxi and went to our hotel, Rija Old Town Hotel. We made the mistake of taking an overpriced taxi, when the taxi driver approached us. Later we found out that by downloading the Bold app, we could get taxis at 15% of the cost of what we had paid! Our hotel was very comfortable, and was right in the old town. Our Tallinn trip was triggered by a workshop being conducted by Mindvalley University, by its senior members including Vishen Lakhiana and Ajit Nawalkha. Kamalini is a business coach, and is currently undergoing a certification from Evercoach by Mindvalley University. That's what got us to Tallinn. The town had long been on my list of places to visit, especially given its proximity to Helsinki, a place I have visited many times.
That evening, we walked around the Old Town. Went to the Town Hall Square, which boasts of the beautiful Town Hall. We had dinner there at an Italian restaurant called Bella Ciao. Rehaan and I enjoyed our ham pizza!
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| Town Hall |
Back in our hotel, Kamalini befriended Robert, a Slovakian, who was also there for the Mind Valley workshop. He was a warm, friendly, talkative man, and we all got along with him instantly.
Day 21 -
Our hotel had a good buffet spread. We headed out on foot. We saw St Olav's Church, the tallest church in Tallinn. It had an impressive exterior, but a plain yet pretty interior.
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St Olav's Church
|
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| Nave, St Olav's Church |
We walked around the old town, admiring the pretty medieval architecture. Visited
Holy Spirit Church.
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Holy Spirit Church
|
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| High Altar, Holy Spirit Church |
Lunch was at
Olde Hansa, a medieval theme restaurant near Town Hall Square. It was a charming restaurant, with staff dressed up in medieval costumes, and one member of the staff announcing food in the most dramatic style from a bygone era!
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| Olde Hansa |
I rented a bicycle for Rehaan for 2 days, so that he could cycle around the old town. He was very happy with that! The centre of Tallinn is largely pedestrianized, with cobble-stone streets, so safety wasn't really a concern.
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| Rehaan, thrilled to bits with his bicycle |
Kamalini and Rehaan returned to the hotel, to rest and watch cartoons respectively. I walked around the old town, exploring it. Saw the
Niguliste Museum (formerly a church) from outside. It was shut for renovation. Saw the Long Leg Gate that goes up to the upper town.
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Niguliste Museum
|
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Long Leg Gate
|
In the upper town, I saw the
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a Russian orthodox cathedral. I also saw the
Dome Church, with its rich interior.
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| Alexander Nevsky Cathedral |
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| Dome Church |
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Pulpit, Dome Church
|
I went back to the hotel. Kamalini had an evening social event with the Mindvalley team. I took Rehaan to Solaris Mall, outside the Old Town, and we enjoyed a dinner of hamburgers.
Day 22 -
Kamalini was away for the day at her Mindvalley workshop. Rehaan and I explored the old town. He was on his bicycle, and I was on foot.
We went to the City Museum, a small museum about the city of Tallinn. It has a model of the old town, paintings, sculptures, ship models, models of old homes, and even old instruments we grew up with - old fashioned TVs, radios, and phonogram players!
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Model of the old town, City Museum
|
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| Armour, City Museum |
We visited the Great Gild Hall. The museum inside has exhibits on costumes, music, weapons, wine making, and other objects of interest.
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Great Gild Hall
|
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| Armour, Great Gild Hall |
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| Barrel, Great Gild Hall |
We ate lunch at a nice Italian restaurant called Margherita. Rehaan and I shared a delicious ham pizza.
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Pizza, Margherita Restaurant
|
We went to the Town Hall Museum, which had a copy of Old Thomas (who stands atop the building). There were wax figures of people from the medieval period. There were paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and furniture. We also climbed up the steep, narrow, circular staircase to the top of the Town Hall, and took in a nice view. Rehaan got rather scared when he came down the steps, though he had climbed up with no difficulty at all. We then visited the Town Hall Pharmacy, the oldest shop in Tallinn, going back to well over 500 years.
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Town Hall Museum
|
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Town Hall Pharmacy
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It was then back to the hotel, for cartoons and rest! Kamalini returned for a bit, before leaving for an evening Mindvalley social event.
Day 23 -
Rehaan required a negative Covid test report before being allowed back to India. Kamalini and I were OK, because we had got our vaccinations. The hotel staff, and a Mind Valley employee, were very helpful in guiding us about where to go for the test. Kamalini went off to her workshop for the day. I went with Rehaan and got his Covid test done.
Rehaan and I then got back to our explorations. We saw Viru Gate, one of the gates into the old town. Next up were two churches, Saint Nikolai Church, and Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
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| Viru Gate |
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| Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul |
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| Nave, Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul |
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| Saint Nikolai Church |
Rehaan and I ate lunch at Tule Estonia, a restaurant at Town Hall Square. I bought him an Estonia T shirt. I also got him a German Shepherd pup soft toy, which we called the "Estonian Shepherd". We visited
St John's Church on Freedom Square.
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Rehaan with his "Estonian Shepherd"
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| St John's Church |
We saw the
Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, which had contemporary exhibits that included costumes, textiles, furniture, sculptures and paintings, showcasing the country's proud design heritage.
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Furniture, Estonian Museum of
Applied Art and Design |
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First Steps, Estonian Museum of
Applied Art and Design |
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Textiles, Estonian Museum of
Applied Art and Design |
We saw the impressive looking Three Sisters Hotel, and Fat Margaret Gate. Fat Margaret houses the Maritime Museum. The museum has interesting maritime exhibits, including models of cogs and ships, costumes of ship crew, and navigational instruments. There is also a memorial to the Ferry Estonia, which sank in 1994 killing over 800 people! The museum has multimedia exhibits for kids, and Rehaan loved them. His experience was further enhanced because he made a friend there - a Dutch boy called Jonas; the two boys noisily played in the museum, while I chatted with Jonas' father.
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Three Sisters Hotel
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| Fat Margaret |
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| Cog, Maritime Museum |
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Picture of the Ferry Estonia,
Maritime Museum |
It was back to the hotel for Rehaan's cartoon time. Kamalini returned from her workshop. After she had rested a little, we walked to the Town Hall Square, where we met up for dinner with her Mindvalley group of about 10 people from various parts of the world. We dined at a restaurant called Olde Estonia.
Day 24 -
It was the last day of our trip. I went out for an early morning walk around the old town, and did some photography of the Town Hall Square, and its neighbourhood.
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| Olde Estonia Restaurant, Town Hall Square |
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| Troika Restaurant, Town Hall Square |
It was back to the hotel for last minute packing. We took a Bolt taxi to the ferry terminal. It was back to Helsinki on the Eckero Line ferry. This time, we spent most of our time in the lounge, but we also stood in the Sun Deck and took in the beautiful views. In Helsinki, we took a Bolt taxi to the airport, and then it was back to Delhi after a memorable 24 day trip.
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| View of Tallinn from the Eckero Line Ferry |
How was the trip? We did a lot of sight seeing. We saw some stunning places. We ate some amazing food. We met up with good friends. It was crazily expensive, but that's just the way it was (Kamalini and I split the costs, so that made it somewhat better). As Kamalini said, it wasn't always a family trip because I was so single-minded in my pursuit of completing my agenda, that I was quite alright going off by myself on numerous occasions. Well yes, when I'm in a city with a lot to see, I do go crazy trying to pack everything in, even if I'm exhausted and my feet are killing me. But on days in the country side, in villages, and in small towns, I'm very happy going at a slow, leisurely pace. I guess the trip gave us a bit of both! Overall, it was a very memorable trip, and I'm still on a big high and dreamy-eyed about Paris, one of my top three cities in the world along with New York and London!
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