May sound silly for me to say this, since August hasn't even started yet and August is typically the holiday month in most of Europe. Still, I'm getting a feeling that the Autumn is here soon. It's partly because typically the Finns' holiday month is July rather than August, so the latter already feels like "holidays over". But mostly it's because the schools start in mid-August, so in late July the stores begin advertising school clothes (trendy of course, no school uniforms here), backpacks (also trendy) and pens, rulers, erasers, pencil cases etc. (very often, like the backpacks, parts of the merchandise range of a big Hollywood movie or whatever is popular with kids at the moment. Harry Potter, Spiderman, Lego Star Wars, Pokemon, Bratz...).
Still, August might turn out to have stunning summer weathers so I must fight the "summer is over" feeling.
I did my little trip to Tallinn Estonia. The morning catamaran took 2,5 hours instead of the usual 1,5 due to a technical fault, so I had a little less time than I had hoped. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my day hugely. The forecasts of the previous evening had predicted rain, but it was sunny and warm throughout (although I feel sure that if I HADN'T taken an umbrella along, it WOULD have rained). Usually the most interesting things can be found outside the typical tourist tracks, so I did not go to the city center but headed out from the port towards northern Tallinn. I walked along the seaside and then in the city districts. These are places where traces of recent history, the Soviet time, are still visible. The city center is shiny and full of glass and stone palaces of commerce, but here you can see blocks of wood and stone buildings that on the outside look like nothing has been done to them since the 1950's. Probably it's true, at least as far as the exteriors are concerned, because the fact is not much was done in the Soviet era, and now there is so much to repair and renovate that it will take years and years. I find places like these fascinating.
I could've done with more time but then again it's easy to get to Tallinn again, and very cheap. I'll post pictures when I get them edited.
Still, August might turn out to have stunning summer weathers so I must fight the "summer is over" feeling.
I did my little trip to Tallinn Estonia. The morning catamaran took 2,5 hours instead of the usual 1,5 due to a technical fault, so I had a little less time than I had hoped. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my day hugely. The forecasts of the previous evening had predicted rain, but it was sunny and warm throughout (although I feel sure that if I HADN'T taken an umbrella along, it WOULD have rained). Usually the most interesting things can be found outside the typical tourist tracks, so I did not go to the city center but headed out from the port towards northern Tallinn. I walked along the seaside and then in the city districts. These are places where traces of recent history, the Soviet time, are still visible. The city center is shiny and full of glass and stone palaces of commerce, but here you can see blocks of wood and stone buildings that on the outside look like nothing has been done to them since the 1950's. Probably it's true, at least as far as the exteriors are concerned, because the fact is not much was done in the Soviet era, and now there is so much to repair and renovate that it will take years and years. I find places like these fascinating.
I could've done with more time but then again it's easy to get to Tallinn again, and very cheap. I'll post pictures when I get them edited.
2 comments:
Hi Maria,
glad to read that you had a wonderful trip to Estonia, and that the weather gods co-operated.
I think of August as mid-summer, but mostly because we go back in September, after our Labour Day, which this year is September 7th. So I still have many weeks to go. Also, July was a complete wash-out here, and today feels like the beginning of summer- 26C and not a cloud in the sky, for a change.
The yard has been soaked this past month, which has enabled me to avoid watering. We've got a few short trips planned for August, so I will keep the summer flame alive for you.
xx
AM
The autumn feeling keeps naagging at me too Maria. mainly because the leaves are falling from the trees, the evenings are noticeably shorter and the shops are now full of winter clothes..grrrr. Why already I don't know. The weather, however is still very summery and we've had a fabulous day here. Keep your summer feeling going maria. I'm sure there's still more of it to come! Glad you enjoyed your trip to Tallin too! I'll look forward to the photos.
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