Tallinn

Estonia

August 17, 2014

So where do all these tourists come from? 

My friends, they are deposited by the thousands from the cruise ships that dock in the harbor of this ancient Baltic city.   They follow the tour guide with her flag.  They crowd the cobblestoned squares and streets as they ogle the churches and bargain with the market vendors.  They snack at the overpriced restaurants and cafes before re-boarding their ocean-going hotel for the next exotic stop.  Helsinki?  Saint Petersburg?  Copenhagen?

All this activity reminds me of a quip I heard at a popular tourist site in China during the high season, “You see lots of heads!”

I do my best to avoid the heads in this attractive city. 

I focus my camera lens upward on the towers, domes, spires, and steeples.  And their finials. 

Tallinn

Estonia

August 17, 2014

My fellow phographers,

My friend and professional phographer and guide, Ralph Velasco offered this advice, "Find the human touch."

So after indulging my own proclivity for architecture and landscape, I follow Ralph's suggestion.

As per my typical routine, I find a quiet spot and try (unobtrusively) to shoot the natives.

If I am “busted” I give them a peek at the screen. 

Luckily, here in Estonia, the natives are mostly cheerful, and anxious to strike a glamorous pose. 

Tartu

Estonia

21 August 2014

Estonia, rich in history, much of it bloody history, provides the traveler with a variety of unique sights and sounds.

The oldest Stone Age settlements date back 10,000 years.

Finno-Ugric tribes from the east, probably from the Urals at about 3500 BCE, mingled with the Neolithic peoples and settled in present Finland, Hungary and Estonia.  They left behind their language system, so different from the surrounding Indo-European languages.

The Vikings arrived in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Trakai

Lithuania

September 14, 2014

It’s a splendid Sunday.

Let’s get out of the house!

Short ride. (28km west of Vilnius)

Head for the lakes.

Sailing.  Rowing.  Paddling.

Visit the Castle. (1401 – Restored)

Just relax.

Have a coffee.

Enjoy the day.!!