Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.

Or could they?

© Jule Helmke

My dear friend Daniela and me were taking a spontaneous trip with one of the coaches that ride through the old town of Stockholm. At first I thought it would be very touristy and lame, but I have to say, it was surprisingly interesting and quite  mesmerizing. The coachman, or woman in this case, told us a lot of fun facts about Stockholm that aren’t normally mentioned in all the tourist guides.

© Jule Helmke

The two horses Viktor and Pärla were taking us through all the small streets that were filled with people and I’m sure we’re on a lot of pictures now!

© Jule Helmke

So why am I not doing this more often? I really don’t know, but I’m planing on doing more of these spontaneous and maybe weird things!

Tourist phobia.

Hands up if you agree that the hot spot for tourists in every city is the old town area! Or maybe it’s just like that in Stockholm. And despite the fact that I really like the old town here, I hardly go there. Because tourists give me the creeps. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel myself! But when I’m on vacation I try to keep a low profile and blend in with everyone else. Because I know how annoying tourists can be.

But yesterday I went there on purpose, to go on tourist hunt. And five minutes later I already regretted that decision! But here is what I discovered:

A good identifier is always: caps, backpack, camera on hand:

© Jule Helmke

They always stand in the middle of the street to take nice pictures of each other

© Jule Helmke

© Jule Helmke

They buy stuff, that they will never ever use again once they are home

© Jule Helmke

They always appear in groups

© Jule Helmke

But please don’t get me wrong, I’m not a people hater or a cynic. Sometimes it just feels like if tourists think they are the only people on earth… So if you happen to be on vacation with your loved ones, turn around before you just stop on the middle of the street to take a picture and don’t occupy whole streets when you are in bigger groups. To keep up the common well-being

One day in Tallinn.

In april my friend Christina and me made a mini cruise to Estonia, Russia and Finland. The schedule gave us one whole day in every country and over night we took the boat to the next stop. Before we left Stockholms harbor, I looked up the top  sights for every stop, so that we were somewhat prepared of what we have or don’t have to do and see So here is what we did one day long in Tallinn, Estonia:

 

1. Great Coastal Gate & Fat Margaret’s Tower

Since we were heading towards town from the harbor, this was our first stop – the entrance through the huge gate that let us to Tallins old town. Walking through the gate felt like traveling back to the medieval times.

© Jule Helmke

 

© Jule Helmke

 

2. St. Olav’s Church

The tower of this church was so incredibly tall! The view from it’s top is probably breathtaking…

© Jule Helmke

 

3. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

I was very surprised when I saw this church, it didn’t fit in at all. But it is pretty after all

© Jule Helmke

 

 

 

4. Panoramic view

Tallinns old town has a lot of spots from where you can look over the city walls and catch a glimpse of the rooftops and the coast.

© Jule Helmke

 

© Jule Helmke

 

 

 

5. Town Hall Square

This was just beautiful. Lots and lots of petite shops and restaurants full of Estonias finest. This is where I bought my very first souvenir of the trip.

© Jule Helmke

© Jule Helmke

 

© Jule Helmke

 

© Jule Helmke

 

So if this made you curious for more, you should take the next boat, train, flight or whatever to medieval Tallinn!