Friday, July 07, 2006
From: a random coffee shop in Helsinki
Just like last Friday, when my plans suddenly changed, this Friday (today) has brought a different kind of change to my plans - the involuntary kind.
I woke up, a little groggy from yesterday's Estonian Beer Festival in Tallinn, and made my way to the train station to catch my 7:40am train to St. Petersburg. I was a little concerned going into the train because I knew that I didn't have all the right paperwork with me, but I was hoping, unwisely, that it wouldn't be an issue until I got to Russia.
In a way, I'm happy that the issues came up on the Finland side of the border because who knows what kind of trouble I would have gotten into, arriving in St. Petersburg with out a proper visa and invitation in hand. Not to far before the border of the two countries, I was ejected (their word) from the train and sent back to Helsinki to find the Russian Embassy and figure out my visa stuff there.
The Russian Embassy, a winning institution whose hours are from 9am to 12pm, was totally useless. By the time I made it there, I had lost any time to do all the running around I needed to do to get my visa notarized in time. The Embassy closed, and with it, all possibility of me going to Russia any time in the next few days.
But its all okay because, yesterday, when I was subconsciously considering the possibility of not going to Russia, I came up with a pretty good contingency plan. In a few hours, I am going to head back to Tallinn and from there hop a train (or, more likely, a bus) to Riga, Latvia. I'll spend the day tomorrow exploring Riga and then head, over night, to the capital of Lithuania - Vilnius. This will take me through Sunday night. Monday, Ill get up early, go to the (beautiful) coast of Lithuania, before trudging onward to the Polish border, and from there to Krakow in time to meet Robyn on Tuesday.
While Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius are not St.Petersburg, I do think that this is a pretty good contingency plan. Last time, my last minute itinerary changes gave me the incredible, once in a lifetime experience in Norway. Maybe this little Baltic jaunt will do the same.
-euroschlep ¶ 3:50 AM
Just like last Friday, when my plans suddenly changed, this Friday (today) has brought a different kind of change to my plans - the involuntary kind.
I woke up, a little groggy from yesterday's Estonian Beer Festival in Tallinn, and made my way to the train station to catch my 7:40am train to St. Petersburg. I was a little concerned going into the train because I knew that I didn't have all the right paperwork with me, but I was hoping, unwisely, that it wouldn't be an issue until I got to Russia.
In a way, I'm happy that the issues came up on the Finland side of the border because who knows what kind of trouble I would have gotten into, arriving in St. Petersburg with out a proper visa and invitation in hand. Not to far before the border of the two countries, I was ejected (their word) from the train and sent back to Helsinki to find the Russian Embassy and figure out my visa stuff there.
The Russian Embassy, a winning institution whose hours are from 9am to 12pm, was totally useless. By the time I made it there, I had lost any time to do all the running around I needed to do to get my visa notarized in time. The Embassy closed, and with it, all possibility of me going to Russia any time in the next few days.
But its all okay because, yesterday, when I was subconsciously considering the possibility of not going to Russia, I came up with a pretty good contingency plan. In a few hours, I am going to head back to Tallinn and from there hop a train (or, more likely, a bus) to Riga, Latvia. I'll spend the day tomorrow exploring Riga and then head, over night, to the capital of Lithuania - Vilnius. This will take me through Sunday night. Monday, Ill get up early, go to the (beautiful) coast of Lithuania, before trudging onward to the Polish border, and from there to Krakow in time to meet Robyn on Tuesday.
While Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius are not St.Petersburg, I do think that this is a pretty good contingency plan. Last time, my last minute itinerary changes gave me the incredible, once in a lifetime experience in Norway. Maybe this little Baltic jaunt will do the same.
-euroschlep ¶ 3:50 AM
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Snarfin his Mickie D luncheon
In the supersized heart of old Munchen,
Could his diet in Munich
Turn him in into a eunich,
And deny him a lifetime of funchen?
In the supersized heart of old Munchen,
Could his diet in Munich
Turn him in into a eunich,
And deny him a lifetime of funchen?
'pon seeking the land of his Sonya pet,
The Russians would only said "No, nyet!"
"By the ghost of Old Stalin,
I'll detour through Talinn
Tho settle I may for Estoniette!"
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The Russians would only said "No, nyet!"
"By the ghost of Old Stalin,
I'll detour through Talinn
Tho settle I may for Estoniette!"
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