Author: Kelly

As I became accustomed to life on the edge of freedom, I walked and explored the city of Narva. There are many beautiful sites…

I felt both frightened and excited to be on the border between freedom and Russia. I struggled to contain my emotions and felt the need to share the experience with a close friend. At 10:30am, as I sat one river away from authoritarianism, I texted...

It is difficult to describe the feelings I had gazing across the river into Russia. On the one hand, I irrationally worried that I might somehow be captured by Russian police. On the other hand, I knew I was safe in Estonia, a NATO member...

I traveled 2.5 hours by train from Tallinn to Narva today, the 3rd largest city and easternmost point in Estonia. It sits on the west bank of the Narva River, which flows north to the Gulf of Finland. The imposing Ivangorod Fortress sits across the...

It was a beautiful day in Tallinn. Not sunbathing weather quite yet, but it was a lovely March day. Strolled around Old Tallinn all day. There were so many photo ops.

I departed Helsinki today aboard a ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. The ferry was sweet! It took only 2.5 hours to cross the Gulf of Finland and arrive in Tallinn, Estonia. It was an easy and enjoyable cruise. I shopped duty free on the way. And...

After my day trip to Porvoo, I returned to Helsinki in time for a late dinner. I wanted to try a restaurant that serves authentic Finnish cuisine. I chose Cella, a 15 minute walk from my flat. https://www.ravintolacella.fi/ It was a small, quaint and cozy...

First, the Finnish language… Many people think that the Finnish language is similar to Scandinavian tongues (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic). However, Finnish is part of the language family Uralic and the Scandinavian languages (as well as English) are of Indo-European descent. The Uralic languages...

Porvoo was one of the six medieval towns of Finland, along with Turku, Ulvila, Rauma, Naantali and Vyborg. It is first mentioned as a city in texts from the 14th century. Porvoo is a quaint town on the Porvoonjoki River and is the seat of...

Lazy Sunday in Helsinki… I didn’t venture far today, but visited a local pub in the afternoon, Ravintola Iltakoulu. A warm and welcoming spot. I sampled a range of local brews. Finnish beers remind me of Canadian beers, mostly light lagers and ales. There were...

Typical Nordic winter weather 🥶 But this gorgeous plant gives color through the Nordic winter.

Strolled through the center city and harbor front…

Helsinki’s Senate Square forms a unique example of Neoclassical architecture. The square is dominated by buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, a German who lived: 1778-1840. It was a beautiful, chilly day to visit this spot.

Ventured out a bit today in Kallios, the Helsinki neighborhood where I’m staying. It’s kinda funky, bohemian and a bit of everything going on. It’s exactly like hoodmaps said (https://hoodmaps.com/helsinki-neighborhood-map)! I like diversity so this is great.