June 2017

We got to visit Tallinn(population 450,000), the capital of Estonia(pop. 1,3 million) when our ship stopped there during the Baltic cruise. I did not know much about this charming city until this trip, but it is one of the up and coming tech centers of Europe and a  Unesco World Heritage Site.

From the cruise port, we walked about a mile to get to the Old Town. Once you get to the city wall, it becomes uphill to reach the center, but the walk was not difficult.

Walking up to the Toompea Hill was another climb, but the hike was not too stiff. You get the view of the whole town, shown below, under your feet once you are up there. An onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church Nevsky Cathedral and Toompea Castle, which now houses the parliament, dominate the hilltop along with the oldest church in Tallinn, the Lutheran St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Our lunch was at a restaurant called Väike-rataskaevu​, a sister restaurant right around the corner from the popular Rataskarvu 16. Excellent food, eclectic & relaxing environment, friendly service. etc. Not expensive.

After lunch, we walked around town slowly. There was an outdoor market set up right in the center square, but we did not find bargains there.

On the way back, we found a window display at Maiasmokk Cafe so inviting & took many pictures. I don’t know where they are, though. I also liked this door of an unnamed building.

• Tallinn Guide
• Visit Tallinn Official Site

June 2017

We were in Skagen in 2014 on our way to catch the ferry to Gothenburg, Sweden. I thought Skagen was just a name of a watch company, then I discovered it actually was a town at the land’s end. If you Google Skagen, the watch comes up before the town, though.

We drove past the ferry port in Frederikshavn and drove up north as much as we could. There was nothing much too see, thus, we turned back and stopped in Skagen. We did not spend a lot of time there. It just looked like a sleepy little town with nothing much going on.

We were again in Skagen in June of 2017 as a cruise stop during our Baltic cruise. This time we walked off the ship and walked for about 15 minutes or so to get to the center of the town. The town turned out to be much bigger than we first thought. The main shopping street was filled with shops, and side streets were filled with cafes and restaurants.

We had to have seafood for lunch. We walked over to the dockside from the shopping area and went into one of the restaurants there. We ordered fish & chips and some beer and ate at a picnic table outside. It was a pleasant afternoon as long as you could forget about the money you were paying for an essentially fast food lunch.

June 2017

We’ve been to Amsterdam 3-4 times, and, it rained every single time. As a result, our hope of exploring this city on bicycles has not been realized. The whole concept of bike share was born in Amsterdam, yet, there is not a public bike-sharing program in place.

Amsterdam deserves at least 2 days of your time in my opinion, and there will be enough to do if you want to stay longer. Due to the narrow streets and the canals, you will end up walking a lot even if you used the trams and the buses. Try renting a bike (8 – 10 Euros/day) if the weather is nice enough. As you can see in the pictures below, Amsterdam locals do use bikes to get around. A 24-hour transportation pass costs about the same as the bike rental.

The central Amsterdam is not that big, and it does not matter where you stay because you can get to most places by the trams and the buses within 20-30 minutes. I liked the canal areas on the west side around the Anne Frank House where you see lots of hipster cafes and restaurants and the southwest areas around the Voldelpark and Willemspark where you live among the locals and eat at neighborhood restaurants.

One can visit the north side of Amsterdam across IJ River by hopping on the free ferry from the docks behind the Central Station. We went to NDSM Wharf and had lunch at Pllek, a beachside bar & restaurant made of used shipping containers. Pictured above.

Amsterdam is a kind of place where you just walk around and discover things. Because the canals tend not to be in straight lines, it is easy to get disoriented and lost. Don’t worry, though. You will find your way soon or later by recognizing the familiar landmarks or stores.

It is wise to get tickets online in advance if you are planning to visit the museums. We did just that for the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House and cut the long long lines. Having to wait in line for these two places will be well rewarded if it comes to that.

Now stop listening to me and go out there! Go to Amsterdam and get lost. You will have fun finding your very own experiences! (They charge you 1 Euro for the tourist map at the “I Amsterdam” office. This can be a good investment.)

General Information

What to see: Rick Steve’s Advice (click “At a Glance”)

Cool Amsterdam: link