July 3, 2016
One year ago today, Andres and Marit got married…in Estonia. And Karl and I had the amazing opportunity to attend. Well…I attended, Karl shot what was the longest wedding day ever (Estonians sure know how to throw a wedding). The wedding festivities included, but were not limited to; the groom chopping wood with an axe, the bride peeling a potato, the groom climbing up pole (atop which was a stork’s nest with a real live stork sitting inside), and the best first dance I’ve ever seen. If you don’t believe me, you can view it all here, and I promise it will be worth all 12 minutes and 54 seconds.
Which brings me back to the rest of our trip. Apparently the last year has completely gotten away from me, but I’m excited to finally share some favorite photos from our adventures! Better late than never, right?
We spent the first half of our trip in Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia. The narrow, winding cobblestone streets and turreted buildings of Old Tallinn were quite the reminder of the city’s medieval roots. I’m used to vacations that are full of running around, trying to cram in a million different attractions, but Tallinn was different. It was peaceful, and with the wedding being the main attraction for the trip, we honestly hadn’t planned much else other than a few days in St. Petersburg, Russia. We spent afternoons walking around, and enjoying long lunches with a bottle of wine.
In contrast to the lush green landscapes of Tallinn, St. Petersburg was quite the opposite. Even though we were staying “close” to all the main attractions, we found it took a minimum of 20 minutes to walk anywhere, and seemed to be the only English speakers. Instead of bogs and medieval streets, we were surrounded by immense palaces and plazas, which were beautiful in their own right. We enjoyed a couple of nights at the ballet ( due to a last minute decision that I could not leave Russia without seeing Swan Lake), and plenty of vodka.
Remnants of a Soviet submarine station
I always love finding beauty in things that are falling apart
I’ve never been a particular fan of potatoes, but let me tell you… you haven’t really had a potato until you’ve had one in Estonia or Russia.
Purple couscous!!!! Just one of our delicious long lunch breaks.
We spent a couple hours walking through Lahemaa National Park and stopped for a quick dip in the bog! I thought it was a bit creepy at first, until we learned the water is incredibly clean.
When in Russia…drink vodka. By far the best meal we had in St. Petersburg was at Severyanin. Below is what was on the menu as “vodka snacks”, so obviously we had to try it. Except that dish on the right which was a meat jelly. Did not try that one.
Visiting the Hermitage. Clearly Karl is a huge fan of museums.
Inside the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood.
