or copy and paste: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2511005&id=58004131&l=60716b132dhttp://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2511005&id=58004131&l=60716b132d)
James and I left Finland on a ferry last Wednesday. We planned to spend some time in Tallinn (capital of Estonia) together and then go our separate ways for a while. Mostly, I wanted to try my hand at solo-backpacking. James went back to Finland to spend some more time with his sister Sarah (who lives in Helsinki) and after one more day in Tallinn, I took a bus to Riga, Latvia (only 4.5 hours). We had an interesting time in Tallinn together. I really loved the buildings (you can see lots of them in the photo album linked above) and the beer was very cheap and delicious! The downside is that it was VERY VERY cold! I keep thinking about how silly it is for me to be in the Nordic countries during the winter! As a result, we spent a lot of time in cafes. Which brings me to my Tallinn coffee update: much like Helsinki - hit and miss. Many lattes were made by a silly machine and tasted watery. We smartened up after a while and bought tea if the coffee wasn't guaranteed to be good.
As I mentioned before, I left Tallinn by bus on Sunday and rode to Riga (Latvia's capital city). I was off to a rocky start in Riga. I had been hit with a bout of traveler's diarrhea (one of the things you don't think of when dreaming about your traveling adventures - but a stark reality unfortunately!) and I forgot to book a hostel before arriving. To make matters worse, Riga was having a mild day and so the city was literally melting. I walked around the city with puddles in both of my boots, trying to find wireless internet somewhere so that I could book a hostel. After a very trying 2 hours, I arrived at a hostel and got a chance to catch my breath. Here I was thinking - why did I think traveling alone would be so fantastic!? I instantly missed James!
I've been hanging out in Riga for 3 days now and it did take a while to start enjoying it - I must admit. Traveling is full of high points, but people tend to skim over the low ones. Especially when alone, it's easy to get stuck inside your head and start questioning what you're doing. I find when I'm in these spots that I start comparing myself to other travelers - and that's when the danger starts because everyone is on their own journeys, it doesn't make sense to make comparisons. Upon the advice of some well-traveled friends, I've been taking a good break here and doing normal things - I've seen a movie in the theatre, been going to coffee shops, etc... It seems to have done the trick! In the mornings I've still been doing lots of sight-seeing and I've got some great photos to show for it! (I'll post them once I leave Riga).
Next Monday, I fly to Nuremberg, Germany where I'll reunite with James again and we'll spend some time together before I'm off to Thailand to start my job! I'm really looking forward to having a normal living situation for almost 3 months. I'm getting tired of moving all the time and I'm sure that working in an orphanage with tsunami survivors is just the dose of reality that I need!
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