Sunday 3 June 2018

A new whirl 2018.05 edition


Greetings! I arrived home safe and sound from Europe. Just want to write a quick post while I'm catching up.

Back in March this year, I wrote my Give it a whirl post, and started writing about my new whirl each month since. You might like to read my "A new whirl" posts in March here, and in April here.

Today, I'm writing about my new whirl in May. It was my trip to visit Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Warsaw in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland respectively. Wow, the new sensory experiences were fantastic. The trip was wonderful. The weather was sunny and warm. It rained only one morning when I was in Warsaw then cleared up in the afternoon.

It's my first time to these four European capitals. For this new travel adventure, here's my top ten fun experiences:
  1. Meeting my Finnish friend in Tallinn: It was so nice to talk in person for a few hours while sharing tea and desserts.
  2. Walking for hours to experience the local scenes, as well as to explore the historic sights, some of them are on the World Heritage list.
  3. Tasting local food, wines, and European desserts. This item can actually jump to second place but I should work up an appetite first :)
  4. Hearing new languages spoken in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Each country has their own official language.
  5. Listening to the local guides' narratives, reading what's posted at each landmark, and learning about the history of each place.
  6. Interacting with new and friendly people, or observing how local people interact with residents and visitors.
  7. Using foreign currencies i.e. Euro in the first three countries, and zloty in Poland.
  8. Noticing the architectural details and different designs reflecting the history and local culture.
  9. Riding long distance by bus to go from one country to the next and viewing the countryside on the way.
  10. Getting a souvenir pin from each country and new stamps on my passport.
I took a lot of photos. Some will be posted here once I sort them out.

I'd love to hear about your new whirl in May. Please share below.
 

36 comments:

  1. I just loved Tallin Natalie, which I think I've mentioned before. You could spend hours in the old town just wandering. I'm so pleased you caught up with your friend in such a gorgeous setting.
    Sue from Sizzling Toward 60 & Beyond

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    1. Tallinn Old Town is lovely, and meeting with my friend there after so many years is definitely memorable for me. Thanks, Sue, for stopping by.

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    2. Hi Natalie, great to see you at #MLSTL. Have a great week!

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    3. Thanks, Sue, for hosting MLSTL. Have a fabulous week!

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  2. Welcome home, Natalie. I am glad that you arrived back safe and sound. Your top ten fun experiences sound fantastic! I look forward to seeing your photos as well.

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    1. Thank you, Donna, for stopping by. Hope you've been keeping well. It's good to be home although my brain is still adjusting that not too many hours ago I was walking in Warsaw Old Town and parks.

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  3. It sounds like you had a really fantastic time Natalie - a nice spread of activities and it would have been wonderful spending time with your penpal of so many years.

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    1. Meeting my Finnish friend after so many years was definitely the most memorable experience I had on this trip. Thanks, Leanne, for dropping by.

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  4. Welcome home, Natalie. I'm glad you had a great time.
    When I look at the map you've provided, you sure covered a lot of territory. How long were you gone? Did you feel that you had enough time in each of the cities? Any you'd like to return to?

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    1. Thank you, Karen, for stopping by. I was gone for ten days, spending two full days and nights at each of the four cities. It was enough to see the main sights as an introduction. Of course, one can spend months at each city and still do not feel one had enough time to fully discover it. Each of the four cities is surprisingly unique so I'd like to return to all of them. Tallinn and Riga are smaller cities, Vilnius has very deep history, and Warsaw is about the size of Toronto with deep history as well.

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  5. Sounds wonderful. I am off to London for the first time in 2 weeks and I can’t wait.

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    1. Going to London is exciting for sure. Thanks, Jody, for dropping by.

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  6. I'm yet to visit Eastern Europe, so look forward to your pics. I love hearing new languages & stories and histories.

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    1. Eastern Europe is lovely. I enjoyed every minute of my time there. Thanks, Jo, for stopping by.

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  7. How fortunate you are to have these travel experiences and how fortunate WE are that you share them too.

    Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek 23/52.
    Next Week’s Optional Prompt: 24/52. The M-Z of Me. 11/6/18.
    Denyse x

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    1. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting. I'm grateful for the freedom and the ability to travel. Have a great week!

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  8. Hi, Natalie - Great to see you again at Sue and Leanne's Link Up. I LOVE this blogging community.

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    1. It's fun linking up, isn't it? Thanks again, Donna, for stopping by.

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  9. Very interesting post, I must visit Europe soon -- I have never been out of the U.S., other than being born in England and not remembering one ounce of it, I was a baby when re-entering the U.S. -- Sharing! #MLSTL
    Lori Jo - www.50withflair.com

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    1. Welcome to my blog, Lori Jo, and thank you for your comment and sharing. Europe has a lot to offer. I go there frequently and have always wanted to return.

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  10. Welcome home...great write-up!
    #MLSTL visitor

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    1. Thank you, Donna, for your comment. It's good to be home for a few weeks before we travel again.

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  11. That sounds like a wonderful trip! I can't wait for the pics. #MLSTL

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    1. It was wonderful, Christie. Thank you for stopping by.

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  12. Warsaw is 100% on my to-do travel list. I can't wait to see/hear more about it!!

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    1. Warsaw exceeded my expectations. I hope you'll get to visit Poland soon. Thanks, Melissa, for stopping by and for linking up.

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  13. Wow - what a fascinating trip! I loved your traveling by bus between the different countries so that you could take in the countryside.

    Eastern Europe is not high on my list of future destinations, but now I'm thinking maybe it should be.

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    1. Hi Laura, Welcome to my blog and thank you for leaving a comment! The countryside was lovely, with lots of greenery and some yellow 'carpets' of canola at this time of the year. Eastern Europe was lower on my list until now. It is a fascinating region. I think you'll enjoy it as an add-on to your Big Adventure, or another adventure after.

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  14. Love your top 10 experiences. What a trip!

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    1. The trip exceeded my expectations. Thanks, Patricia, for stopping by.

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  15. A fab list Natalie, your travels sound so exciting!! #mlstl

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    1. Yours too, Debbie! Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to reading your post on Iceland and photos.

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  16. What a great list and your travels sound so fun.

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    1. The trip was really great. Thank you for stopping by.

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  17. So many giant leaps outside my comfort zone!! Wow. Figuring out currency and how to communicate in so many different countries is huge. Anxiety-inducing! You are an amazingly confident world (class) traveler.

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    1. Thank you, Leslie, for your kind words. I got some Polish zloty cash before my trip to familiarize myself with the bills. I've also used the euro before. English was well spoken in the tourism industry in these cities so no problem there.

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