Tallinn

This past weekend, Larry got the chance to visit Tallin, Estonia. Here are some pictures from his adventures. First, let's locate Estonia on a map:

Now on to some more pictures.

This plaque was a gift from the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania. It commemorates both countries' involvement in the Baltic Way.

A scenic view of Tallinn

Larry ponders Boris Yeltsin's complex legacy in Estonia

Larry made a new friend,

found a fellow American,

found an unexpected tribute to home,

and sampled some delicious Estonian chocolate.

Some fun facts about Estonia:

1. Skype was created in Estonia

2. Estonian entrepreneurs have recently developed and sold a "facebook for engineers".

3. Every five years Tallinn hosts a centuries old, country-wide song and dance festival. (You can see videos of this festival  here, here, and here.)

Adventures in Klaipeda

Labas vakaras! Good evening! Larry and I have been super busy lately so we haven't been blogging. Here's a quick update on what Larry's been up to here in Klaipeda:

Watching the sun set over the Baltic Sea

Studying hard to learn Lithuanian!

Larry has learned some fun facts about Lithuania and Klaipeda.  

1.The Lithuanian language is at least 1,000 years old.            

2. Klaipeda is the main seaport city in Lithuania.

3. It is also the only Baltic port that does not ice over in the winter.

     

        Today, Larry attended an event on campus honoring the Independence Day of Ukraine. The official day is actually  August 24, but the school held its celebration day. While there, Larry tasted some delicious borscht and learned more about this awesome country. Here are some of his discoveries:

1. Ukraine is larger in size than France.

2. More people live in Ukraine than in Canada.

3. The tune for the Christmas song "Carol of the Bells' was taken from a traditional Ukrainian melody.

Larry chilling with the Independence Day sign

That's all for today. Tune in next time to see what happens when Larry leaves the country for a weekend!