Tag: baltic

Lithuanian Food – The Surprise

M's Adventures
Beet soup.

While I went on a food tour in Riga, in Vilnius, I was lucky enough to have a local show me the food. We even had some of the classics like beet soup, stuffed cabbage, and crepes. But, I also tried a surprise.

Stuffed cabbage.
Crepes.

The surprise was deep fried rye bread smothered in garlic, bacon, and cheese. Like Baltic nachos. They were equally delicious.

Fried rye bread.

When I visited, there was a street fair so I was able to see many of the other foods of the area from smoked fish to sausage.

Rye bread.
Smoked eel.
Mushroom confectionary.

Another surprise was a popular confectionary shaped like a mushroom. Mushrooms are a popular staple in Baltic food but these sweets were a sad knockoff.

But, the beet soup was yummy and such an arresting color!

Estonian Food

M's Adventures
Elk at Rataskaevu.

Estonian food is so different than Italian food. But in a way, very familiar. I went a well known restaurant, Rataskaevu, in old town Tallin and ate in a picturesque tavern.

Rye bread at Rataskaevu.
Rye and poppy seed bread from Moon.

Of course, I tried the elk. But I did not like it as much as the salmon soup and the rye bread.

Salmon soup at Rataskaevu.
Salmon soup at Moon.

Near me was an international group of friends who had travel over from Stockholm, Sweden, for lunch, emphasizing how small the distances can be up here in the Nordic-Baltic region where the transportation and WIFI are fast.

Rataskaevu.

In Tallin, all the restaurant staff spoke excellent English. It make visiting quite easy.

Blinis at Moon.

Tallin is a favorite city for many people and I asked one where he thought I should eat. He recommended Moon, and it was delicious.

Pickled appetizers at Moon.

When I admitted to the waitress that I did not like the pickled appetizer platter, she admitted that generally one needed to be drinking vodka with it.

Chicken Kiev at Moon.

The “Chicken Kiev” was the best I have had. It was light, moist, juicy, buttery, crunchy, and delicate.

A hand pie, dumpling, at Moon.

Tallin, Estonia

M's Adventures
“Short Leg” Street so named because it is a short cut to the top of the old town.

In the fall, I decided to visit some of the former “iron curtain” countries and I decided to start at the top. Estonia is small but lovely.

Tallin is a wonderful old medieval town with modern technology and efficiency. The architecture in the old town was delightfully old and out of a fairytale.

Much of the town is Baroque and from the 17th century. I like the older bits better.

Estonia Has the Cutest Airport

M's Adventures

I have been to some of the award winning airports like Singapore and Rome Fiumincino, but I think Estonia’s Tallin airport might be my favorite.

While it is a small airport, for a small country, the aiport is unusual on the outside and the inside. It is blue on the outside which is unusual. And on the inside, the chairs are colorful in a cultural design that hint at tradition in a very modern country.

The airport has play areas for children and child-like people. The shop is a small emporium of cards, food, traditional crafts, and duty free.

The airport in Tallin left me with a good impression. The country did too. More on that another time.

Estonia, I’ll be back.