Once again I had the pleasure of visiting Estonia this year. My sister and her family were visiting from Australia and naturally she wanted to include a trip to our ancestral homeland. We spent a wonderful week in Estonia, dividing our time between Tallinn and Tartu. We had fantastic weather each and every day of our stay - beautiful blue sky and not a drop of rain. We couldn't have wished for more.
Although we visited many of our favourite old spots, I did manage to do a few new things including a tour of the new Carved Stone Museum in Tallinn and National Museum in Tartu. The two hour train journey from Tallinn to Tartu was very comfortable. Visiting Nõo was of particular importance to us as our family used to live at Luke Manor and were born inside the steward's house. It was from Luke that my family made the move to Tallinn during the mid 1800s with many of them pursuing careers as pharmacists.
Here are some photo highlights of my trip.
The Estonian Parliament building and Pikk Hermann Tower.
City wall near the Danish King's Garden.
The new Carved Stone Museum
Located within the Bastion Passages Tallinn.
Europe's oldest pharmacy - The Raeapteek.
A new touch screen computer reveals old Raeapteek documents.
My great-great-grandfather Alexander Lesthal worked as a pharmacist
at the Raeapteek from 1862 - 1865.
Tartu Town Hall.
The University of Tartu.
University interior.
No trip to Tartu is complete without a meal at the Gunpowder Cellar.
Luke Manor.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the restoration of the steward's house.
The beauty and tranquility of Luke Manor Park.
The new location of the Estonian National Museum.
Tagurpidi Maja. The Upside Down House Museum is located
across the road from the Estonian National Museum.
And like always, I returned home with a suticase full of Estonian goodies. This time I bought a dozen loaves of delicious rye bread, some new books, commemorative stamps, smoked almonds and Kalev chocolates!
