(This is part of a summer trip report using miles and points to fly first class on Emirates from JFK to Dubai/Paris, costing $41 and 100K Alaska miles; the cost of these flights would have been $23,914! I pinch myself to think I got such an unbelievable value for my miles!)

We flew from Vienna to Riga, Latvia and rode with a friend to a private home in Estonia. It was nice to see a bit of the country during the ride, and wonderful to have some R & R in a real home, although we were very busy!

Our first day we took a ferry ride to Hiiumaa Island in the Baltic Sea, the second largest island in Estonia. We had absolutely gorgeous weather and our hosts were great tour guides. We climbed up the Tahkuna Lighthouse, which was bought by Czaric Russia from the World Exhibition in 1871, and easily assembled because of the cast iron construction.

We also visited some Russian bunkers and various museums…

The Kopu Lighthouse is one of the oldest continuously operating lighthouses in the world, built in 1531. The structure is unusual and we definitely got our workouts in climbing up the steps of another lighthouse, but the views were amazing!

We stopped along the way for food and shopping, which is always important, and I loved the handmade crafts from Estonia!

Tallinn is a huge tourist destination on the Gulf of Finland, about 1.5 million visitors annually! The Old Town is a UNESCO site. Tallinn is called the “Silicon Valley” of the Baltic, and Skype was invented here! They were having a handicraft fair that day and the lady in costume is from “Nordic Knitters.” Here are some photos to show off Tallinn, even on a cloudy day.

LOVED Estonia – a small country with friendly people, great scenery, and all around CHARM. Do you think you’d like Estonia?

Next up, St. Petersburg, Russia…