Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel
Two young boys standing in front of me at Helsinki Harbour fidgeted and poked furiously at their mobile phones. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying but their excitement was unmistakable. All up and down the line, kids and parents were waving phones around and gesturing excitedly. Suddenly, one child cried out and pointed toward the ferry boat. My curiosity finally got the better of me and I asked a woman what was going on.
“It’s Pokémon GO,” she replied. “There’s supposed to be a character here at the dock.”
For those of you who have been living in a cave, Pokémon GO is the newest fad in children’s electronic games. Its description, taken from the website of the Japanese developers, states, “Pokémon are creatures of all shapes and sizes who live in the wild or alongside humans…Pokémon are raised and commanded by their owners (called “Trainers”). During their adventures, Pokémon grow and become more experienced and even, on occasion, evolve into stronger Pokémon.”
The search for Pokémon begins at the entrance to Suomenlinna Fortress
Pokémon uses a mobile phone’s GPS, clock, and camera to display the cartoon-like characters on a cell phone screen. Some Pokemon characters are found in their natural habitats – for example, Squirtles and Poliwags tend to be found in and around lakes. But Pokémon can be found pretty much anywhere. The technology is so advanced that if you’re hunting after dark, you’re more likely to see fairies or night creatures. The goal is to capture as many of the 700+ creatures that inhabit the Pokémon universe as possible. Read More
Click on title to view photo in large format. The view down Lai Street looks toward Saint Olaf’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia. Though it’s believed to have been built in the 12th century, it was not mentioned in written records until 1267. The church’s steeple has always been exceedingly high. Between 1549 and 1625, Saint Olaf claimed it was the highest building in the world, though this has long been disputed due to differing standards of measurement. What is clear Read More
Click on title to view photo in large format. Estonia, the northernmost of the Europe’s three Baltic States, shares a long land border with Russia. In fact, St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia, is just a few hours away by bus from the Estonian capital of Tallinn. So, it was no surprise that I heard as much Russian being spoken during my visit to Tallinn as I did Estonian or English. It was a delightful surprise, however, to discover that that the FEELRUSSIA Festival of Russian Culture was scheduled during my visit. The day after arriving, I wriggled through Read More
The fuzzy silhouette within the long rod of amber seemed familiar, yet I wasn’t quite sure what I was seeing. I turned my head sideways and squinted to better focus. With a start, I realized I was looking at the complete body of a lizard that had been trapped in amber. The specimen at the Amber Gallery and Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania, is rare. Of the millions of pieces of amber that contain inclusions, only six lizards have ever been discovered.
One of only six examples of a lizard trapped in amber, this specimen can be seen at the Amber Gallery and Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania
In part, it was these mysterious inclusions that had drawn me to the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. I wanted to know more about the semi-precious material known as amber, and to learn how it became one of the most prized materials of the ancient world. Perhaps most of all, I wanted to understand how plants and insects came to be trapped inside. Read More
Click on title to view photo in large format. During the 13th ad 14th centuries, Town Hall Square in Tallinn, Estonia, was the main market square for merchants associated with the powerful German Hanseatic league. Goods sourced from around the Baltic and Scandinavian regions were sold and traded to customers who, in some cases, traveled great distances to reach the market. Though the square still supports a thriving market, most of its present-day customers are tourists, and the bulk of the items offered for sale are crafts, souvenirs, and traditional foodstuffs. Read More
Click on title to view photo in large format. Good fortune was with me during my visit to the capital city of Estonia. It coincided with the Day of Estonian Bread and Autumn Fair at the Estonian Open Air Museum in Tallinn. With its authentic collection of farms, windmills, watermills, houses, and chapels from all geographic regions of Estonia, the outdoor museum is well worth a visit any time of the year. Eight workshops in the center allow visitors to witness traditional means of producing ethnographic and polychromic wood, furniture, painting, leather, textile, ceramics, metal, and paper restoration.
During the Autumn Fair, the focus was on bread making, with a very competitive contest to choose the best traditional black bread. Of course, no bread competition would be complete without a generous dollop of butter. Read More
