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the ants go marching two by two HURRAH

HURRAH!

the little one stops to tie his shoe

and the ants go marching on

Tallinn, Estonia (2003-09-23)

I left Tartu on Sept 23 for Tallinn, the splendorous capital of Estonia. From here the trip was sort of down hill in a sense. Setting foot in Tallinn, I was returning to a place I'd been before, and then the trip to Sweden would be returning to a place I'd lived for a whole year. In my travels there have not been so many returns, and this was special.

Tallinn is a beautiful city but I was just passing through this time. Just to convey something about Tallinn, let me quote my friend Aditya (hyperionab / hyperionab_feed), who was just there a few weeks ago:

So, I took the ferry to Tallinn. I must say, this place is UNBELIVABLE. It is so georgous here, it's beyond compare. The hotel I am staying in is built in to an old Medevial structure. Tallinn Old Town at night is one of the most spectacular sights I've ever seen. The whole city is lit up in beautiful lighting and makes the streets seem even more hallowed. I spent last night just walking the streets, taking pictures, popping in to bars, drinking some local beer and cider, eating some cake for a dinner. It was the most wonderful experience. If anybody is ever in the Nordic region, they must see Tallinn at night. It's a bit odd being in an old USSR state, it seems that Estonia has had a jaded past in the 20th century. They're a part of the EU now and have been for the last 4 months. There are buildings here that used to be KGB offices and such. It's so amazing here, I can keep raving for hours on Tallinn, but I must be off as I've only bought 15 minutes on this internet kiosk (for 15 EEK!).

Off the Eurolines bus from Tartu, I took a taxi to the port, bought a ticket for my onward voyage, and spent a few hours wandering the city. I was amazed both at how familiar it seemed from my brief stay before, and also how it differed from my memory, more beautiful in some ways and less magical in others, maybe in part due to visiting in the early autumn instead of the depth of winter. I ate a good meal in a warm and cozy Tallinn restaurant, then wandered towards the port by way of the flower market.

( pictures! )

View of Tallinn while steaming out of port:

( Read more... )

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Where were we? I finished my electrodynamics homework but just barely, and it involved not sleeping. I think it's become clear that we have to band together to manage this thing.

Teaching. I enjoyed explaining about the high voltage safety, about the arcing and the ozone. It's kind of fun, but I am looking forward to getting a research job. I ran into professor T in the hallway and he wanted to make sure I wasn't "flirting with any other groups." I was planning to avoid the high energy groups, but maybe it will be fun and productive for awhile.

Ryan and I went to Spin to study. On the way we checked out some real estate in the area, including a big old 5-bedroom house on Barrington Ave complete with a hot tub.

Anyway, on to the quantum homework.