The charm of France

I fell in love.

This summer my holidays took me to south of France. Just next to the Spanish border. I stayed in a lovely rented villa in Cerbere, the first town after the border. Apart from the huge train depot, this little sleepy one square - one street town had not much to offer. The croissants from its one and only boulangerie were wonderful, though.

What captured my heart, was a town three towns up the coast - Collioure.

During 10 days I visited it three times. And loved it more and more. I might go as far as to say that I would like to return to Collioure. I got the pronunciation wrong to start with and my french cousins did not let this chance, to make fun of me calling the town a 'spoon', cuillere, pass easily.

There was something about this town that made it special and I could not quite get it in the beginning. Then I realised, this is a town for artists....and has been a town for artists. I was told, that among others, this was a place frequented by Matisse and Picasso. There is a different vibe to villages and towns that have been popular among artists. Maybe it is in their natural beauty, the beauty that draws the artists there. Or maybe it is the influence that artists have on the place. The way they have chosen to build their homes and decorate and the way the bars and restaurants keep the aura of these people. Whichever way, the town was amazingly beautiful with its castle, beaches, little narrow medieval streets, restaurants, bars, and colours. Colours of the sea, the pebbles, the rocks, the flowers, the people.

It was a lively town, but it seemed to have predominately french tourists. Something that I enjoyed. I suppose that this could also be the reason why the restaurants were serving high quality delicious food - you cannot fool a fellow frenchman. And the shopkeepers, ever if loaded with souvenirs were not breathing down you neck as soon as you entered their shop. Another very enjoyable detail. Apart from the food and the shops and the people, above all, i just wanted to wander the streets and get lost in this town. And continue to do so.

Deja Vu, Rumours and Butterfly

Now, I am from Tallinn so my views about my home town could be biased. Then again, based my last Friday night out, I would not move back here for the nightlife.

Living in Luxembourg, I come back to Tallinn every 2-3 months and this time I decided to go and check out the nightlife and some places that were new to me. We did some bar hopping in the new (for me) bar district near the old fire station.

We first wandered into a lounge bar Deja Vu (Vana Viru 8). It has rave reviews on the Internet as "the place to be". It was far to chilly to sit outside so we went in and found out that all the tables on the ground floor were booked. Promising. The place must be popular. We got a table on the first floor, close to the smoking room (which actually looked very nice). Unfortunately the first thing I saw was many fake flower decorations set against red walls - on the ground floor there was also a stage and a big curtain. I could not help but wonder, what performances might one see at this place? We did not stay long enough to find out. We had one drink, from the extensive drink menu, and left. The place was dark and unfriendly. The drink, however, by far, had the largest alcohol consistency of all the drinks I had that night.

Next bar/lounge we went to, was Rumours (Vana-Viru 13). The tables were set in a room U shaped around the kitchen. A nice touch was a hip fireplace. It was not as busy as Deja Vu so the five of us got a table easily. Another long drink menu and even longer and very varied food menu. We opted for some sushi and cocktails. The food was ok and the drink....well, I've had better, to put it politely. The service was very poor and I got the feeling that it was the girl's first day on the job. I hope so as that would at least explain it. If Deja Vu was very dark then in Rumours we had lamps shining straight into our eyes. Again, after one drink we decided to leave.

We ventured into 2 other lounge bars - the name for the first one I have already forgotten. It had live music and if you have ever been on a cruise between Tallinn and Helsinki, all you have to do is imagine one of the ship's bars and you get the picture. I was surprised to see that the place was packed! And I have been told that it is always packed. We did not stay there because we could not get a table. Next try was to go to Museum (Vana Viru 14). There were two areas at this place, and again the side we liked best was full, so we left.

Finally we ended up in lounge bar Butterfly (Vana Viru 13). The tables were full but the place was by no means packed. We found a comfortable little corner near the bar and got some drinks. The service was good and the drinks were delicious. There was an area with couches which looked very comfortable but everything was reserved. As we made it there close to midnight, and knowing estonian nightlife, I got the feeling that it was not really reserved but 'kept' in case some special customers come. Not sure if that strategy pays off in a little place like Tallinn.  That aside, I loved Butterfly - from the drinks to the the interior design that was in many shades of pink to the bartenders, all male, and also dressed in pink. I will return.

The why and the how

We found pieces of paper with restaurant and hotel names, exhibition recommendations and bars we just have to visit. Most of our magazines have underlined sections of cool destinations. But when we travel we never find that piece of paper with that 'must go to' recommendation. Now, here we will write about the places we have visited and the places we read and hear about and want to go to.