Our summer adventures are back!

Just like last year, we're exploring Europe. This year's route looks a little different: Tallinn, Estonia, a ferry across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki, Finland, then three weeks exploring Croatia before wrapping everything up with a 72-hour stopover in Dublin. On both ends of the trip, we squeezed in some much-needed family time. First in Minnesota with my family, then we'll finish in Indiana with Chip's family.

After celebrating an unforgettable Fourth of July in Minnesota with enough fireworks to last us a lifetime, we boarded our first flight and headed to Tallinn, Estonia.

Why Tallinn?

This is easily the question we've been asked the most. Honestly, a few years ago, we had barely heard of Estonia ourselves.

One day Chip was receiving Volkswagen parts shipped from a city called Tallinn. Curious, we looked it up on Google...and were completely surprised.

A beautifully preserved UNESCO World Heritage medieval city? One of the best-preserved old towns in all of Europe? How had we never heard of this place?

For the next couple of years we'd joke, "Someday we're going there!” That someday finally arrived.

Estonia is one of the three Baltic countries, tucked between Latvia and Russia along the Baltic Sea. Despite being on roughly the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, the climate was surprisingly comfortable in summer. The country is incredibly green, mostly flat, and blends centuries-old architecture with some of Europe's most innovative modern design. It's also known as one of the world's most digitally advanced countries and has produced more tech startups per capita than almost anywhere else.

Then, back in January, we stumbled across $298 flights from Minneapolis to Tallinn.

Decision made! The rest of our European itinerary was built around that first ticket purchase.

First Impressions

Fast forward to July. After saying goodbye to my fam in Minnesota, we flew overseas and landed in Tallinn. And wow...this city surprised us in all the best ways.

Our Airbnb sat just outside Old Town and right beside the trendy Rotermann Quarter.

Rotermann turned out to be one of our favorite neighborhoods. Old limestone industrial buildings have been transformed with striking modern architecture, outdoor plazas, fountains, restaurants, and these funny topsy-turvy spinning chairs that the boys couldn't stop playing on (& I'll admit, me too!)

Even better...It was home to Lido. If you've ever traveled with kids, you know finding one restaurant everyone agrees on is basically impossible..Lido solved that problem. Think cafeteria, but better!

Fresh salmon, roasted meats covered in rich sauces, crispy fries, burgers piled high with toppings, fresh salads, crepes stuffed with anything you could imagine, beer on tap, cakes, chocolate desserts, fruit tarts...

And somehow it was unbelievably affordable. We aren't exaggerating when we say we ate almost every meal there during our five days in Tallinn.

Rottermann Quarter, the blending of new with old

Exploring Tallinn

Our first full day started, naturally, with breakfast at Lido. From there we walked along the waterfront, wandered past reminders of Estonia's Soviet past, and made our way to one of Tallinn's highest-rated attractions: the Estonian Maritime Museum at Seaplane Harbour.

Housed inside enormous historic seaplane hangars built in 1916, the museum is fantastic for both adults and kids. You can climb aboard the submarine Lembit, explore a full-size icebreaker, steer ships in simulators, learn about naval history, and inspect everything from sea mines and torpedoes to historic cannons and military equipment. The weather was cool, cloudy, and perfect for spending a few hours inside.

Afterward, I had one more surprise waiting for the boys. A cat café. Maybe not everyone's dream spot...but definitely theirs. The café is home to several retired exotic cats, each with its own personality, and we spent an hour petting cats, drinking coffee, and laughing at their antics. Such a quirky little stop that ended up being one of the highlights of the day.

Estonian Maritime Museum at Seaplane Harbor

Maritime Museum (giant submarine on left)

Wandering Old Town

Most of our five days were spent simply getting lost inside Tallinn's incredible Old Town. That's honestly the best way to experience it. Walk through the 14th-century Viru Gates and just let your feet decide where to go.

We climbed the towers at Kiek in de Kök, one of Europe's most impressive medieval defensive fortifications, then explored the Bastion Passages, secret underground tunnels originally built beneath the city's massive earthworks during the 17th century. Over the centuries they've been used as military storage, bomb shelters during World War II, and today they're one of Tallinn's most fascinating attractions.

We wandered along sections of the old city walls. Sat in Town Hall Square with a can of white wine while people-watching. Picked up wart medicine at Europe's oldest continuously operating pharmacy because Reid's stubborn big toe apparently chose Europe as the perfect place to need treatment. Shared pizzas at a cozy outdoor café. Bought chocolate chip cookies about the size of Chip's head. Rode electric scooters over bumpy cobblestone streets.

Walked beneath the beautiful medieval St. Catherine's Passage. And admired what quickly became my favorite building in the city—the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, with its giant onion domes and gleaming black-and-white façade towering above Toompea Hill. Every turn seemed to reveal another hidden courtyard, church spire, or colorful building that looked like it belonged in a storybook.

Medieval Days

As if Tallinn wasn't already magical enough...We accidentally timed our visit with Medieval Days.

Every summer, Tallinn celebrates its medieval roots with several days of performances, craftsmen, markets, musicians, knights, and costumed parades that transform the UNESCO-listed Old Town into something that feels remarkably close to how it would have looked hundreds of years ago.

We watched the opening procession wind through the streets, explored artisan markets, saw aerial performances in Town Hall Square, and enjoyed the festive atmosphere everywhere we went.

It's basically a Renaissance Fair...Except you're standing inside an actual medieval city. You really can't beat that.

Next up: On to Finland

Just like that, our five days in Tallinn came to an end.

We're still adjusting to the time change (I wake up for about an hour every night...Chip seems committed to making it three), but we're excited for the next adventure.

Tomorrow we're boarding a giant ferry to Helsinki