My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a large pile of prints…

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

There’s a relatively limited amount of junkfood chains in Tallinn and Rīga – the token McDonalds, and the local (and unappealing) equivalent called Hessburger.

Part of the reason for this is the availability of tasty local junkfood, such as the Estonian pancakes served up in Kompressor. This is a studenty place in the old town, where £2 will get you a plate full of stuffed pancake.

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

Looking through the Calendar on Flickr, I realised that I have totally given up on looking for things to shoot in everyday life – just save up for the travels really. With that in mind, I shall try again.

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

So. Tallinn. We went the week after the native Russians had been rioting about the government moving a Soviet-era war memorial from the city centre to a military cemetary – the full story is here

I hadn’t really appreciated just how these countries had suffered under Stalin, and the latter Soviet regime. Is it any wonder that they are not mad-keen on having reminders of their occupation and repression prominantly displayed?

I’m left with little sympathy for the “oppressed” Russian minority in Estonia, who were migrant workers sent there by the USSR, with the intent of dissipating the national identity of the native population, and were previously favoured in all aspects of life. Sucks to have the boot on the other foot, huh?

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

More sunset

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

I’m looking forward to the summer.

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

A roman army, recreated in Playmobil. What more could you want?

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

Haweswater. We were walking up to High Street, from The Rigg, and back down via Small Water. Very nice walk. We were planning to walk on up Harter Fell, but decided to get back down to Ambleside for a spot of shopping.

So I finally graduated from the PhD this week, some 4.5 years after finishing my MChem. It’s somewhat odd to have a pseudo-medieval ceremony in a university founded in the 60’s, but there you go. At least it wasn’t in Latin or Welsh…

It’s rather strange to visit Warwick again. I’ve been gradually becoming more distant from the place for the last year, but now it feels final. I’ve been working in Guildford since the summer, it really feels like a long time ago that I finished working at Warwick.

Graduating from the MChem feels like a lifetime ago. In some ways that was more of an event than this graduation. Firstly, it was new and exciting, and I was graduating with my class who I’d studied with for four years. This time, it was just the three of us, of who I only knew one of the others. Secondly, at the end of the MChem I was about to start something new, whereas this time I’m already well-established in a job. I think it was worth turning up for, just to draw this line under things and move along.

My best photos at Max Hammond Photos.
More of my photography on Flickr.
Stock Photography at Alamy

These are Printen – chocolately sweets which are regional to Aachen. The original ones are very hard (caramelized), but we had some soft ones which are rather more chewable.

Aachen is a destination for pilgrimage, which is undertaken every seven years, and it is traditional to give the pilgrims some Printen.