Category: Estonia

A rural day gave the chance to see in real life some of the buildings we’d seen in the Open Air Museum. Large wooden barn type houses together with the Soviet era housing for workers on the rural collectivs. The latter now are flats of varying degrees of rejuvenation.

It’s twinned with the Fens and Broads – flat. Gorgeous flowers adorn the fields and any gaps in the forested areas. Sild is a bridge, which explains what the name of the Swansea based Estonian folk band meant. We crossed on what was the largest reinforced concrete bridge in Europe when built in 1904. Not satisfied with that, they surfaced it with cobbles, a delight to shake over.

Parnu (population 9k) is where Estonians come for the beach on the week it is sunny. The housing and buildings along the main street to the sea seems to have developed in the 1910s, then reallocated (incl to the Red Army) when annexed by the USSR. Then given back to the family of the original owners (good records) in the 90s, then sold on again.

Elephants are a good way to keep the area pedestrianised.

Tomorrow last bit on the coast for a while….

The anticipation of an early morning alarm always makes for a restless night, aided by the hum of the airconditioning recirculating warm air. Not to worry, the gentle beat of the rain in the morning soon cooled things down.

I always get nervous cycling over wet cobbles and tramway lines. Concentration got us the 0.5km to the starting photo near Tallinn Town Gates. A bright array of colourful waterproof jackets. And then off….

8km or so of typical city scenery along the quiet Sunday main road. Then country side: no hills today to divert the gentle headwind. Just lots of wild flowers seeking attention, and the steadily increasing heat. Good cycletracks too.

A lot of vintage American cars (1950s style) passed in the opposite direction. They have left where we are heading to – they are returning to Finland. There used to be a festival for them which has stopped. The cars keep coming though, along with the drivers. They like old fashioned petrol fumes.

A number of Soviet style semi ruined farm buildings (i.e. large, utiliterian, concrete) left me wondering how long it takes a country or place to emerge fully from the shadows of previous regimes and economies? By all accounts Estonia is doing well.

Cycling settles into it’s lovely rhythm – though today only the one coffee stop. Only the few seemed to recognise the benefit. Others seemed in a rush to get to tonight’s gulag. Whilst I do exaggerate – it does feel like it was set up for a previous era – the main thing is everything works. The noise of airconditioning will not be an issue – just the breeze through the door. Whilst some are pleasantly surprised you can even drink the tap water, I’m more impressed it means you save 2Euro buying the bottled water. I’ve not emerged from my Scottish roots….

A good day and way to start all round.

Back in a tick, well two ticks hopefully. Unbeknownst to me I had left the Botanic Gardens heavier than I entered. By two ticks. Now one thing we hadn’t packed (weight saving?) was a tick remover. Google translate didn’t really work for this – something I need to feedback. So I played charades with the pharmacy assistant. Whether she was impressed with my skills, or eagerly anticipating the replay on the security camera, it worked. As did Nurse Tate with eagle eyed precision.

This is the briefing day. Took me back to work when the word ‘brief’ seems somehow conspires to mean as “not” brief. Serves a purpose and a chance to form instant judgements on the other members of the group – to be confirmed or proved wrong over time. Glad I don’t go for stereotypes. Mainly good and interesting folks. Mainly….

Rest of day was sampling the Town Hall (dating for early 14C), mediaeval music in the square and gentle meander. Downtown Rotermanni is fun. Barbara returned from the KGB house having left some tips.

Now to cycle…

When thinking about the snippets to include, it is sometimes the day afterwards I think “Ah, I meant to include xyz”. Today it was another linking factor between the Old City and the rural area. Religion. The old city has a congregation worth of 13 and 14C Churches of some grandeur, Christian in varying guises. Paganism (a judgemental name from the “winning side”?) was common in the rural areas until late 16C. Literacy rates were lower, and the missionary priests didn’t speak the lingo. The peasants didn’t care much for Latin. Not until the printing of the translated Bible did Christianity start to take hold. Now you know.

Not sure that squares with St Columba and others landing in rural Scotland 1000 years earlier. Unless the midges had something to do with it.

Today was bike building in the afternoon.

Morning filled with the out of town Botanic Gardens. Tranquil apart from the wind whistling through the trees and distributing the misty air evenly. Take my hat off to whatever quantum forces are holding the plants’ flowers in place. Artic plants thrive here for some reason.

Barbara is getting into the swing of asking for pensioner discount. They do look at her twice. I pretend not to be offended.