Moors and forests

We have spent the last few weeks trying to outsmart the weather here in Estonia. Really tricky - not horrible but not exactly bright and sunny most of the time either. Probably have had just a few really hot days. Last Sunday spent at the beach of Karepa with lots of friends and that was really nice. The beach was very busy although normally there are just a few people but this time everyone was trying to take the chance and make the best of a rare sunny day. I still found the water too cold but the kids swam in the sea and in the river (and nobody got sick). They made new friends and the boys started a mud-war against the girls who were in the minority and had to retreat soon. Beatrice was happy to play with her old friend Leena and to look after her little brother as well. Raoul was also a good babysitter.

Then last week one day we went to see a buffalo-farm here nearby. Had heard that there are some activities going on but as we got there it turned out there is a "family day" on Sundays only. However the boss whom we ran into told us to go to the stables anyway after we had already made the effort to come and have a look around. There we found a lovely girl who showed us around and let hold little chicks and feed the rabbits and touch the goats and turkeys and all sorts of animals she was taking care of. We stayed nearly 2 hours! Will go again on Sunday to see the activities.

Then another day we went to a little seaside village of Ka"smu that has become really pretty but still in the lovely old style of white wooden "captain's houses" with big verandhas overlooking the bay. There is a small maritime museum and just now there was a small stage built on the sea for an outdoor play. A few boats inspired us for a good hour's play of pirates, great big stones for climbing in the small yacht harbour. Then found a cafe with another pirate-ship playground. On the way homeward stopped at a nature information point in the national park and discovered a small museum about woods and forests including an old "cone-drying hut" with working equipment. There is also a beautiful watermill that has been privately restored now. The lady from the centre recommended the beaver walk nearby, so we did that afterwards. Didn't see any beavers but very clearly their "work" in the river.

Today did another nature trip - to a moor this time. I have wanted to bring the kids to a moor with a boardwalk for some time and now I found one not too far away with a nice track that was not too long. It said on the map a bit over 5 km but it felt soooo much longer. Very pretty landscape though - most of the track went on a sand-dune that surrounds part of the moor with light pine forests and soft moss on the ground. Also the boardwalk through the soft moor was exciting. There were resting huts and a tower with a 360 degree view along the way. Found lots of chanterelles and porcinis that gave us a fantastic dinner. Loads of blueberries, some cloudberries, the cranberries are not ripe yet. But mostly I enjoyed the quiet and the beauty of the landscape. Surprisingly all kids did really well. Beatrice was most of the time far ahead with my dad although usually she is the one who wants to go back after the first 200 m. Raoul ran most of the time and only started to moan at the end when the mozzies attacked. Karl was lagging behind a lot but mostly because he was busy with bugs. His basket was not for mushrooms but for creapy crawlies and these were not so easy to catch. With the picknick it probably took us well over 2 hours. Such a great experience! Beatrice made a great comment a few days ago "why is it not like that in Singapore, here in Estonia it's nature, nature, nature all the time. But actually I do like nature". She has started a herbarium and has learned a lot of plants by names. Wants to become a vet!

In Estonia

We have been in Estonia now for 12 days already. The flight was not pleasant - I thought individual screens are standard now even in economy class but not so on Lufthansa. So there was no entertainment for the kids. Imagine then 12 hours ... We got to Frankfurt very early in the morning and as we had a long wait for the connecting flight, went to town. I hadn't thought there was an old town in Frankfurt at all but there is a small one and it was quite a nice walk, a very nice and sunny day. Finished in a Children's Museum about underground life - everything that goes on underground from worms and moles to pipes and trains. 

Got to Tallinn in the evening and the whole airport was already like a mini song festival - lots of people arriving for that from all over the world, many old Estonians from overseas, very busy but somehow an elated atmosphere.

Got to my parents' place about 8 in the evening and it was so light! The light nights of the midsummer are just so amazing. One evening I realized at 11 pm that we were sitting and reading and still didn't have lights on. We haven't been here at this time of the year for such a long time now that it seems truly magical. Kids don't want to go to sleep because it is still light at 9 or 10 and of course it is light and bright already before 4 am again. Somehow this has worked it's magic on jetlag - we didn't have any! The nature is all so light-green as well, still early summer. Outside the house we have a 280 degrees view of light green fields of rye and bright yellow rape-seed. The sky is huge, clouds dramatic. Big yellow full moon at night. The strawberries in the garden have the best crops ever, we are eating kilos every day.

The first day here was quite nice and warm so we decided to take the chance and went to beach. However there it was so windy and the water was probably 16-17 degrees, so Robert was the only one who swam and we didn't last much longer than 1 hour. And next day the weather changed and it was typical nordic summer again - rainy and cool. So we went to the water-spa-centre here and warmed ourselves up in 10 different saunas.

Then on Saturday was the first day of the song festival. We got there in good time and even managed to get seats but the start was delayed such a long time because the parade was late. And by the time the concert started the first drops of rain fell as well. It was still quite magical to see the light go up to the tower and to see the 30000 + singers on the stage. The rain fell on and off and by 10 pm we were too wet, tired and exhausted, so we left and watched the last few bits at home in TV. This was actually artistically the best bit - they sang Verdi and Carmina Burana of Carl Orff. Neeme Jarvi had to shake the water off his notes. A shame the weather!

Robert met an old friend from Gothenburg and we joined their crowd in the hotel where they had been staying an partying so that all beer in the bar was finished. We left about 2 am and the sky was already getting lighter.

Sunday morning we invited us to my sister's place. That was a good chance to see them because they are so busy preparing for Jaanus' exhibition that opens on the coming Thursday. Also Robert's mum hadn't been to their flat which is all but standard. Then on the second day of the song festival the crowds were even bigger. This was a daytime concert with a lot of popular songs that everybody knows and no artistically challenging program. There must have been at least 100 000 people. It was even hard to move around and we had to use all tricks to get some seats on the benches. But the atmosphere was really fantastic. It was my first "laulupidu" after the independence 1991 and it was just so amazing to see all these flags and people joining in the songs. Then the singers at the top of the stage started a wave of hands going up and everybody joined in and we could see it travelling all the way to the back of the slope. And they kept going on and on. Also many songs were repeated. The weather was nice and sunny too. I hope to get the DVD before going back. It really is something so special.