Mike here... I'll start and get you up to speed. Then Serena will chime in!
We left you in Helsinki, as we were about to catch the ferry to Tallinn. This was super exciting for me as it was my first trip to any of the Baltic states.
The ferry was massive, we waited dock side with the deck chief who answered all our questions... pointing out that the ferry could hold 2 kilometres of trucks! That's amazing!!
Anyway after successfully dicing it with the trucks for a spot on the ferry we made it to Tallinn and again negotiated the trucks to find our way to our "Hipster" apartment in Tallinn ... and we now think Hipster in Estonian must mean "Condemned", but it was awesome and put us right in the middle of an amazing cool area of Tallinn. It was full of amazing houses and bike paths and cafes. Also it was walking distance to the old town, and the cool new dock/restaurant area.
So, we spent 2 days in Tallinn walking, eating and touristing in the Old Town, it is a spectacular place and super comfortable to be in. I'd go back anytime!
After Tallinn, from our time on the road, we wanted to "get out of the city" and see the rest of the place, before moving on to Latvia, so after 3 nights in the "Hipster" apartment, we took a 3 hour train down to Tartu, the second largest town in Estonia (100k population - Tallinn is only 400k - Estonia as a whole is only 1.4M people!). There we grabbed 3 nights at super nice, and definitely not "Hipster" apartment, which was sooo great (even better than Sally!).
The afternoon we arrived, we went to a local cafe which was soo good, and then into town, it's a really nice place!
So, just in case you think we've been replaced by non-cycling aliens, you will be pleased to know that our 2 days in Tartu were pretty much spent out on the bike. The first day we rode 20k out of town to the Ice Age Museum, it's up on a lake, as this area was the border of where the ice sheet stayed for a long time, and they've found lots of remains etc. It was super cool, and had a restaurant - which was the only food we saw available all day - once we left Tartu.
The next day we decided to go visit a bog! Yep, that's a tourist thing to do - apparently. These bogs formed as the ice age glaciers receded about 10,000 years ago. This one was 7,000 years old, and as it lays down 1mm of peat per year, the peat here is 7m thick. So, to get to the bog we grabbed a train back north to a tiny place called Vägeva. This was 4k from the bog, and had a total of about 6 houses. But... we had seen some mention of a cafe, which gave us great hope as we arrived at 1:30 with 2 apples and some biscuits for lunch. To our delight and amazement there was a building with a "kohvik" sign (cafe). Serena went up and saw someone inside the house, and had to knock on the door. A lady opened the door, and yes, there were 2 tables and chairs setup in what looked like the lounge room. She told us she had "House Cake", so we both ordered House Cake and coffee/tea, and it was amazing - complete with blueberries harvested from the local forest! As we ate she explained that the house used to be the station masters and chief engineers house. It was SOOOO good, and one of those incredible surprise things that are such a delight!
Things then took a slightly different turn, (now for those with a weak heart, or anxiety condition - let me say this story ends well, we are both still alive, unbitten, and have great bog memories - let me continue). After we left the cafe, we followed the Google maps walking route to the bog (as Google maps doesn't do cycling here). Of course, then the rain started, and then the path turned into a forest track with grass, shrubs and stinging nettles up to our waist. We pressed on, knowing that we were only about 1k from the bog, and found our way to a rough dirt road! Feeling confident, we pressed on, only to then be confronted with 2 paths both of which went straight to houses one with a fence, so we tried the other, it had 2 dogs that come running out fairly convinced that they were required to defend the realm from Australian invaders. Luckily the owner came out, and called the dogs off. After we explained we were looking for the road, she told us to walk around the house and there right on the other side was the gravel road we needed! Phew!
We chained up the bikes (to a tree) and went on the nature walk through the bog - it was pretty incredible (see pics below). After a quick visit, we had to get back on the bikes and head 20k down to Jogeva, a bigger station with more train options. Using our new strength on the bike we motored our way down at record pace, and made our train with time to spare (10 minutes - which for those who know me is, waaaay early).
So, this morning we packed up our very non-hipster apartment, and grabbed the train to Valmiera, a small city (25k people) in Latvia. We've planning 2 nights here and then on to Riga for a couple of days!
This train hopping thing is great, the bikes go on easily, the people are understanding and helpful, and it's awesome to have the bikes to ride to our accomodation, and for any day trip we dream up!!
Serena's Turn
Ok, Sportsfans, now it's my turn. Though I have to say after reading Mike's contribution I'm pretty damn impressed, and not too sure what to add. He has faithfully recorded the last week down especially the "hipster" apartment and yesterday's famous bog day, that we won't be forgetting in a hurry. So, I'll give a few of my thoughts and put the pics in. While I'm doing this Mike's on the sofa munching on our first local delicacy Flavoured Mustard Pickles chips - EWWWWWW. He's loving them!
So, back to Estonia. I was here 15 years ago not long after they gained their independence, and I loved my visit. Estonia made a deep impression on me - for such a sad and aggressive history of occupation, they retained their hope, their pride, their laughter, and their connection with each other, and I learnt they used singing as their subversive protest and revolution. Incredible spirit. So, I was curious how I would find being here 15 years later, and I found myself loving Estonia even more. With our fabulous "hipster" ramshackle apartment in the old historical and now artsy area we explored the world around us and I saw how much Tallinn had grown since I was there last. I was gobsmacked at the restoration of the old (including buildings and the food market), the construction of the new (so many cool and creative buildings), the laid back and warm people, the wonderful pastries and food in general, and how light and fun the vibe was the whole time we were there - both in Tallinn and Tartu. Tallinn was a fun cool place to hang and explore, and Tartu was a beautiful place to explore a smaller city and the countryside around it - I've never been to a bog before! Coincidentally our place in Tartu was also in the area of the beautiful old traditional wooden houses, so it was a delight. And Estonian gardens. Wow. Like the old fashioned Aussie gardens of our grandparents - big, beautiful flower gardens, and often big vegetables patches. So fantastic. Mike and I both said we'd love to come back again and spend more time exploring more of the country.
The other interesting thing for me while we've been here is to be off the bike. Even though, as Mike pointed out, we have been doing some kms on the bike the last two days - around 70km in total - but still it's different when it's not destination cycling, day after day. And I'm enjoying it. It's a bit weird at times - today on the train into Latvia I looked out and saw some dirt tracks in the forrest beside the train line and thought how great it would be to be on the bike out there instead of the train. Crikey. But it has been nice not to wake up and have to check weather, wind, rain, traffic, hill etc info. It's been calming to enjoy being tourists for a bit, and we'll see how that goes. It's also been great to get on the bike for day adventures - we had a hoot of a time (though could have done without the stinging nettles and the dogs) these last two days, to get back out, stretch the legs and have some fun. I miss Sally a bit, but she'll no doubt make an appearance again soon.
So sit back and enjoy the pics. We've had so much fun in Estonia. I really really really recommend a visit. It's cool, grounded, daggy, and that little bit quirky.
(I just tried the Mustard Pickles chips. Not bad.)
Our neighbourhood Kalamaja
Super excited to see you guys made it to the Baltic states If you get to Riga check out the Opera house.inside
ReplyDeleteLoving your Estonian adventure - especially the Bog in the Bog - the best thing about the Bog day no doubt. Not sure about the mustard pickle chips - but the cakes look devine especially the rhubarb one - and the gardens gorgeous! The last picture of the 2 of you with the tasty cake topping is so beautiful. You both look so well and happy - go well my friends xoxo And you both have a great flare for travel writing.xoxox missing you but always so great to read your posts.
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