On Friday morning (Sept. 16th) I hopped on a bus to Tallinn. The ride was uneventful aside from the screaming baby in the seat next to me - headphones may just be the best invention ever. I arrived in Tallinn around 2:30 pm which was perfect timing because my buddy Brian Gnerre's plane from Sweden landed in Tallinn at 2:30 pm as well. He jumped on a bus "to somewhere" and I, after staring hopelessly at a map of the city for about 10 minutes, decided to just start walking forward. I'm not exactly sure how these two quasi-strategies were supposed to work but we found each other in less than 5 minutes. I think it's his long hair. It could also be his German friend Benedikt who is thee most impressive navigator I've ever met. Brian and I would probably still be somewhere in Tallinn trying to find our hostel (The Dancing Eesti) if Benedikt had not been around.
After finding each other and the necessary introductions and greetings were over, we walked into the Old Town of Tallinn which is really one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I've included a few photos to give you a taste but I have many more uploaded onto my Facebook if anyone is interested in seeing more. It took us quite a while to find our hostel, even with Benedikt's talent. We asked an old man in an Antik shop and his answer was "Many look but not many find." This is probably true seeing as there is no sign and the hostel is not on the main street but rather in a back courtyard behind a locked gate. Great hostel though, I'd recommend it to anyone because it's in the perfect location, really cheap and has a bar with even cheaper beer! The staff is also incredibly helpful. The lady who checked us in told us about a live band playing at one of the best venues in Tallinn - conveniently just a 5 minute walk from our hostel. We wandered around for a while and found a small place for lunch. We enjoyed some delicious elk soup for 1 euro as well as some meat pies (the lady working said they were snake and small rodents but the picture showed a cow and a pig). We continued to wander around Old Town taking photos and looking like tourists for a few hours. At some point we ate a fabulous dinner of pancakes. Brian had the savory smoked cheese and ham while I went for the sweet peach and curd. I believe Benedikt had a beer. Did I mention he was German? After dinner we visited Shooters - a shot bar- located directly across the street from our hostel. We visited a few times that night. Can't beat 5 shots for 5 Euro, 10 shots for 7 euro during happy hour. (Disclaimer: these are not straight alcohol shots. They are essentially a mixed drink poured into 5 shot glasses).
After an interesting experience in a public restroom that was rather space aged but did not flush, we
went to the live music recommended to us by the lovely Hostel clerk. The band wore traditional Estonian clothing and took traditional Estonian folk songs to a new level. I would best describe the band, Zetod, as Gypsy Folk with a hint of Punk. The accordion player was pretty cool, he had a giant fro. During one of their songs they had a pretty hilarious thing called the Wall of Doom. The crowd was very familiar with the tradition. Basically the crowd divides in half and faces each other. During the chorus half of the crowd shuffles forward and then shuffles back. Then the other side does it. I didn't really know what what happening but it was still great fun. Here is a link of one of the songs they played. It's a mild one so don't be afraid to check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwQtOTtrdlo&feature=relatedDuring the concert we met quite a few people. Brian and I sat outside and talked with three local Estonians about quite a bit for maybe half an hour. One of them told me the best pick-up line in Estonian is "I love you" in Estonian. He wrote it down for me but I can't really read his handwriting. He said the second one is "Tere" which is just "Hello"...it hasn't worked on the grocery store clerks or bus drivers so Estonians must be hard to pick-up. Anyway, while Brian and I were outside, Benedikt was inside talking with a really awesome Finnish guy. We ended up going to a small cafe/pub thing with the Finnish guy, Janni, (J = Y sound) and his Estonian girlfriend, Kelly, and her friends. We were there for at least 2 hours. We did lose Brian for about an hour to the toilet but it was still great fun. Maybe not for Brian...in his defense he only fell asleep...so he says. We exchanged contact info with our new friends (they will hopefully come meet me in Tartu at our mutually favorite bar Zavood). Then it was off to bed for all of us, especially Brian.
After our tour the three of us made our way for a rental car agency. We were told it was about a half hours walk. After walking for half an hour and not even making it to the halfway mark, we decided to take a bus. The bus dropped us off at a strange industrial hotel spa. We wandered around for 15 minutes searching for the car rental agency. We had no such luck finding it but we did find the Harbor Master's Office (Tallinn is located right on the Baltic Sea). We were able to use the internet and get the phone number. Apparently the office was closed and they had been waiting for us at the creepy hotel. We were able to meet up and get the car and everything was fine. It was more of a hassle but turned out to be well worth the trouble.
I decided to stay in and study some Estonian while Brian and Benedikt went out for a couple beers. I know, I know. Study abroad? People actually study? It a difficult concept to grasp.Breakfast was served promptly at 9 and we were in luck because it was pancake day! We also had tea, fresh juice and mini sandwiches. Like I said, I would recommend this B&B for sure. We checked out and drove down to the castle in Kuressaare. It now serves as what I understand to be some kind of museum however we arrived too early to actually see inside the castle. That was fine with us as we just wanted around and took photos and were watched closely by the castle caretaker. At one point he hopped on a bike and followed us. It was strange but I guess that's his job? After castle viewing we drove over to see a beach...it was high tide and there wasn't much to see so we continued on our way...which was really just driving around and looking at nature.
We drove for a good hour or two around the back roads - we're talking dirt and branches and rocks middle of nowhere back roads. It felt like home! We eventually stumbled upon Europe's largest crater caused by a meteorite (or something like that - I am not a scientist and don't know the proper term.)We wandered around here for a while as it was very peaceful and green. Then to a mini grocery store where we purchased delicious bread, meat and cheese and some Pims (my favorite snack ever! A soft cookie thing with chocolate and jam). We drove around some more looking at the scenery and then we came across the most magical place I've ever been. A small beach with white rocks and clear blue water. We spent a good hour here throwing rocks and climbing the largest one. Lots of laughing and just hanging out. I hope to return here someday, preferably soon because the weather is preparing to suck.
Brian and Benedikt stayed in Tartu Sunday and Monday night and got to meet most of my friends here. They should be back in Sweden now and I'm back into the swing of going to classes...well, at least until tomorrow. It's very uncommon to have classes on Fridays in Estonia. The reasoning I've heard is that because Estonia is so small, many students go home on Friday for the weekend. Even if there were classes, students would still leave so most professors don't even bother. I have no complaints about this!
My plans for this weekend are small. On Friday a group of us are going to a ropes course just outside of Tartu. I'm terrified of heights so I may just stay on the ground with my Dutch friend Wouter who is also afraid of heights. The rest of the weekend should be spend reading my many texts for all of my English Lit courses. We'll see how well that plan goes.
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