I apologize for neglecting my blog, I realize it's been almost three weeks since my last post. The reason for the lacking blog posts isn't because I've been off on crazy adventures, quite the opposite really. Not much has happened in the last few weeks. Until last night.The last few weeks have been spent sleeping, reading, watching How I Met Your Mother (which is ridiculously popular in Europe) and learning Estonian. I'm able to order beer/coffee in Estonian! It's really exciting. The weather has become increasingly colder day after day. It's probably mid 30's everyday. Time for the winter jacket! The rain doesn't help either. I wish it would just snow already!
My favorite bar in Tartu is Zavood. This bar is located off the main square down a little alley. The location looks more sketch than anything. The bar itself is colorful and full of all kinds of crazy people and graffiti. There is a bumper sticker right outside that says "911 was an inside job." There are actually quite a few 911 themed 'art pieces' around Tartu. One located on the bridge I cross every day is a McDonald's M. The two arches are depicted as the jet streams from two planes meeting in them middle to destroy the Twin Towers; the middle of the M. "Eat This" is written below. This little gem was added on 9/11. It can be seen around Tartu, including one on the McDonald's. Ouch. But I digress, back to Zavood.
The beer is cheap, 1.6 Euro for a half liter of Rock, 2 Euro for Alexander (a personal favorite) and 2 Euro for a Sparrow. Now a sparrow may sound strange but it's really quite delicious. (It's one of the many things I'm bringing back to the US.) A sparrow is crushed ice with lemon slices at the bottom, 2 shots of vodka and 2 giant clumps of brown sugar. Like I said, it sounds strange but give it a try!
Zavood has a Foosball table, as do most bars in Tartu, but Foosball at Zavood is a big deal. I've seen a couple intense fights in the street outside...always over foosball. Almost all games are in pairs due to the large number of Foosball enthusiasts dying to play. I've become a self declared cheerleader for my favorite Foosball team (two of my best friends) Wouter from Netherlands and Marian from Germany. My cheer-leading usually consists of me standing between the two of them and yelling about how I need to see some offense/defense. They usually win so I like to think I'm helping.
My favorite thing about Zavood is the music. They play killer music! Last night I enjoyed some Cream, Blue Oyster Cult and Neil Young. You absolutely cannot go wrong there. They switch it up every night but I have yet to hear anything I dislike. I usually end up dancing around with a few friends. Two nights ago a live band played at one of the tables. They had an electric bass, an accordion and I believe a mandolin. All of their songs were Estonian - go figure - and they were received incredibly well. Couples were dancing around the Foosball table and everyone was having a great time. I know I was.
Now, as I mentioned above, last night was rough. Looking back now it's rather funny but in the moment I was less than pleased. A group of us were standing near the bar/door and some lady ran through the crowd vomiting on everything and everyone. I was one of the unlucky few to be in the line of fire. I had my coat on my lap which was probably the best case scenario because the coat served as a shield. My friend Hannah got it all over her sleeve and my friend Jacques got the worst of our group. It hit his side and he was wearing fleece. The door was in the worst shape of all though. Luckily no one else threw up due to this but trust me, we were all gagging and covering our noses.
Well there you have it. The most exciting thing to happen to me in the last few weeks. Gross.
At the end of this month I'll hopefully be heading to Tallinn for a day to see Aaron and then to Riga with my buddy Brian and a few of his friends. Details are still in the works but I'll keep everyone posted. Hope all is well!
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