From Coast to Coast to Coast
Yesterday I drove from an island off the west coast (Saaramaa) to Tartu in the south central part of Estonia. Today, I took the advice of the young woman at the tourist information centre, and drove along the east coast before heading back to Tallinn on the north coast. Needless to say, distances are less great than in Canada.
First, I enjoyed a visit to the Tartu Botanical Gardens. It's a wonderful size -- big enough to have a little bit of everything and small enough to make it look good. The peony patch was a wonder! Flowers are just ending their blooms, and there were just so many of them. The patch was about 15 meters wide and 25 meters long, with colours grouped together for a more impressive show. There were paths winding through, enhancing the experience.
The first thing I saw, when I entered by the side gate, was a palm tree sculpture made of 6 inch terra cotta pots and rope. It stood about eight feet tall.
The dahlia patch was small, and rather sorry looking. Thank goodness the peonies made up for it.
Next stop laundry, then back on the road to see Lake Peipus, which makes up much of the border between Estonia and Russia. The lovely young woman at the tourist info centre said the area is heavily influenced by the Russians, and the onion shaped domes of their churches lead the Estonians to make references to onion fish in the lake. I'm glad she cleared that up for me, because I couldn't figure it out on my own.
She suggested I drive through Varnja and Kolkja, rather than the larger centres of Kallaste or Mustvee. And even though I didn't see the churches, I did see glimpses of the past. The houses hugged the road, and there was no new development along the roadway. Every house had a woodpile, not always adjacent to the house, and I saw several men with wheelbarrows bringing some wood closer to home.
I've been watching, and haven't seen a lot of people my age. I see people in their 70s and 80s, and young families, with parents in their 30s and 40s. But not a lot of people in their 50s and 60s.
I also caught glimpses of the lake. Yes, it's big. No I couldn't see the other side.
Then I headed northwest, following the signs to Tallinn. I had hoped to find the waterfall at Jagala. Very few attraction signs are translated to English, so I probably missed the turnoff.
Now that I'm spending another Saturday night in Tallinn, I thought I should check out the bachelorette party action in Old Town. There didn't seem to be as many groups as last week, but they were more dolled up.
There also seemed to be more Russian conversations this week. That's the thing with tourist towns. The mix of visitors changes from day to day, and week to week.
First, I enjoyed a visit to the Tartu Botanical Gardens. It's a wonderful size -- big enough to have a little bit of everything and small enough to make it look good. The peony patch was a wonder! Flowers are just ending their blooms, and there were just so many of them. The patch was about 15 meters wide and 25 meters long, with colours grouped together for a more impressive show. There were paths winding through, enhancing the experience.
The first thing I saw, when I entered by the side gate, was a palm tree sculpture made of 6 inch terra cotta pots and rope. It stood about eight feet tall.
The dahlia patch was small, and rather sorry looking. Thank goodness the peonies made up for it.
Next stop laundry, then back on the road to see Lake Peipus, which makes up much of the border between Estonia and Russia. The lovely young woman at the tourist info centre said the area is heavily influenced by the Russians, and the onion shaped domes of their churches lead the Estonians to make references to onion fish in the lake. I'm glad she cleared that up for me, because I couldn't figure it out on my own.
She suggested I drive through Varnja and Kolkja, rather than the larger centres of Kallaste or Mustvee. And even though I didn't see the churches, I did see glimpses of the past. The houses hugged the road, and there was no new development along the roadway. Every house had a woodpile, not always adjacent to the house, and I saw several men with wheelbarrows bringing some wood closer to home.
I've been watching, and haven't seen a lot of people my age. I see people in their 70s and 80s, and young families, with parents in their 30s and 40s. But not a lot of people in their 50s and 60s.
I also caught glimpses of the lake. Yes, it's big. No I couldn't see the other side.
Then I headed northwest, following the signs to Tallinn. I had hoped to find the waterfall at Jagala. Very few attraction signs are translated to English, so I probably missed the turnoff.
Now that I'm spending another Saturday night in Tallinn, I thought I should check out the bachelorette party action in Old Town. There didn't seem to be as many groups as last week, but they were more dolled up.
There also seemed to be more Russian conversations this week. That's the thing with tourist towns. The mix of visitors changes from day to day, and week to week.
Tartu Botanical Gardens (my favourite gardens of the trip):
The lake that separates Estonia from Russia:
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