There are times in ones life where it gets too complicated and too busy to allow for any kind of reflection. That's been the last three months for me. But, simply because three months have gone by, it's not to say that the memories have faded. So here we find ourselves again in the memory of my adventures. Welcome back!
Estonia is a small country, but as I came to discover, the locals consider it to have three capitals. Tallinn is the main point of interest and was where I lived for the duration of my stay. It's the official capital and the centre of business for the country. The second capital is Parnu which is referred to as the summer capital as it mainly occupied in the summer when its long beaches become more appealing. The third capital is Tartu, which is the university capital where students populate the city for the duration of the year.
As per usual, my travelling companion was Kevin, the American, and for this particular excursion we chose to take the train to Tartu! I had never been on a train before and it was one of my missions to accomplish before I left. This would be the last time Kevin and I travelled together and so it was a kind of bittersweet adventure.
We took the bus into downtown Tartu (in which time I broke my only pair of sunglasses and was forced to buy a pair of new ones) and decided to eat at the shopping centre and kill two birds with one stone. Sorry, birds.
Tartu is on a winding river and borders both of its banks and so, when rainy, it also becomes bug-y. Tallinn has a breeze. I missed it. The rain started in the afternoon, about a few hours after we had disembarked. Humid, muggy, sticky, and rainy, this soon became my least favourite of our excursions. Add to that, that my camera broke (it had sand in it- my fault entirely) and I quickly had a little hate-on for this quiet university town. I know I'm whining. Be patient, it gets better.
After thoroughly scouring the downtown and river front areas for interesting things to see, my mood was delivered from its fugue by the beautiful, abundant greenery, stone pathways and little hills that dotted the town. I was even more appeased after entering into its old town and botanical gardens. Old Town looked the miniature of Old Town, Tallinn except for the university smack in the centre. People were out in the streets, sitting outside of cafes and restaurants despite the weather and the overall feel was pleasant.
The hill behind the university was home to a few of its buildings, a number of statues (and an ancient sacrificial killing ground!!) and somewhere back there in the green and dirt we stumbled upon something we hadn't expected (especially since we hadn't researched anything to be found in Tartu, really, including the human sacrificing place). Ill-planned and we still found the historic sites! What I now know we were looking at is called Tartu Jaani Kirik Church- or Tartu St. John's Church and was once one of the most unique pieces of Western Gothic architecture in Europe due to its massive collection of terracotta statues. Now, mostly a ruin, you can pay for tickets and climb through its stairways and get a great view of Tartu from 360 degrees. Standing inside the ruined bit with no roof (located toward what I think was the back of the property) you get a very inspired feeling. There are still brick arches that are now transparent and empty that funnel light down onto the sand floor, which is really just the ground. I can't describe it but standing there I felt something a bit profound and was moved by the atmosphere under the arches.
Another spot not to be missed were the botanical gardens on the outskirts of the Old Town. It was a fun little trip that included saying hello to a lot of fish and making your way through tangled vines and pedways looking down onto tropical trees and flowers. A surreal departure from the snowy Estonia one gets accustomed to. We finished our trip with ice cream, a good chat with the locals and we were back on the train to Tallinn.
I spoke with Kevin a few nights ago (maybe 9 months or so after this trip) and I have to say that there are many ways people can make friends but few are comparable to being the only English speaking people in a country far away. It's like a little pressure cooker for a friendship, especially considering how much travelling we did together. He's still just as easy to talk to and as odd as he ever was. So, if you're reading this, Kevin... I miss you!!!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Oslo! (Part 2)
You might think to yourself, "They definitely didn't get up the next morning to see the rest of Oslo. They probably slept clear through the afternoon and just went partying in the night." Well, do I have news for you! By some miracle, we were up and gone by 10am. Don't ask me how. I don't have the answer.
The day was beautiful and sunny with less chill than the day before. When we left the hostel we were cheerful and excited and the day went a lot easier than the previous one which seemed to take an extraordinary amount of effort to get through. It even felt like it took a lot of effort to write about it. It's funny how you can still feel how you felt on a particular day when you sit down and reflect on it. Anyway, we found a small record store that had these interesting old Norwegian photos to look at before we found a great little cafe to have breakfast in. I'm not sure if it was because we were really hungry, happy or if it was real, but I swear it was the best thing I'd ever eaten. Fresh squeezed orange juice, a cafe americano, and the most amazing croissant ever. Ever. After eating, we all split up and the girls went shopping while Kevin went to a museum and the other guys went to a music store. On our part, Nicole, Lilla and I hit up H&M, Gina Tricot, and some souvenir shops. The shopping was much better in Oslo, than in Tallinn but the prices were higher. A bag each in hand, we met up with the others of our group and prepared to continue on. We were on our way to the ferry terminal to go see some islands when we met with a parade in the street. As it turns out there was a military tattoo that day and everyone was out to see it. It lasted for a long time and was really interesting. There were representations from every branch of the military, foreign and local, located in Norway. So there were Brits, Russians, the UN, the EU and a slew of others such as the Swedes and Scots. It was a really large event that lasted throughout the morning into the afternoon but it was really interesting. It ended while we were waiting for our ferry so we conveniently had something to watch.
We decided, before we embarked, that we'd have lunch on the mainland and so we got in line at another, you guessed it, McDonald's. This time I got a flurry, and no I don't feel guilty about it thank you very much. We ate on board the ferry and I think I ate more hair than food. Having completed both the food and boat missions we disembarked on the island and started to look around. A few feet in, I stopped and looked quizzically at something that seemed very, very familiar. My eyes widened, I took in a sharp breath and ran excitedly toward a very Canadian sight. An INUKSHUK! On this foolish Norwegian island there was a large, ridiculously out of place inukshuk. I blinked a few times to make sure I had it right and then tried to explain to the 5 other people I was with what on earth an inukshuk was. I even rein-acted the heritage moment commercial. You know the one, "Now the people will know we were here! Hay yaw hay yaw...." I can hear your stupefied silence. Yup, that's pretty well what they did too. But I thought it was really cool.
After the inukshuk incident, we wandered around this amazingly beautiful island that was remote yet quite populated. Norwegians appear to have a lot of money and so have very beautiful houses and boats. So many boats! And not little ones either, I mean the large yacht sized ones. I had so much fun here looking around. The scenery and views of the mainland were spectacular. On the way back to get the ferry, we encountered the viking museum that had two real, ancient viking ships hanging on the inside. Kevin went in and paid to get a full good look but the rest of us were satisfied with a quick glimpse and then a lay-down in the parking lot. Taking the ferry back was a good wind-down to that part of the journey. We had done a lot of walking and were starting to get tired. Once we were back on the mainland we decided to buy shrimp off of the back of a boat in the harbour and eat it sitting on the docks. I think that might have been my favourite part, sitting with friends, peeling shrimp and throwing the shells to the birds. The sun was starting to get lower and it was lighting everything up really nicely so we though that once we were back done we would take in the oldest part of Oslo, a fortress situated on a cliff facing the fjord.
Its fortress wall was up high enough to enable us to take a few amazing shots of the city but other than the grounds being fairly pretty, that part was a flop as it had closed before we got there. That night we ate at a very nice restaurant, ending our budget food run and went back to the hostel. Our plane was leaving at around 4am so there was no point in sleeping. We grabbed some drinks, went outside and tried to drown the cold in alcohol. Later on we met up with four more Canadians, this time from Toronto, who were in town for a medical conference. They were looking for a good time in Oslo so we went to the bar with them and closed the place out before heaving our bags over our shoulders and walking back to the shuttle that would take us to the plane.
This next part entails a lot of waiting for airplanes and features my iPod heavily since I was too tired to even talk. Our group separated in Riga with the other girls staying for some sightseeing while the rest of us went by bus back to Tallinn. I was sick for a week after I arrived back home so I guess that means that I wasn't so resilient after all. But I had so much fun and wouldn't have missed it for the world! It was one of the best trips of my Estonia experience. I just wish it could have lasted a little longer.
The day was beautiful and sunny with less chill than the day before. When we left the hostel we were cheerful and excited and the day went a lot easier than the previous one which seemed to take an extraordinary amount of effort to get through. It even felt like it took a lot of effort to write about it. It's funny how you can still feel how you felt on a particular day when you sit down and reflect on it. Anyway, we found a small record store that had these interesting old Norwegian photos to look at before we found a great little cafe to have breakfast in. I'm not sure if it was because we were really hungry, happy or if it was real, but I swear it was the best thing I'd ever eaten. Fresh squeezed orange juice, a cafe americano, and the most amazing croissant ever. Ever. After eating, we all split up and the girls went shopping while Kevin went to a museum and the other guys went to a music store. On our part, Nicole, Lilla and I hit up H&M, Gina Tricot, and some souvenir shops. The shopping was much better in Oslo, than in Tallinn but the prices were higher. A bag each in hand, we met up with the others of our group and prepared to continue on. We were on our way to the ferry terminal to go see some islands when we met with a parade in the street. As it turns out there was a military tattoo that day and everyone was out to see it. It lasted for a long time and was really interesting. There were representations from every branch of the military, foreign and local, located in Norway. So there were Brits, Russians, the UN, the EU and a slew of others such as the Swedes and Scots. It was a really large event that lasted throughout the morning into the afternoon but it was really interesting. It ended while we were waiting for our ferry so we conveniently had something to watch.
We decided, before we embarked, that we'd have lunch on the mainland and so we got in line at another, you guessed it, McDonald's. This time I got a flurry, and no I don't feel guilty about it thank you very much. We ate on board the ferry and I think I ate more hair than food. Having completed both the food and boat missions we disembarked on the island and started to look around. A few feet in, I stopped and looked quizzically at something that seemed very, very familiar. My eyes widened, I took in a sharp breath and ran excitedly toward a very Canadian sight. An INUKSHUK! On this foolish Norwegian island there was a large, ridiculously out of place inukshuk. I blinked a few times to make sure I had it right and then tried to explain to the 5 other people I was with what on earth an inukshuk was. I even rein-acted the heritage moment commercial. You know the one, "Now the people will know we were here! Hay yaw hay yaw...." I can hear your stupefied silence. Yup, that's pretty well what they did too. But I thought it was really cool.
After the inukshuk incident, we wandered around this amazingly beautiful island that was remote yet quite populated. Norwegians appear to have a lot of money and so have very beautiful houses and boats. So many boats! And not little ones either, I mean the large yacht sized ones. I had so much fun here looking around. The scenery and views of the mainland were spectacular. On the way back to get the ferry, we encountered the viking museum that had two real, ancient viking ships hanging on the inside. Kevin went in and paid to get a full good look but the rest of us were satisfied with a quick glimpse and then a lay-down in the parking lot. Taking the ferry back was a good wind-down to that part of the journey. We had done a lot of walking and were starting to get tired. Once we were back on the mainland we decided to buy shrimp off of the back of a boat in the harbour and eat it sitting on the docks. I think that might have been my favourite part, sitting with friends, peeling shrimp and throwing the shells to the birds. The sun was starting to get lower and it was lighting everything up really nicely so we though that once we were back done we would take in the oldest part of Oslo, a fortress situated on a cliff facing the fjord.
Its fortress wall was up high enough to enable us to take a few amazing shots of the city but other than the grounds being fairly pretty, that part was a flop as it had closed before we got there. That night we ate at a very nice restaurant, ending our budget food run and went back to the hostel. Our plane was leaving at around 4am so there was no point in sleeping. We grabbed some drinks, went outside and tried to drown the cold in alcohol. Later on we met up with four more Canadians, this time from Toronto, who were in town for a medical conference. They were looking for a good time in Oslo so we went to the bar with them and closed the place out before heaving our bags over our shoulders and walking back to the shuttle that would take us to the plane.
This next part entails a lot of waiting for airplanes and features my iPod heavily since I was too tired to even talk. Our group separated in Riga with the other girls staying for some sightseeing while the rest of us went by bus back to Tallinn. I was sick for a week after I arrived back home so I guess that means that I wasn't so resilient after all. But I had so much fun and wouldn't have missed it for the world! It was one of the best trips of my Estonia experience. I just wish it could have lasted a little longer.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Oslo! (Part 1)
This is a story about what happens when six crazy foreigners decide to embark on a journey to parts unknown. Or at least unknown to us. It's not like Oslo is some backwater or anything. I was a late addition to the group who decided to travel and was a bit hesitant throughout the whole process but it wound up being an excellent decision and as it turns out, I'm a fairly patient traveller in groups of people. We started out by booking tickets through a discount airline called "Wizzair", which is Hungarian. How did we know about it? Well, we were conveniently travelling with a Hungarian. Now, let me tell you about what happens when you book through a discount airline. First of all, you only fly on the days that are most inconvenient for you, at odd hours, to airports so far outside your destination it almost negates flying discount to start with. So, the night we left, we had a little party in Kevin's flat and then caught the last trolley around midnight to the bus terminal, "Autobussijaam". I was slightly separated from the others on the bus ride to Riga, Latvia which is where we were departing from and I think that was somewhat fortunate as we were rather rowdy and I generally feel uncomfortable when I'm in a noisy group in places where others are trying to be quiet. Like on a night bus to Riga. It was 5am by the time we got to Riga and unfortunately I hadn't slept at all and was just a delight to be around. We had six hours to wait in Riga for our flight (who planned this thing???) and so I decided two hours in to the wait to lay down and sleep. I don't do this well in places that aren't beds for one reason: I am a face sleeper. I sleep on my stomach with my face buried in the pillow near the bottom so that my mouth hangs off of it and I can breathe, with my arms tucked under my chest. It looks as awkward as it sounds. On bus rides and long flights, I pull the eating tray down, lay something soft on it and bend over facedown on it. On the floor in airports I put something soft on my duffel and lay facedown on that. I manage to get maybe a half hour of sleep at a time that way. Not effective, efficient, or any other word describing "smooth" that starts with an "e". I also get really bad indigestion when I travel and that plagued me until we landed. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the effort.
I thankfully slept on the plane to Oslo for about two hours. We landed about an hour and a half outside of the city and hopped on a bus that would take us to the centre of town. There was nobody else on the bus so we had a lot of fun being childish and loud. The ride there was full of mountains that roads were essentially drilled through, so when we hit those we held our breath from start to finish. I won every time, me and my intense lung capacity. We settled down enough after the first hour to enjoy the scenery on the drive in. Olso is built up around Oslofjord and so, every inhabitant owns a watercraft of some sort which in the right season forces a person to stare through thousands of masts before getting glimpses of water. Once you get past the masts though, the views are incredible. Hilly with water flowing in between, making Oslo one big valley.
We had booked our hostel previous to our arrival in the city so our first order of business when we got there was to check it. Anker Hostel was a dormitory during the university season and housed weary travelers the rest of the time. When we arrived the line was huge because it was the cheapest hostel in Norway, ringing in at $50 CDN per night. Compare that with Lithuania at $7.50 CDN and you get an idea of how expensive it is to travel to Norway. My credit card is still steaming! Anyway, our room was large enough but lacked any charm or character. I was satisfied with it though, as it suited our purpose for a one night stay. After checking in, we were absolutely famished and went to get something to eat. I've never eaten so much McDonald's in my life as I did on this trip because it was budget conscious. Though I use the word "budget" loosely, as my normal nuggets and fries meal still costs $14 in Oslo as compared to $3 in Estonia (CDN dollars). Oi! So after gorging ourselves we went to look around. At this point I'd been 36 hours without sleep. I didn't really realize that I was this resilient until this trip.
Continuing on, we walked through the centre of town and looked at some shops and found the main street that would take us to the palace. This part was easy. The street was long and broad and perfectly straight making it impossible to get lost, easy to stroll and to take your time, and yet kept the anticipation high for when we reached our destination. There were scintillating glimpses of the very symmetrical royal palace lined by a large water feature, too many restaurants, the university, parliament, and these funny little gold painted men who wouldn't let you take their picture without putting a little donation into their jar. The trek took a while, but once we got to the palace we weren't disappointed. Manicured to perfection, huge and with parks all around we were completely distracted by everything until our reverie was interrupted by a disgruntled looking camera man asking us to move out of the way because we were blocking his shot. Apparently, they were filming a movie that was set to be finished in the next month or so for a Norwegian film festival. We apologetically slunk behind a statue of a horse for the rest or out viewing session. But, the camera man was nice enough to take our photo so that was nice.
Moving behind the palace, we found fountains and scenic views and all kinds of residential streets that were extremely neat and tidy with all kinds of ornate architecture typical of the Europeans. We were looking for a park called Vigelandsparken featuring 192 bronze and granite sculptures all from the same artist, Gustav Vigeland. The main attraction is a 140 foot monolith comprised of 121 people all intertwined into a column. The ground were also designed by the artist and are absolutely breathtaking with their manicured gardens, fountains, and treelined avenues. We spent a long time here just taking it all in and relaxing along the stairs leading to the monolith. Most of my photos were taken here and I seriously couldn't get enough. On the way down from the peak of the whole structure, I saw ahead of us a girl with a Canadian flag on her back and I got very excited and ran to say hello. She was the first Canadian I'd seen since leaving Canada (who wasn't an ambassador of anything) and I was anxious to see what she was doing in Norway. Coincidentally, she was also from Nova Scotia, the Annapolis Valley in particular and we chatted for a while about home and our travels. I didn't realize how happy I'd be to see someone who knew where I was from. After we parted ways, the rest of us continued on to take it the infamous "angry baby" statue that gained a certain notoriety for being very hilarious and as a result has been stolen and retrieved several time. The angry baby definitely lived up to its reputation and we left giggling at this funny little angry statue.
This was our last adventure for the evening and as we made our way back to the hostel we took in the setting sun on the harbour, the Nobel Prize building and guarding against the chill, ate supper on a park bench watching Norwegian party goers head out in all directions. The evening wasn't quite over for us either as we took some drinks into the hostel and enjoyed hot showers and alcohol before bed. It had been 48 hours without sleep and we only had one more day to enjoy Oslo. I passed out almost immediately after I showered and was out cold until the next day.
I thankfully slept on the plane to Oslo for about two hours. We landed about an hour and a half outside of the city and hopped on a bus that would take us to the centre of town. There was nobody else on the bus so we had a lot of fun being childish and loud. The ride there was full of mountains that roads were essentially drilled through, so when we hit those we held our breath from start to finish. I won every time, me and my intense lung capacity. We settled down enough after the first hour to enjoy the scenery on the drive in. Olso is built up around Oslofjord and so, every inhabitant owns a watercraft of some sort which in the right season forces a person to stare through thousands of masts before getting glimpses of water. Once you get past the masts though, the views are incredible. Hilly with water flowing in between, making Oslo one big valley.
We had booked our hostel previous to our arrival in the city so our first order of business when we got there was to check it. Anker Hostel was a dormitory during the university season and housed weary travelers the rest of the time. When we arrived the line was huge because it was the cheapest hostel in Norway, ringing in at $50 CDN per night. Compare that with Lithuania at $7.50 CDN and you get an idea of how expensive it is to travel to Norway. My credit card is still steaming! Anyway, our room was large enough but lacked any charm or character. I was satisfied with it though, as it suited our purpose for a one night stay. After checking in, we were absolutely famished and went to get something to eat. I've never eaten so much McDonald's in my life as I did on this trip because it was budget conscious. Though I use the word "budget" loosely, as my normal nuggets and fries meal still costs $14 in Oslo as compared to $3 in Estonia (CDN dollars). Oi! So after gorging ourselves we went to look around. At this point I'd been 36 hours without sleep. I didn't really realize that I was this resilient until this trip.
Continuing on, we walked through the centre of town and looked at some shops and found the main street that would take us to the palace. This part was easy. The street was long and broad and perfectly straight making it impossible to get lost, easy to stroll and to take your time, and yet kept the anticipation high for when we reached our destination. There were scintillating glimpses of the very symmetrical royal palace lined by a large water feature, too many restaurants, the university, parliament, and these funny little gold painted men who wouldn't let you take their picture without putting a little donation into their jar. The trek took a while, but once we got to the palace we weren't disappointed. Manicured to perfection, huge and with parks all around we were completely distracted by everything until our reverie was interrupted by a disgruntled looking camera man asking us to move out of the way because we were blocking his shot. Apparently, they were filming a movie that was set to be finished in the next month or so for a Norwegian film festival. We apologetically slunk behind a statue of a horse for the rest or out viewing session. But, the camera man was nice enough to take our photo so that was nice.
Moving behind the palace, we found fountains and scenic views and all kinds of residential streets that were extremely neat and tidy with all kinds of ornate architecture typical of the Europeans. We were looking for a park called Vigelandsparken featuring 192 bronze and granite sculptures all from the same artist, Gustav Vigeland. The main attraction is a 140 foot monolith comprised of 121 people all intertwined into a column. The ground were also designed by the artist and are absolutely breathtaking with their manicured gardens, fountains, and treelined avenues. We spent a long time here just taking it all in and relaxing along the stairs leading to the monolith. Most of my photos were taken here and I seriously couldn't get enough. On the way down from the peak of the whole structure, I saw ahead of us a girl with a Canadian flag on her back and I got very excited and ran to say hello. She was the first Canadian I'd seen since leaving Canada (who wasn't an ambassador of anything) and I was anxious to see what she was doing in Norway. Coincidentally, she was also from Nova Scotia, the Annapolis Valley in particular and we chatted for a while about home and our travels. I didn't realize how happy I'd be to see someone who knew where I was from. After we parted ways, the rest of us continued on to take it the infamous "angry baby" statue that gained a certain notoriety for being very hilarious and as a result has been stolen and retrieved several time. The angry baby definitely lived up to its reputation and we left giggling at this funny little angry statue.
This was our last adventure for the evening and as we made our way back to the hostel we took in the setting sun on the harbour, the Nobel Prize building and guarding against the chill, ate supper on a park bench watching Norwegian party goers head out in all directions. The evening wasn't quite over for us either as we took some drinks into the hostel and enjoyed hot showers and alcohol before bed. It had been 48 hours without sleep and we only had one more day to enjoy Oslo. I passed out almost immediately after I showered and was out cold until the next day.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
NATO schmato
It didn't take long for Friday to roll around. The day dawned drizzly and cold, and my nerves dawned frayed and jittery. I spend half of my life afraid, I think. And then keep putting myself in places where that fear is exacerbated. I got up and agonized over what to wear for a while. What is one supposed to wear to outdoor event where you're greeting the public and just incidentally travelled halfway around the world, leaving your professional wardrobe sitting in Canada? Having settled on never fail all-black, I trudged through the mist to the centre of town in order to forage for food and arrive to the kiosk on time. I needed to peruse my Afghanistan fact sheets though I was pretty positive that nobody was going to ask me anything on the paper. I did this over black tea and an omelette that I only ate half of because my stomach was doing flip flops. I didn't know what to expect and I was afraid that I wouldn't be any good at doing whatever I was supposed to be doing. The time came when I finally had to move to the square to start the day. One last check in the mirror and I was off.
It was chaos that greeted me on arrival. The Canadian embassy folks were unloading large red bins of supplies into a covered tent and attempting to construct these large metal and plastic pillars that had Afghanistan quick facts on them. My job was to watch the car as it was unlocked. Glamorous, I know. Aren't you jealous? Having accomplished that amazingly draining task, it was time to get started.
There were several embassies involved in the event and so under the pavilion, the American, Canadian, Belgian, and Polish flags were hanging. It made the place to look very festive. Due to volcanic ash clouds, and the unfortunate state of Polish affairs at the time, most of our supplies didn't make it to Tallinn as they were stuck in Warsaw. So, we had very little to give away, which is always a mistake when there are Americans in the vicinity. They had crackers and peanut butter, and people in uniform with big guns etc. Very impressive looking I have to say. The rest of us schlubby countries just had info, other than a brief moment of glee where I go to give out balloons. To that end, having nothing to give, while there are giant signs saying "Canada in Afghanistan" surrounding you is asking for trouble. And, for the most part it was. Creepy, opinionated people like to talk to Canadians about Afghanistan, not people out innocently taking in a NATO exhibit. Those people take the crackers and peanut butter and run. People are like crows. They like things that are either shiny or edible. Preferably both.
Despite the grey day, many, many people showed up for the NATO day proceedings. Talking with the person I was with from the embassy, he mentioned that since the economic recession, Estonians have taken to attending events that are open to the public and that are generally free of charge. I noticed that since being here I've seen many events happening in the square, of a number that would far exceed open, public events that happen at home. If I can recall, something is usually happening once every two weeks or so. I remember seeing thousands of candles lit at one point, as well as an interesting display of robotics where I held an old man robot's hand as he wobbled around on a walker. Anyway, the point is that it was busy. I met a lot of very interesting people, like the Estonian foreign minister, a few people working for the American embassy, some Canadian DFAIT folks, and some Estonian-Canadians who had found their way back to their homeland. That was the best part of the day, meeting all of these people who have led very interesting lives.
After six hours of towing the company line on the war in Afghanistan (yes, the Canadian government is pulling out in 2011 to take on a solely humanitarian role...), I was about ready to call 'er quits. We rolled everything up, packed the pillars away and rode off into the sunset. Pfftt.. no, I actually walked to Kevin's and had a warm supper. I was cold! The NATO event ended with an outdoor concert and a screening of the movie "Afghan Star" which I stuck around briefly to see. There was an after party for those who helped out at the event but, me and my feet had had enough. It had been a great day that I was very happy to be part of, even if there were parts I didn't like. Which reminds me, I should send them a thank-you note!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Hello, Mr. Ambassador?
The week before I left for Helsinki I received an invitation from the Canadian Embassy to attend a NATO event and volunteer for them. I was told to meet them on Monday for a meeting and that the ambassador would be there. The event was to be held on the Friday in Freedom Square and was going to be all day. I jumped at the opportunity thinking that it would be an invaluable experience that me and my politicized self would benefit from. I wasn't too far off actually, but of course, with me doing anything involves a number of potentially embarrassing hiccups.
On Monday I dutifully walked over to the Canadian embassy after class for the meeting. The e-mail I received said that the ambassador would be there but failed to mention a number of important things. It gave me the impression that there would be a lot of people and that I could just sit in the back maybe and pretend not to be there. Or maybe I misread the e-mail in lieu of wishful thinking. Wishful thinking aside, the facts were really rather different. This is how it unfolded: I walked in, one of the people working in the embassy said the ambassador wasn't ready yet so I sat down. About ten minutes later I was ushered into an adjoining room and told to pick a place to sit. As I entered, I was staring the ambassador full in the face and when I sat down.... he sat beside me. Now, I know that despite being a relative VIP in the Baltic region, that this man was just a person, but I hadn't blown my hair dry that morning, was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and was sweating slightly from walking up the hill. Bahh!!
There turned out to be only four people attending the meeting which was a briefing meeting on the war in Afghanistan which is what we'd be focusing on for the NATO exhibit. Thank you political science degree!!!! Thank you Jeff MacLeod for forcing me to learn stuff!! Without that prior knowledge, I would have been up a creek without a paddle (to be colloquial). As it was, my voice seemed to have gone into hiding somewhere under my lower intestine, and my sweat glands had decided I was nervous and to over produce for me. Dear body, I hate you. Love Noelle.
An hour in I managed to hit my stride. I knew this information, I'd covered it before. The ambassador was friendly and genial and spoke like a career politician and I'd dealt with people like that before. Half way through, he asked what I was studying and when I said political science, he just chuckled and mumbled that I probably already knew this stuff. I said sure, but not the statistics. When he asked my opinion, I had one, when he asked where I was from, he said he'd been there. So I guess, all in all, it went well. I'm not delusional, I know I was a blip on his radar screen for all of two hours but as the only other Canadian in the room, I had wanted to make an impression. I don't really know that I did. He was probably thinking, "This girl looks awfully uncomfortable." which I was. Totally.
Toward the end of our conversation, we got to talking about the political system in Tallinn. I mentioned that I thought their electoral system was better than ours despite the democratic deficit this part of the world is currently experiencing. The office manager, who was Estonian like all of the others who work in the embassy, said something that I hadn't thought of since being here and I want to share it with you even if you aren't interested. She said that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, things have been changing so fast for Estonians that they are simply exhausted from thinking about their political and economic situation. They don't have a history of consistently being concerned with upcoming elections, or a strong correlation between voting and democracy as a part of life. So, similar to Canadians, they simply don't bother to vote, just for very different reasons. I still think it's amazing that despite this, they have one of the top five democracies in the world and are one of the most forward-thinking nations.
On the walk home, I was laughing to myself and at myself for that afternoon. How? How did I get here, have coffee and a chat about NATO with an ambassador? How am I representing Canada's position in NATO to the Estonian public on Friday? What is going on?????
On Monday I dutifully walked over to the Canadian embassy after class for the meeting. The e-mail I received said that the ambassador would be there but failed to mention a number of important things. It gave me the impression that there would be a lot of people and that I could just sit in the back maybe and pretend not to be there. Or maybe I misread the e-mail in lieu of wishful thinking. Wishful thinking aside, the facts were really rather different. This is how it unfolded: I walked in, one of the people working in the embassy said the ambassador wasn't ready yet so I sat down. About ten minutes later I was ushered into an adjoining room and told to pick a place to sit. As I entered, I was staring the ambassador full in the face and when I sat down.... he sat beside me. Now, I know that despite being a relative VIP in the Baltic region, that this man was just a person, but I hadn't blown my hair dry that morning, was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and was sweating slightly from walking up the hill. Bahh!!
There turned out to be only four people attending the meeting which was a briefing meeting on the war in Afghanistan which is what we'd be focusing on for the NATO exhibit. Thank you political science degree!!!! Thank you Jeff MacLeod for forcing me to learn stuff!! Without that prior knowledge, I would have been up a creek without a paddle (to be colloquial). As it was, my voice seemed to have gone into hiding somewhere under my lower intestine, and my sweat glands had decided I was nervous and to over produce for me. Dear body, I hate you. Love Noelle.
An hour in I managed to hit my stride. I knew this information, I'd covered it before. The ambassador was friendly and genial and spoke like a career politician and I'd dealt with people like that before. Half way through, he asked what I was studying and when I said political science, he just chuckled and mumbled that I probably already knew this stuff. I said sure, but not the statistics. When he asked my opinion, I had one, when he asked where I was from, he said he'd been there. So I guess, all in all, it went well. I'm not delusional, I know I was a blip on his radar screen for all of two hours but as the only other Canadian in the room, I had wanted to make an impression. I don't really know that I did. He was probably thinking, "This girl looks awfully uncomfortable." which I was. Totally.
Toward the end of our conversation, we got to talking about the political system in Tallinn. I mentioned that I thought their electoral system was better than ours despite the democratic deficit this part of the world is currently experiencing. The office manager, who was Estonian like all of the others who work in the embassy, said something that I hadn't thought of since being here and I want to share it with you even if you aren't interested. She said that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, things have been changing so fast for Estonians that they are simply exhausted from thinking about their political and economic situation. They don't have a history of consistently being concerned with upcoming elections, or a strong correlation between voting and democracy as a part of life. So, similar to Canadians, they simply don't bother to vote, just for very different reasons. I still think it's amazing that despite this, they have one of the top five democracies in the world and are one of the most forward-thinking nations.
On the walk home, I was laughing to myself and at myself for that afternoon. How? How did I get here, have coffee and a chat about NATO with an ambassador? How am I representing Canada's position in NATO to the Estonian public on Friday? What is going on?????
Monday, May 10, 2010
Shoulda, woulda, coulda?
This trip, among many other things, has been about self exploration. It was my first trip abroad, my first chance to see how other people do this little crazy thing called life, or was the lyric love? Oh, well. It wasn't maybe, the first time I've had to move alone, or blend in with a new set of people but it was the first time I was so far away in a completely different environment that required me to re-jig my priorities to fit the context. Actually, the most major revelation started before I ever left the country. I find that revelations are sort of like busses, none come for hours and then they all come at once. Anyway, I've been thinking, and to quote Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail", I wanted to send this cosmic question out into the void. What is the difference between should and could, and equally, how do we separate what we could do or want from what we should do or want?
More specifically, I wonder about the "should's". I think each of us has their own set of "should's" which could be anything from should finish washing the dishes, to should have children or should get married. Each of us has their own independent sets of pseudo obligations or duties that we sometimes feel are vital. For the sake of narrative, I'll divulge what mine were before, and then I'll tell you how I don't really know what they are any more. Ok, so my should's include: should do my absolute best all the time, should study for a week in advance of every test, should eat healthy and not eat cake for breakfast, should be responsible always because if a person is anything they are at least responsible for their own actions, and lastly should be all of those traits like considerate, mature, etc that get preached to a person as a child that we should always strive to be. My list of should's sounds awful doesn't it? It also sounds stressful. It is stressful.
Now we fast forward to the present. While I still have those things on my list of should's, I've relaxed the protocol on a few of them after this experience. Things don't necessarily need to be so difficult, you know. Specifically the bit about responsibility. I still think that I should be responsible, but now maybe I could take some time to be a little irresponsible. Maybe what I've been thinking about my should's are just what other people told me or showed me that they should be. So now we reach the real question: what about the "could's"?
Imagine you're looking at a big screen of all of the things that due to your should's you think you can't do. Now imagine a giant waste paper basket. Dump all of the should's in it. Dump them! Thank you. What happens to the could's? They magically light up on the screen and all of a sudden what you could do might trump what you should do. For me, when I abandon my strict "responsible" act thing I can do all sorts of mumbo jumbo that I didn't think I could. Like what you ask? Like getting on a plane and coming to Estonia. Like applying to the U of T in a program that I didn't think I'd get into and then getting into it, like anything really. I've always wanted to go sea turtle conserving. I don't why, it's not even remotely relevant to anything. But I could.
I am eminently practical. Forget practical. It never made anybody happy. Going to Estonia made me happy. It made me look beyond my nose at the world around me. So eschew the should's for a moment because you never know what you might find on your list of could's.
I'll leave you with this, another quote from "You've Got Mail". This time the speaker is "Birdie" played by Jean Stapleton, who's a genius, I think. "You are daring to imagine that you could have a different life. Oh, I know it doesn't feel like that. You feel like a big fat failure now. But you're not. You are marching into the unknown armed with... nothing. Have a sandwich."
Seriously. Have a sandwich. Or cake for breakfast.
More specifically, I wonder about the "should's". I think each of us has their own set of "should's" which could be anything from should finish washing the dishes, to should have children or should get married. Each of us has their own independent sets of pseudo obligations or duties that we sometimes feel are vital. For the sake of narrative, I'll divulge what mine were before, and then I'll tell you how I don't really know what they are any more. Ok, so my should's include: should do my absolute best all the time, should study for a week in advance of every test, should eat healthy and not eat cake for breakfast, should be responsible always because if a person is anything they are at least responsible for their own actions, and lastly should be all of those traits like considerate, mature, etc that get preached to a person as a child that we should always strive to be. My list of should's sounds awful doesn't it? It also sounds stressful. It is stressful.
Now we fast forward to the present. While I still have those things on my list of should's, I've relaxed the protocol on a few of them after this experience. Things don't necessarily need to be so difficult, you know. Specifically the bit about responsibility. I still think that I should be responsible, but now maybe I could take some time to be a little irresponsible. Maybe what I've been thinking about my should's are just what other people told me or showed me that they should be. So now we reach the real question: what about the "could's"?
Imagine you're looking at a big screen of all of the things that due to your should's you think you can't do. Now imagine a giant waste paper basket. Dump all of the should's in it. Dump them! Thank you. What happens to the could's? They magically light up on the screen and all of a sudden what you could do might trump what you should do. For me, when I abandon my strict "responsible" act thing I can do all sorts of mumbo jumbo that I didn't think I could. Like what you ask? Like getting on a plane and coming to Estonia. Like applying to the U of T in a program that I didn't think I'd get into and then getting into it, like anything really. I've always wanted to go sea turtle conserving. I don't why, it's not even remotely relevant to anything. But I could.
I am eminently practical. Forget practical. It never made anybody happy. Going to Estonia made me happy. It made me look beyond my nose at the world around me. So eschew the should's for a moment because you never know what you might find on your list of could's.
I'll leave you with this, another quote from "You've Got Mail". This time the speaker is "Birdie" played by Jean Stapleton, who's a genius, I think. "You are daring to imagine that you could have a different life. Oh, I know it doesn't feel like that. You feel like a big fat failure now. But you're not. You are marching into the unknown armed with... nothing. Have a sandwich."
Seriously. Have a sandwich. Or cake for breakfast.
Helsinki!
At the risk of sounding like Maria from The Sound of Music, bright sunny days, boat rides, big cities, and scenery are some of my favourite things. Which I suppose is why Helsinki was so much fun. We did, however, have a sort of rocky start. I woke up in plenty of time to pack and meet Kevin so we could get the bus to the harbour. I even had time to stop for coffee. I met him on the right side of the street, at the right time, and got on the right bus. In the wrong direction. We only went one stop before realizing the problem but it still took us far further away then we wanted to be. This is what I get for letting Kevin check the bus schedule. Anyway, we called a cab and made it to the ferry at it's last boarding call. With literally a minute to spare. Aahhh...
So slightly sweatier than necessary, but with no harm done, we embarked on our 2 hour journey to the land of reindeer. Not that there are reindeer in Helsinki, but rather in Finland generally. Sorry.
After disembarking from the windy ferry, loaded with caffeine and curiosity, we took a bus to where we thought was the city centre. Turns out we were wrong and it had taken us to the outskirts of town, but there was a metro right across the street. Kevin then decided that it would be an opportune moment to take off without saying where and left me waiting on a set of stairs for twenty minutes. I was very annoyed. We got over that little blip eventually and sorted ourselves enough to get on a subway and get off in the heart of the city. It was beautiful, I have to say. Central Station was an attractive building on a busy street positively teeming with people. We stare around a little with slightly glazed over eyes before moving on to our next project. Our bags are heavy and I didn't pre-book a place to stay. According to the guidebook, two beds in a hostel is a comparable price to splitting a double bed hotel room. The hotel is just off of Helsinki's central street so this appears to be the best option.
As an aside, I have a question about European hotel rooms, or hostel rooms. Rooms where sleeping happens in general, actually. North American hotel rooms only come with double beds. But the European ones come with two single single beds.. does that mean they don't sleep together? Have I uncovered a possible reason for the decline in birth rate?? Hee...
Ok, after getting somewhat settled we went to forage for food. My God, Helsinki is expensive! To keep things cheap, we split a pizza and head to the harbour for some sightseeing. We wanted to go see an island called "Suomenlinna" which has a fortress and crazy views. We spent a very long time on this island, which was absolutely stunning. I love, love, love to hike and the rolling grassy knolls directly by the seaside with all of these historical sites was someplace I could roam for hours. I left Kevin behind in my eagerness to explore and met a nice Spanish family who took my picture in front of the sea. A few hours later we were cold and hungry so we ventured back to the ferry and rode into the harbour again.
Food was again an issue and I took to my enormous guidebook for help. It said to check out a pub/restaurant that was only a street away from our hotel and was apparently "ironically decorated in a tractor theme". Well, it was right. There were tractors, and wire fencing, and barrels, and strangeness everywhere. I didn't get while it was ironic until after leaving the bar. I blame it on being flabbergasted as it was rather obvious. Soviet era propaganda included a lot of tractors.. and this was a tractor bar. Right. Got it. Anyway, the food was delicious and after that bed was calling. Good night, Helsinki!
The next day dawned bright and beautiful. It was as sunny as the day before and so after breakfast we hopped on a bus that would take us all around the city, just so we could take a peek. It was a welcome rest from all the walking the day before and was also nice and warm, which despite being sunny, Helsinki wasn't. After catching a glimpse of the most important sights we got off at the large Cathedral close to the Harbour and took a look inside. It was surprisingly austere with little in the way of the traditional excessiveness that large churches usually have. We walked and walked again until we had exhausted most viewing possibilities. It was a Sunday so mostly everything was closed but that didn't stop us from finding a charming tourist shop, a great park to sit in (I watched two old men sit on a bench for a while), and just roaming the streets aimlessly. The day passed quickly and after our last meal at the most charming cafe, it was time to gather our things and get back on our ferry.
It was a pleasure to visit Helsinki, but Tallinn had started to feel a lot like home and we missed it. It was a relief to see it's spires in the distance as our boat drove into harbour. If I can't leave for two days.. how am I going to go back to Canada?
So slightly sweatier than necessary, but with no harm done, we embarked on our 2 hour journey to the land of reindeer. Not that there are reindeer in Helsinki, but rather in Finland generally. Sorry.
After disembarking from the windy ferry, loaded with caffeine and curiosity, we took a bus to where we thought was the city centre. Turns out we were wrong and it had taken us to the outskirts of town, but there was a metro right across the street. Kevin then decided that it would be an opportune moment to take off without saying where and left me waiting on a set of stairs for twenty minutes. I was very annoyed. We got over that little blip eventually and sorted ourselves enough to get on a subway and get off in the heart of the city. It was beautiful, I have to say. Central Station was an attractive building on a busy street positively teeming with people. We stare around a little with slightly glazed over eyes before moving on to our next project. Our bags are heavy and I didn't pre-book a place to stay. According to the guidebook, two beds in a hostel is a comparable price to splitting a double bed hotel room. The hotel is just off of Helsinki's central street so this appears to be the best option.
As an aside, I have a question about European hotel rooms, or hostel rooms. Rooms where sleeping happens in general, actually. North American hotel rooms only come with double beds. But the European ones come with two single single beds.. does that mean they don't sleep together? Have I uncovered a possible reason for the decline in birth rate?? Hee...
Ok, after getting somewhat settled we went to forage for food. My God, Helsinki is expensive! To keep things cheap, we split a pizza and head to the harbour for some sightseeing. We wanted to go see an island called "Suomenlinna" which has a fortress and crazy views. We spent a very long time on this island, which was absolutely stunning. I love, love, love to hike and the rolling grassy knolls directly by the seaside with all of these historical sites was someplace I could roam for hours. I left Kevin behind in my eagerness to explore and met a nice Spanish family who took my picture in front of the sea. A few hours later we were cold and hungry so we ventured back to the ferry and rode into the harbour again.
Food was again an issue and I took to my enormous guidebook for help. It said to check out a pub/restaurant that was only a street away from our hotel and was apparently "ironically decorated in a tractor theme". Well, it was right. There were tractors, and wire fencing, and barrels, and strangeness everywhere. I didn't get while it was ironic until after leaving the bar. I blame it on being flabbergasted as it was rather obvious. Soviet era propaganda included a lot of tractors.. and this was a tractor bar. Right. Got it. Anyway, the food was delicious and after that bed was calling. Good night, Helsinki!
The next day dawned bright and beautiful. It was as sunny as the day before and so after breakfast we hopped on a bus that would take us all around the city, just so we could take a peek. It was a welcome rest from all the walking the day before and was also nice and warm, which despite being sunny, Helsinki wasn't. After catching a glimpse of the most important sights we got off at the large Cathedral close to the Harbour and took a look inside. It was surprisingly austere with little in the way of the traditional excessiveness that large churches usually have. We walked and walked again until we had exhausted most viewing possibilities. It was a Sunday so mostly everything was closed but that didn't stop us from finding a charming tourist shop, a great park to sit in (I watched two old men sit on a bench for a while), and just roaming the streets aimlessly. The day passed quickly and after our last meal at the most charming cafe, it was time to gather our things and get back on our ferry.
It was a pleasure to visit Helsinki, but Tallinn had started to feel a lot like home and we missed it. It was a relief to see it's spires in the distance as our boat drove into harbour. If I can't leave for two days.. how am I going to go back to Canada?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
So, before writing about my adventures in Helsinki, I want to outline five of my favourite things to do in and around Tallinn. These may not be things that I do everyday but are rather things that I have only done once and enjoyed so much that it ranks as a favourite. I will start at five and work my way up to the number one spot. Ready? Here we go.
5) The bus ride from Viru Keskus to Viimsi on route A1. I don't live or really ever need to go anywhere near this route, but if you're a person who likes a good scenic drive, this bus will provide that for you. One day, my friend Kevin suggested that we go ride buses to places we hadn't been before. He'd asked me to go before but I always turned him down, citing better things to do with my time than waste it on a bus. However, it happened that this afternoon he finally caught me at a time when I had nothing to do and couldn't think fast enough to invent an excuse not to go. As I recall I was upset about something, though now I can't remember what about and driving around on a bus seemed a good a thing as any to escape the doldrums. As we were deciding which bus to board to whereever, my mother called. Kevin was trying to talk to me, the bus garage was echoey, my mother wanted something, and I wanted everyone to go away. So, to escape the chaos I boarded the first bus I saw, not caring whether or not Kevin was even with me. Being the good friend he is, he boarded after me (not that I gave him any choice) and we started our trip to neverland.
The route took us past Kadriorg Park, Lauluvaljak (song festival grounds), and eventually brought us alongside Pirita Beach. We got off here and wandered through the woods until we got to the water. We picked a relatively chilly day for such an excursion so this beach stop didn't last very long before we were back on the bus again heading towards the unknown. It was getting late in the afternoon by this point and the sun was starting to set as the bus looped through a wealthy neighborhood with shops and apartments (it appears the Viimsi is a suburb) on it's way back to the city centre. We pass a marina, and soon see the beach again but from this side of the road we can see Tallinn's Old Town across the water, dark against a dusky sky. The whole hour-long bus ride was entirely worth it for this view. I hate to admit it- but Kevin might have been right about this random bus riding thing. Maybe.
4) Second hand shopping. I am and always be a sucker for a good shopping spree, but in order to curb costs incurred by this habit I have to suss out places that sell nice things for cheap. The local chain of second hand places is called Humana and sells a variety of decent stuff that I don't need to pay out the nose for. I can spend literally hours rummaging through racks of crap in order to find the one gem that makes it worthwhile. Even if I don't find anything it's still nice to turn my iPod up on maximum and get lost in the hunt. I think such an activity is symbolic of how I am in everyday life, perhaps always looking for the impossible.
3) Feeding the ducks. I am 85 at heart, I swear. There was one day that I walked through a park almost next to my home and took out my camera to take a photo and all of these ducks swarmed me thinking I was about to give them something to eat. I felt so guilty that I actually started telling them that I had nothing to give them. This was ridiculous because ducks of course, don't understand what people say, and if they do, these would have been Estonian ducks and I was speaking English. Now I come prepared and on sunny days sit in the park and read and feed the ducks. Sometimes I even try speaking in Estonian. Maybe the only thing this trip has done for me has been to make me lose whatever remaining marbles I had in Canada. Whatever. I like ducks.
2) Prowling. Wait.. prowling? Ok, maybe not prowling, but certainly going out for a drink. I think I may have mentioned the nightlife here before but I feel the need to mention it again. It's really quite something. I remember one evening that began innocently enough at the hostel with drinks that wound up at a pretty popular nightclub called Privé. Everyone was dancing and things were going very smoothly when suddenly the music stopped and our attention was directed at the stage that was subsequently cleared of the half naked girls I don't understand who feel that dancing on stages in order to show me their underwear is a good idea. These girls were replaced by a dance crew who were backing up a very interesting... wait for it.... drag show. The man/woman was really rather good and performed several different numbers with several different costume changes. Just when you think you know a place, it surprises you in a variety of different ways. Ways that will be burned into my mind for the next decade.
1) Dinner with friends. This is by far and away my very favourite thing about this trip. Tallinn offers many different culinary experiences as one would see in any modern city but going to these places wouldn't be nearly as interesting or as much fun without friends. Vapiano is a popular choice, serving both pizza and pasta, while the various cafes are better for a more one on one setting and serve anything from meals to cakes and pastries. Set aside places to go to and what you're left with is eating in. And we do lots of that, too. Usually, not a week goes by when someone is cooking something for a group. My favourite of these occasions was a pancake breakfast at Nicole's one Sunday morning. It made me feel like home because my parents and I have a tradition of Sunday breakfasts that I hadn't realized I missed. I think that this week is maybe my turn to cook up something for everyone but I haven't decided yet what that's going to be. Stay tuned!
5) The bus ride from Viru Keskus to Viimsi on route A1. I don't live or really ever need to go anywhere near this route, but if you're a person who likes a good scenic drive, this bus will provide that for you. One day, my friend Kevin suggested that we go ride buses to places we hadn't been before. He'd asked me to go before but I always turned him down, citing better things to do with my time than waste it on a bus. However, it happened that this afternoon he finally caught me at a time when I had nothing to do and couldn't think fast enough to invent an excuse not to go. As I recall I was upset about something, though now I can't remember what about and driving around on a bus seemed a good a thing as any to escape the doldrums. As we were deciding which bus to board to whereever, my mother called. Kevin was trying to talk to me, the bus garage was echoey, my mother wanted something, and I wanted everyone to go away. So, to escape the chaos I boarded the first bus I saw, not caring whether or not Kevin was even with me. Being the good friend he is, he boarded after me (not that I gave him any choice) and we started our trip to neverland.
The route took us past Kadriorg Park, Lauluvaljak (song festival grounds), and eventually brought us alongside Pirita Beach. We got off here and wandered through the woods until we got to the water. We picked a relatively chilly day for such an excursion so this beach stop didn't last very long before we were back on the bus again heading towards the unknown. It was getting late in the afternoon by this point and the sun was starting to set as the bus looped through a wealthy neighborhood with shops and apartments (it appears the Viimsi is a suburb) on it's way back to the city centre. We pass a marina, and soon see the beach again but from this side of the road we can see Tallinn's Old Town across the water, dark against a dusky sky. The whole hour-long bus ride was entirely worth it for this view. I hate to admit it- but Kevin might have been right about this random bus riding thing. Maybe.
4) Second hand shopping. I am and always be a sucker for a good shopping spree, but in order to curb costs incurred by this habit I have to suss out places that sell nice things for cheap. The local chain of second hand places is called Humana and sells a variety of decent stuff that I don't need to pay out the nose for. I can spend literally hours rummaging through racks of crap in order to find the one gem that makes it worthwhile. Even if I don't find anything it's still nice to turn my iPod up on maximum and get lost in the hunt. I think such an activity is symbolic of how I am in everyday life, perhaps always looking for the impossible.
3) Feeding the ducks. I am 85 at heart, I swear. There was one day that I walked through a park almost next to my home and took out my camera to take a photo and all of these ducks swarmed me thinking I was about to give them something to eat. I felt so guilty that I actually started telling them that I had nothing to give them. This was ridiculous because ducks of course, don't understand what people say, and if they do, these would have been Estonian ducks and I was speaking English. Now I come prepared and on sunny days sit in the park and read and feed the ducks. Sometimes I even try speaking in Estonian. Maybe the only thing this trip has done for me has been to make me lose whatever remaining marbles I had in Canada. Whatever. I like ducks.
2) Prowling. Wait.. prowling? Ok, maybe not prowling, but certainly going out for a drink. I think I may have mentioned the nightlife here before but I feel the need to mention it again. It's really quite something. I remember one evening that began innocently enough at the hostel with drinks that wound up at a pretty popular nightclub called Privé. Everyone was dancing and things were going very smoothly when suddenly the music stopped and our attention was directed at the stage that was subsequently cleared of the half naked girls I don't understand who feel that dancing on stages in order to show me their underwear is a good idea. These girls were replaced by a dance crew who were backing up a very interesting... wait for it.... drag show. The man/woman was really rather good and performed several different numbers with several different costume changes. Just when you think you know a place, it surprises you in a variety of different ways. Ways that will be burned into my mind for the next decade.
1) Dinner with friends. This is by far and away my very favourite thing about this trip. Tallinn offers many different culinary experiences as one would see in any modern city but going to these places wouldn't be nearly as interesting or as much fun without friends. Vapiano is a popular choice, serving both pizza and pasta, while the various cafes are better for a more one on one setting and serve anything from meals to cakes and pastries. Set aside places to go to and what you're left with is eating in. And we do lots of that, too. Usually, not a week goes by when someone is cooking something for a group. My favourite of these occasions was a pancake breakfast at Nicole's one Sunday morning. It made me feel like home because my parents and I have a tradition of Sunday breakfasts that I hadn't realized I missed. I think that this week is maybe my turn to cook up something for everyone but I haven't decided yet what that's going to be. Stay tuned!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
A Day in the Life
Whenever I blog, it seems to be about events that occur outside of days spent in relative mundanity, so now, since I'm at a point in the blog's timeline where there's a week of nothing before my trip to Helsinki, I figured I would regale you with some everyday life stories.
My week begins with two lessons, as every week begins, in Russian and Estonian. At the outset I have to say that Russian and I are not friends, have not ever been friends, and will likely never be friends in the near or distant future. It conspires to kill me from either embarrassment or raised blood pressure, either of which would be a welcome excuse for not going to Russian. I'm normally a fairly intelligent person but for whatever reason, it consistently fails to sink into my thick skull. The reason I'm blowing this out of proportion is because the teacher asks oral questions and I never fail to embarrass myself, every, single time. Cheeks turn red, somebody takes pity on me and corrects my mistake, sweat glands expand, but the floor never opens to swallow me up. It's like eternal disappointment.
So, after I finish wishing I'd never woken up that morning, it's time for lunch. This part isn't interesting except to mention the extraordinary amount of pickled items that come with sour cream that are available for my consumption. I eat rice.
Now, we're sitting in Estonian. Same teacher as in Russian, but I'm way better in Estonian class so she usually leaves me alone. We learn a little (why do I keep hearing "cocks" and "sex" so much?), and then I let my mind slowly drift over what the rest of the day may hold. As I'm drifting, I realize I'm supposed to be saying something useful. I snap back attention, say the answer, and then drift away again. This happens five or six times before I'm allowed to leave. Having gone through the motions of the class, I wander down towards the exit. I deliberately take longer than usual as the thought of spending the rest of the day alone while everyone else is in class doesn't really appeal to me. I go to the washroom, linger awkwardly downstairs attempting to make the small talk I'm so poor at, and then I finally go to my trolley, back to the city.
The trolleys are like giant caterpillars whose antennae are attached to a string and who make an annoying whining sort of sound. The iPod goes in almost immediately, which serves a dual purpose; a) to ward off irritating strangers and b) to prevent me from puking all over the trolley. I get really motion sick, really easily. While I'm listening to what could most accurately be described as death metal, I run through the same quandary in my head as I do every time I get on the trolley: get off and get the four? Or, get off at the end and get the one? The latter takes less time, the former is lazier. I always pick the former. These thoughts entertain me for another twenty-five minutes or thereabouts. I always do my best thinking on the trolley, but I never remember what exactly it is I was thinking about by the time I'm in a position to write it down.
So, this is where it finally brightens up. I'm alone, for the rest of the afternoon and evening. At home, this would be a rare luxury. I therefore, take quick advantage of the opportunity. Sometimes I stop for ice cream, sometimes I take my camera and explore secret places, sometimes I lay on park benches and read or people watch, and sometimes on rare occasions, I'll have remembered my sketch pencils and I try to capture what's in front of me. In these moments, I'm filled with the rush of the possible. I am an artist, a dreamer, a ghost or a wonder. If I could capture such romantic notions and save them for later I would, but such frivolous thinking is fleeting.
On my walk home, I remark at the abandoned buildings at the top of my street, the beautiful park I walk through which rain or shine always has an old lady feeding the ducks, on the castle I have the privilege of looking at every day, and at the fragility of freedom. Because, if there's anything that living here has taught me, it's certainly that.
The sun is usually starting its journey toward the earth at this point, and the sky has that certain light that either inspires a song, or inspires your body to remember its dinner time. I don't sing, so to me it means dinner. Curry anyone? And maybe a little wine….
My week begins with two lessons, as every week begins, in Russian and Estonian. At the outset I have to say that Russian and I are not friends, have not ever been friends, and will likely never be friends in the near or distant future. It conspires to kill me from either embarrassment or raised blood pressure, either of which would be a welcome excuse for not going to Russian. I'm normally a fairly intelligent person but for whatever reason, it consistently fails to sink into my thick skull. The reason I'm blowing this out of proportion is because the teacher asks oral questions and I never fail to embarrass myself, every, single time. Cheeks turn red, somebody takes pity on me and corrects my mistake, sweat glands expand, but the floor never opens to swallow me up. It's like eternal disappointment.
So, after I finish wishing I'd never woken up that morning, it's time for lunch. This part isn't interesting except to mention the extraordinary amount of pickled items that come with sour cream that are available for my consumption. I eat rice.
Now, we're sitting in Estonian. Same teacher as in Russian, but I'm way better in Estonian class so she usually leaves me alone. We learn a little (why do I keep hearing "cocks" and "sex" so much?), and then I let my mind slowly drift over what the rest of the day may hold. As I'm drifting, I realize I'm supposed to be saying something useful. I snap back attention, say the answer, and then drift away again. This happens five or six times before I'm allowed to leave. Having gone through the motions of the class, I wander down towards the exit. I deliberately take longer than usual as the thought of spending the rest of the day alone while everyone else is in class doesn't really appeal to me. I go to the washroom, linger awkwardly downstairs attempting to make the small talk I'm so poor at, and then I finally go to my trolley, back to the city.
The trolleys are like giant caterpillars whose antennae are attached to a string and who make an annoying whining sort of sound. The iPod goes in almost immediately, which serves a dual purpose; a) to ward off irritating strangers and b) to prevent me from puking all over the trolley. I get really motion sick, really easily. While I'm listening to what could most accurately be described as death metal, I run through the same quandary in my head as I do every time I get on the trolley: get off and get the four? Or, get off at the end and get the one? The latter takes less time, the former is lazier. I always pick the former. These thoughts entertain me for another twenty-five minutes or thereabouts. I always do my best thinking on the trolley, but I never remember what exactly it is I was thinking about by the time I'm in a position to write it down.
So, this is where it finally brightens up. I'm alone, for the rest of the afternoon and evening. At home, this would be a rare luxury. I therefore, take quick advantage of the opportunity. Sometimes I stop for ice cream, sometimes I take my camera and explore secret places, sometimes I lay on park benches and read or people watch, and sometimes on rare occasions, I'll have remembered my sketch pencils and I try to capture what's in front of me. In these moments, I'm filled with the rush of the possible. I am an artist, a dreamer, a ghost or a wonder. If I could capture such romantic notions and save them for later I would, but such frivolous thinking is fleeting.
On my walk home, I remark at the abandoned buildings at the top of my street, the beautiful park I walk through which rain or shine always has an old lady feeding the ducks, on the castle I have the privilege of looking at every day, and at the fragility of freedom. Because, if there's anything that living here has taught me, it's certainly that.
The sun is usually starting its journey toward the earth at this point, and the sky has that certain light that either inspires a song, or inspires your body to remember its dinner time. I don't sing, so to me it means dinner. Curry anyone? And maybe a little wine….
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Adventuring and so on.. April 1 and Easter Weekend
So, spring has finally, sort of, sprung in Tallinn. It's still not what one would call warm but it's warm enough for a few (six) brave ERASMUS to venture out into the unknown and risk life and limb in daredevil climbs and zip lines.
Just kidding… would I do that??
No, there were no limbs or lives risked that day and really, anyone could have done it. The "it" I'm referring to would be "Nomme Adventure Park" conveniently located behind the Technological University. When I saw only six people show up to the event, I was questioning how the day was going to go and when I saw just the outside of the park, I really, really wondered how it was going to go. It's a very nondescript sort of place. Anyway, on to the good stuff.
Our first task was to get into our harnesses. I was not prepared to be wearing a harness and am currently wearing yoga pants. This of course resulted in an enormous wedgie for the duration of the harness wearing period. I figure that as long as nobody can see the jam or perhaps "bind" that I'm in, I'm fine. Very punny, I know.
The harness comes with two large metal clips that have to be attached at all times to wires that are strung through the trees above whatever part of the course we're on. It also has a really big hooky thing with a closure for the zip line parts of the course. This is the moment when I know that I'm in trouble. I have the coordination of a floor tile. That is to say, effectively none. I'm baffled about how to clip and unclip these things with people lined up behind me waiting for their turn on whichever task I'm completing. How do I do it while looking like I know exactly what I'm doing, because it would be such a terrible thing if they saw that I didn't, and still manage to do the task quickly. My concern with such trivial matters lands me in trouble with the instructor more than once because I keep removing both clips, which I'm not allowed to do. Ugh, why did I sign up for this?
However, about ten minutes after this thought runs through my head, I finally manage to get the hang of the course. I'm breezing through tasks! I'm quick! I'm nimble! If there was a candlestick, I'd be all set. My success fills me with a false sense of confidence and so I push through climbs and balance tasks that maybe are a bit beyond my skill level. Two hours later, and thighs burning, I finally reach the end of the course when maybe I should have stopped a little while back. The last zip line was the longest one, a reward I suppose for the work required to get to this point. I feel a sense of accomplishment which is nice. Nice, because for the next three days every time I walk anywhere, I limp and wince in pain. Crap.
This is especially embarrassing because my friend's families arrived the next day in Taliinn and I agreed to help show them the town. So, the only time in weeks that I might have to make a first impression, I get to make one with a strained crotch and two none functioning thigh muscles. Oh, no!
Nonetheless I have a great time showing these two surrogate families what we've been doing here and also to do some new things. I hadn't been to the Museum of Occupations, the Kalev marzipan museum or the Kiek in de Kok bastion yet but I did all of those things with Kevin's uncle. Not to mention eating at Olde Hansa and at various other bars and restaurants with Szymon's sister and her husband.
A weekend that I thought was going to be very lonely, actually turned out to be one of the better weekends in Tallinn. I think that I might have underestimated the effect of not having my family less than five hours away would have on me. Briefly, fleetingly, I got a taste of what it would be like if I could show them this city that I've come to love.
Just kidding… would I do that??
No, there were no limbs or lives risked that day and really, anyone could have done it. The "it" I'm referring to would be "Nomme Adventure Park" conveniently located behind the Technological University. When I saw only six people show up to the event, I was questioning how the day was going to go and when I saw just the outside of the park, I really, really wondered how it was going to go. It's a very nondescript sort of place. Anyway, on to the good stuff.
Our first task was to get into our harnesses. I was not prepared to be wearing a harness and am currently wearing yoga pants. This of course resulted in an enormous wedgie for the duration of the harness wearing period. I figure that as long as nobody can see the jam or perhaps "bind" that I'm in, I'm fine. Very punny, I know.
The harness comes with two large metal clips that have to be attached at all times to wires that are strung through the trees above whatever part of the course we're on. It also has a really big hooky thing with a closure for the zip line parts of the course. This is the moment when I know that I'm in trouble. I have the coordination of a floor tile. That is to say, effectively none. I'm baffled about how to clip and unclip these things with people lined up behind me waiting for their turn on whichever task I'm completing. How do I do it while looking like I know exactly what I'm doing, because it would be such a terrible thing if they saw that I didn't, and still manage to do the task quickly. My concern with such trivial matters lands me in trouble with the instructor more than once because I keep removing both clips, which I'm not allowed to do. Ugh, why did I sign up for this?
However, about ten minutes after this thought runs through my head, I finally manage to get the hang of the course. I'm breezing through tasks! I'm quick! I'm nimble! If there was a candlestick, I'd be all set. My success fills me with a false sense of confidence and so I push through climbs and balance tasks that maybe are a bit beyond my skill level. Two hours later, and thighs burning, I finally reach the end of the course when maybe I should have stopped a little while back. The last zip line was the longest one, a reward I suppose for the work required to get to this point. I feel a sense of accomplishment which is nice. Nice, because for the next three days every time I walk anywhere, I limp and wince in pain. Crap.
This is especially embarrassing because my friend's families arrived the next day in Taliinn and I agreed to help show them the town. So, the only time in weeks that I might have to make a first impression, I get to make one with a strained crotch and two none functioning thigh muscles. Oh, no!
Nonetheless I have a great time showing these two surrogate families what we've been doing here and also to do some new things. I hadn't been to the Museum of Occupations, the Kalev marzipan museum or the Kiek in de Kok bastion yet but I did all of those things with Kevin's uncle. Not to mention eating at Olde Hansa and at various other bars and restaurants with Szymon's sister and her husband.
A weekend that I thought was going to be very lonely, actually turned out to be one of the better weekends in Tallinn. I think that I might have underestimated the effect of not having my family less than five hours away would have on me. Briefly, fleetingly, I got a taste of what it would be like if I could show them this city that I've come to love.
March 13-14 Latvia by Night and Day
And so, after two or so successful days in Lithuania, we arrived at 8pm on the 13th to Riga, Latvia. We had less time in this city so we elected to go exploring in the evening rather than relaxing. Thankfully, this city is smaller than Vilnius so we didn't need to tax ourselves.
The first sight greeting us off the bus was a very pretty lighted bridge. It was streaming blue lights onto the water and into the night sky. So, Riga looked promising. The hostel was also much nicer than in Vilnius and the staff were more helpful. However, maybe due to exhaustion or simply because of how much I liked Lithuania, Riga didn't really do it for me. The city reminded me of Tallinn, in size, and of Stockholm in building style but the magic wasn't there for me. Not that a city needs to be "magical" for me to derive enjoyment from it.
The best parts of the visit to Riga were the hours we spent just walking through art nouveau facade clad buildings in districts that skirted the Old Town, and the food, as well as the market. The food in Riga was fantastic, hearty and satisfying and so, so, cheap. Lido, on the first night was a buffet featuring traditional Latvian food and drink as well as interior decor. The same restaurant exists in Tallinn, as it's actually a Latvian chain restaurant but I'd never been there before. I loved the food, and made a mental note to visit the one in Tallinn before I leave. We explored the city after this and then made our way to the hostel to plan the next day and catch some much needed sleep.
Breakfast was a little hard to find on a quiet Sunday morning, but we eventually located a little cafe and got our munch on. The day was chilly, and windy so our wandering took a brisker pace and we spent a large part of the day indoors. We viewed the very well planned out museum of occupation and then made our way to the highlight of Riga for us, the market.
Located in three adjoining zeppelin hangars, the market featured fresh produce, meat and baked goods. I'm a huge fan of markets and despite being a little skittish about pickpocketers and that kind of thing, I thoroughly enjoyed looking around. We spent the last of our lats on dinner and some sausage to take home as well, as the rest of our time in Riga, here.
By the time we made it onto the bus, it was dusk in Riga and I couldn't help but take note of the coincidence that we arrived at dawn in Vilnius and were leaving Riga at sunset. A very poetic ending to a very lovely trip. I'm not usually so romantic but it seemed like something out of a Jane Austen novel.
The first sight greeting us off the bus was a very pretty lighted bridge. It was streaming blue lights onto the water and into the night sky. So, Riga looked promising. The hostel was also much nicer than in Vilnius and the staff were more helpful. However, maybe due to exhaustion or simply because of how much I liked Lithuania, Riga didn't really do it for me. The city reminded me of Tallinn, in size, and of Stockholm in building style but the magic wasn't there for me. Not that a city needs to be "magical" for me to derive enjoyment from it.
The best parts of the visit to Riga were the hours we spent just walking through art nouveau facade clad buildings in districts that skirted the Old Town, and the food, as well as the market. The food in Riga was fantastic, hearty and satisfying and so, so, cheap. Lido, on the first night was a buffet featuring traditional Latvian food and drink as well as interior decor. The same restaurant exists in Tallinn, as it's actually a Latvian chain restaurant but I'd never been there before. I loved the food, and made a mental note to visit the one in Tallinn before I leave. We explored the city after this and then made our way to the hostel to plan the next day and catch some much needed sleep.
Breakfast was a little hard to find on a quiet Sunday morning, but we eventually located a little cafe and got our munch on. The day was chilly, and windy so our wandering took a brisker pace and we spent a large part of the day indoors. We viewed the very well planned out museum of occupation and then made our way to the highlight of Riga for us, the market.
Located in three adjoining zeppelin hangars, the market featured fresh produce, meat and baked goods. I'm a huge fan of markets and despite being a little skittish about pickpocketers and that kind of thing, I thoroughly enjoyed looking around. We spent the last of our lats on dinner and some sausage to take home as well, as the rest of our time in Riga, here.
By the time we made it onto the bus, it was dusk in Riga and I couldn't help but take note of the coincidence that we arrived at dawn in Vilnius and were leaving Riga at sunset. A very poetic ending to a very lovely trip. I'm not usually so romantic but it seemed like something out of a Jane Austen novel.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Vilnius, Lithuania
March 11-12 Lithuania
Have you ever wandered into a place you've never been before, took a look around and almost immediately felt at home? Like you belonged? That was Vilnius, Lithuania for me.
It all began when my American friend Kevin and I decided we wanted to take a trip. After looking at the weather and casually bouncing around ideas of Minsk or Kiev, we settled on nearby Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania. After some investigation, we discovered that buses run daily and cheaply from Tallinn to both locations and so we packed our bags and settled in for the nine hour trip to Vilnius. It was an overnight bus ride and I was trying to be as efficient as possible so we saved on accommodation and travel time by travelling and sleeping in one practical combination. Unfortunately, I am famous getting quite bus sick and so for the duration I was trying to sleep on Kevin's shoulder, much to his chagrin, with god awful nausea and heartburn and a plastic bag beside me. Cute. Luckily, I nodded off right after we hit Riga and soon arrived safely in Vilnius with nothing but some fatigue.
After getting us hopelessly lost in order to try and find our hostel (which means I walked in the entirely wrong direction into the seediest part of town possible at around 6am), we got a chance to sit, have some tea and meet a fellow traveller before heading out into Lithuania's Old Town (not so seedy, I promise). Kevin, my impulsive travelling partner, whose sense of curiosity and play I consistently fail to emulate, insisted on going inside every church we came across and walking down every street possible. I didn't mind. Vilnius' streets are wide and clean and bright with the buildings, more often than not, having these amazingly beautiful art nouveau facades. Even the most run down buildings are still graceful with iron balconies and stucco on their exteriors. Lithuania has some sights that almost remind me of someplace like Rome. Many have pillars and ornate plaster decorations that gleam in the sunlight. It's incredibly beautiful and the weather we had on this trip did the city justice. It was clear and bright the entire time we were gone.
The description I wrote just now only begins to describe the atmosphere of this city and what I'm about to say next may surprise you. The place is absolutely covered in graffiti. Covered. Every available space has a tag or a painting or something on it which gives an otherwise almost too-perfect place a real grunge-y, underground feeling. Part of the national culture, Lithuania has always been the upstart of the Baltics. The people are louder, more open and although I hate to say it, friendlier than their Northern neighbours. Not that Estonians aren't friendly, just more reserved. Therefore, there are parts of this city like which I haven't seen anywhere else in the Baltics. Whole districts devoted to art and music. Youthful Uzupis is a good example. It was my favourite part of our explorations. Located to the right of Old Town, it has actually declared independence as it's own republic with it's own president and flag. Every niche is covered in graffiti with alleys and narrow streets throughout. Small bridges connect it with the outskirts of the Old Town and each bridge has a large collection of locks attached from people who have gotten married and had locks for the bridges engraved with their names. On the other side of Uzupis is a pedway connecting it to a lovely park. Standing at the edge of the small waterways, I could have stayed forever. Something about the beautiful juxtaposed against the slightly grimy and the very arty makes it feel like home.
Vilnius is also home to a large outdoor market where vendors don't sell food but rather, art. It's very fitting judging by the brief glimpse I had of the city's character. Rows and rows of paintings were closely guarded by their artists and I have to say that if I had had enough room to transport some home, I would have purchased half of the stalls. They were really good! I wish more places had things like that. Now, this market was located just past the presidential palace and I will now walk you through what we saw along the way. Cutting straight through Old Town from the hostel, you first pass through the Dawn Gates which are the only one of nine gates originally built around the town. Passing by the philharmonic, you then reach the centre which had shopping, hotels and residential buildings around large, wide streets with lots of grass. Yes, there was grass. The first I'd seen since leaving Canada. Leaving the centre, you walked toward the Cathedral which was most definitely the architectural pinnacle of the trip. Huge, with white columns and statues, and situated in a large tiled square, it could have rivalled anything found in Greece or Italy. Continuing on, you eventually reach a river separating the Old Town from the newer business centre. To walk along this river is very pleasant and that was mostly how we spent our afternoon. Close to the river are the Royal Palace and the city museum where there is a large hill boasting fabulous views of every part of Vilnius. So we took the glass elevator up to the top and proceeded to gawk for an extended period of time. By this time our legs felt as though they might fall off, so we took some time to eat and recover.
The latter part of the day consisted of the museum which formerly housed the KGB offices and prison, whose prison part has been kept intact. There were also top levels devoted to Soviet Occupation and the Holocaust. Lithuania was hit extremely hard by both of these events and over time, lost a third of its population due to deaths, disappearances and deportations. Seeing the prison was a particularly intense experience as hearing about various Soviet methods of torture is very different from seeing the chambers and leftover personal belongings of the victims in person. One that really dug under my skin was the ice room, where the prisoner was forced to stand on the small metal pedestal for days, surrounded by ice. So, his choices were to stand, or to fall and risk the harm of laying in a vat of ice for days and days. This to me, is unimaginable, yet the proof that it happened was directly in front of me. The museum serves as a sort of shrine that dedicates itself to remembering the occurrences of the last sixty or seventy years and that also tells all of its visitors about the popular resistance to these events by Lithuanians who risked everything to fight for their freedom. No person need look any further for women's lib in the Baltics as the stories of the women who were also part of the resistance feature heavily in the exhibits and also detailed their punishments if and when they were caught. The most severe punishments were either death by firing squad, prison, or 25 years in hard work camps. I wondered what in particular each had done to merit their fates. I learned a lot here, and though sobered after a lovely day, don't regret going to see it in the slightest. It was certainly something I won't soon forget.
So, for only spending a day and a half in the city, Kevin and I packed as much as possible into our stay. Leaving Vilnius felt a bit sad because there were still parts that I hadn't seen, but I consoled myself knowing that if I so enjoyed it, I would make it a priority to go back. And so, I will.
After another five hours on a bus….. Riga!
Friday, April 2, 2010
East Estonian Adventures
March 5: Trip to East Estonia
I am currently as sick as is humanly possible for a person with a cold. But, that's never stopped me before so why would it stop me now? In that light, yesterday I piled into a rental car with three good friends and proceeded to drive to the very edge of Estonia. I literally stood at the banks of the Narva River and looked at Russia. I said, "Hello, Russia. How are ya?". How cool is that?? This trip was much better than the South Estonia one and I think I've identified the problem. Too many people, for too long, make my teeth itch. That's right. My teeth itch.
I've always been a lover and simultaneously, a hater of the "roadtrip". This time though, I pumped myself full of Gravol and was determined to enjoy myself and live up to my imagined standard of the concept. It worked. We stopped where we wanted, got lost a few times, and really, really enjoyed ourselves. On the way to Narva we stopped twice, once to try to find a waterfall, and secondly to successfully find a waterfall. Why a waterfall you ask? Well, only because it was frozen solid. Very impressive looking, I tell you. I almost died on the stairs though. They were treacherous. Sorry, Kevin, about the hot chocolate on your jacket. That's what you get for walking in front of me.
After the waterfall we eventually got to Narva. Narva is a small town mostly comprised of Russians, which is situated closer to St. Petersburg than to Tallinn. It sits on the bank of the Narva River which separates Estonia from Russia (at least this part) and at the same time joins them by a so called "Friendship Bridge" which appears, incidentally, on the 5 kroon note. The fortifications on the Estonian side of the river have become a very interesting museum that we took in before moving on to see more parts of the town. We also had a nice photoshoot next to Lenin. He was a bit overbearing, wasn't he?
On our way to see a statue of a Swedish Lion, we saw a few limos and some commotion. Upon closer examination, a wedding party was taking their photos next to the tourist attraction we wanted to see. So, we took ten minutes and crashed their party. It only made sense, it was our tourist attraction, too. Giggling away, we then explored some interesting churches, one of which happened to be having it's Lenten service. It happened to be the Russian Orthodox service and let me just say, that it was creepy with a capital "C". All and only lit with numerous red glass encased candles, and with nobody sitting, just standing with heads bowed listening to the Priest utter very quickly in Latin, it was a scene I will never forget. Very surreal. At this point, it's snowing rapidly and getting dark so we decide to hit the road.
Our last stop was a town called "Rakvere" which is quite small but very lovely. I feel like the worst kind of crap and elect not to get out and see castle ruins that I can see perfectly well from the car. But I do decide to go into a pub and get a hot chocolate when the occasion arises. We stay for a while, say that this little town merits further exploration at a later date, and head back to pass in the rental.
After some adventures getting gas, we successfully returned the vehicle and I am safe at home after a day well spent on the road. I hope to do this sort of excursion again. It was worth every penny spent and every minute on the road.
I am currently as sick as is humanly possible for a person with a cold. But, that's never stopped me before so why would it stop me now? In that light, yesterday I piled into a rental car with three good friends and proceeded to drive to the very edge of Estonia. I literally stood at the banks of the Narva River and looked at Russia. I said, "Hello, Russia. How are ya?". How cool is that?? This trip was much better than the South Estonia one and I think I've identified the problem. Too many people, for too long, make my teeth itch. That's right. My teeth itch.
I've always been a lover and simultaneously, a hater of the "roadtrip". This time though, I pumped myself full of Gravol and was determined to enjoy myself and live up to my imagined standard of the concept. It worked. We stopped where we wanted, got lost a few times, and really, really enjoyed ourselves. On the way to Narva we stopped twice, once to try to find a waterfall, and secondly to successfully find a waterfall. Why a waterfall you ask? Well, only because it was frozen solid. Very impressive looking, I tell you. I almost died on the stairs though. They were treacherous. Sorry, Kevin, about the hot chocolate on your jacket. That's what you get for walking in front of me.
After the waterfall we eventually got to Narva. Narva is a small town mostly comprised of Russians, which is situated closer to St. Petersburg than to Tallinn. It sits on the bank of the Narva River which separates Estonia from Russia (at least this part) and at the same time joins them by a so called "Friendship Bridge" which appears, incidentally, on the 5 kroon note. The fortifications on the Estonian side of the river have become a very interesting museum that we took in before moving on to see more parts of the town. We also had a nice photoshoot next to Lenin. He was a bit overbearing, wasn't he?
On our way to see a statue of a Swedish Lion, we saw a few limos and some commotion. Upon closer examination, a wedding party was taking their photos next to the tourist attraction we wanted to see. So, we took ten minutes and crashed their party. It only made sense, it was our tourist attraction, too. Giggling away, we then explored some interesting churches, one of which happened to be having it's Lenten service. It happened to be the Russian Orthodox service and let me just say, that it was creepy with a capital "C". All and only lit with numerous red glass encased candles, and with nobody sitting, just standing with heads bowed listening to the Priest utter very quickly in Latin, it was a scene I will never forget. Very surreal. At this point, it's snowing rapidly and getting dark so we decide to hit the road.
Our last stop was a town called "Rakvere" which is quite small but very lovely. I feel like the worst kind of crap and elect not to get out and see castle ruins that I can see perfectly well from the car. But I do decide to go into a pub and get a hot chocolate when the occasion arises. We stay for a while, say that this little town merits further exploration at a later date, and head back to pass in the rental.
After some adventures getting gas, we successfully returned the vehicle and I am safe at home after a day well spent on the road. I hope to do this sort of excursion again. It was worth every penny spent and every minute on the road.
And It Continues...
March 4
Now this is an event an a half. Are you ready? Are you?? I bet you're not. But I guess I'll tell you anyway. I got to visit the Estonian PARLIAMENT! That's right, the Estonian seat of power, democracy, and freedom. I had shivers. I did, I swear. I love, love, loved it. This is what I have wanted to do since I got here. I walk home past the buildings every time I leave the city centre but hadn't yet been inside. So, upon hearing there would be an event where we would visit Parliament, I was the first to sign up.
Estonian democracy is of the highest standard. It's ranked fifth of the most democratic countries in the world, is very progressive, and generally functions very well. Estonia has had so few opportunities in its history to govern itself that in 1991 when they gained their independence they jumped at the chance to do it properly. They use a proportional representation system that is perfect for them since they are a small country with mixed views, and they have a sort of coalition government. They even have seats for Green party members, a touchy subject for any Canadians who vote Green as our system doesn't allow their direct participation in our political system without seats (which they don't have). But, enough of that. I'll tell you now about the inside of the buildings.
The Estonian parliament is built in several different styles from several different time. It's highly recognizable because part of it is in a castle, and the other most visible part in the front, is very pink. The inside has been built to symbolize Estonian national pride and freedom. From the colours right down to the interior mouldings. The chamber where members sit is bright blue with black doors and a white-ish ceiling as represented on the Estonian flag. The ceiling, stairways and walls all have decorative zigzags which are also symbols of Estonian independence. It makes for quite an eclectic looking arrangement. So, so, different from the Canadian buildings which tend to err towards the side of regal rather than quirky. I like it though, it's more appealing than the stiffness of the Canadian buildings.
After a guided tour, and some fun outside the chamber where members wait (if you stand in one corner of the room and even just whisper, the sound travels to the other corner. It's meant to symbolize that no secrecy is allowed in the parliament) we had a visit with a member of parliament whose name currently escapes me but who had lots and lots to say about Estonian government and its problems, all of which I won't recount to you now but which was very interesting. The highlights were that Estonia is having some integration problems with it's Russian population, has the same women's equality problems that we experience in Canada, and has very little debt, making its ascension into the Eurozone imminent.
Best trip ever. Felt like home. Pathetic? Maybe, but don't judge me. I just really like getting my politic on.
Sincerest Apologies
So, I very definitely suck. I have harboured (unintentionally, of course) a series of about nine blog posts in the safety of my desktop where they remained unedited for the last month and half or so. BUT! I have traded my lazy hat for my editor's hat and now, (drumroll, please) I present to you the product of my tiny existence in a foreign country. I will post chronologically so as not to confuse when these events took place.
February 26-28: South Estonia Trip
This trip was painful. Very, very, painful. I have never felt so alone as I have felt on this small, weekend excursion and I could not give you a good reason as to why. But out of the fog of my sour mood I can relate to you some of the happenings on this trip that should have been, if not for my humour, quite interesting.
We boarded the bus in the afternoon and started heading south towards Tartu, a university town, where we stopped briefly for drinks, as we continued on to our destination. It was dark and I was bus sick and now I have no idea where that destination was actually located. I can, however, tell you that once we got there, it was a very good night. The place was a rest lodge in the middle of what I perceived as nowhere, which was a nice setup. Mostly a long wooden cabin with bunks and a dining hall on the main floor. The dinner was delicious and the company on that first night was exceptional. The best bit, by far, was the sauna. I had never been to a sauna before and so, despite my Winterized (aka flabby, white, generally unprepared for public view) bikini body, I pulled mine on and off I went. Of course, as per Estonian tradition, when in a sauna, one must get as hot as possible and then take a run and jump into the snow. And so I did. And I liked it. Afterwards, I was covered in pine needles and my face was uncomfortably hot and red (and remained that way for the whole night) but, so what? All for the sake of having fun. The rest of the evening was spent dancing and drinking with friends and trying to sleep while the belligerently drunk were still up and shouting. As all should be.
The next day, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Which sounds ridiculous because in a bunk next to a wall there is only one possible side of the bed, but, nonetheless, I woke up on the wrong one. The worst one. The whole day is a haze of crank. We got up and ate a small breakfast and then we re-boarded the bus. We stopped at a park where we proceeded to take a small hike into the woods to see some natural rock formations that used to be a place of worship in the area. There were holes in the cliff side, embedded in the rock, and some caves where water was streaming through. According to our tour guides the water flowing here is very pure and drinkable right from the source. The scenery was beautiful and when looking at my photos later, I realized that I had in fact enjoyed that part of the trip. I've always liked hiking and this was no exception. The day was spent largely in various parks looking at different kinds of Estonian scenery, until later in the afternoon.
Later that day, after a bit more driving, we found ourselves in an historical representation on a traditional Seto farmstead. The Seto people are traditional Estonians whose culture has survived a long history of domination so that they still can bestow upon the viewing public, and enjoy themselves, their traditions and language. They speak a slightly different dialect of Estonian which made it difficult for our guides to translate directly. We toured through the farmstead and ate a traditional meal (I'm using the word traditional a lot, I know, but really, that's what it was), and then a group of Seto women graced us with some singing from the area in traditional (sorry) costume. This was ok until they made me dance. That was not ok. Not ok at all.
After that is where it all gets a bit hazy. We got back on the bus and proceeded to Forest Brothers farm. The Forest Brothers are what the locals call men who were evading and fighting the Russians by living in the woods. Some lived in the woods for the better part of their lives, unable to see their families and denied the comforts that we North Americans have enjoyed during our lives. This particular farms had several bunkers in which to hide and belongs now to a woman whose family had owned the farm since its existence and thus, lived under the occupation. She recollected stories of her community that were truly moving. This part of the day was not lost on me. We were able to see inside the bunkers and partook in the drinking of local vodka (aka moonshine). This is the hazy bit. I had a bit too much of said vodka and elected to sit out the rest of the evening. Woops.
The next day was, how shall I say, difficult. I was very grateful that it was the last day of the trip. I really didn't feel well, really needed a shower, and really didn't want to get back on the bus. But I did. We went first to the highest hill in South Estonia and then to a Poku house (the Estonian equivalent of a Smurf shrine) where a famous Estonian writer's books and characters came to life. It would take a person with more patience than I to tell you completely about Poku's and their origins, but suffice it to say, they are rather like Smurf's but without the blue and with lots of hair.
That was the end of the South Estonian adventure and I can say unashamedly that I spent the next week as a hermit in my apartment. I had had enough of people for a few days. Better luck next time, I guess.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Morning After
After every big blow-out comes the morning after, where eyes are blurry, heads are aching and of course the repercussions of the night before become starkly evident. However, for me and the others participating in the last nights festivities, the next morning is reserved for pancakes. It has become a weekly ritual (if not more often) that a crowd of booze-weary students crawl from the Academic Hostel to the cafe next door in order to drown our sorrows in several varieties of stuffed crepes. This morning's version: mushroom and blue cheese for Kevin and I, honey for Marielle, and ham and cheese for Szymon.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Writer's Block
I am suffering from vicious writer's block, hence the lack of blog. I sit at the computer screen and my eyes sort of go cross eyed and then all of a sudden it's four hours later and I've written a sentence. But nevertheless, here I am about to attempt to relate to you bits and pieces of my life in the former Soviet Union. I've settled into my apartment and classes have allowed a sort of routine to settle in around me, rather like dust. I have Estonian, Russian and Constitution of the European Union which deals primarily with shared and individual competencies of government and the terms of constitutional law. You know you have problems when that is the class that I have dreamed of taking since realizing that I really like politics. Is your nerd radar working? Because it should be beeping frantically right about now. In addition to getting a bit too excited about the inner workings of the EU, I have managed to pick up most Estonian pleasantries, vowels, and a couple of verbs. The Russian is going much slower, but it would probably help if I had the text. Woops. That might be tomorrow's project, along with filling out my impossible residence permit papers that asked me a multitude of questions about my family's secret service and military history. A bitter aftertaste of Soviet dominance perhaps? In any case, it will all shake out in the end.
In other interesting news, I, who abhor all physical activity taking place in the cold, have taken up skating. There is a wonderful little outdoor skating rink about ten minutes from my front door called "Uisuplats" where you can rent skates and twirl your way around the ice with the shadow of St. Nicholas' Church behind you and twinkle lights strung in the trees. Since I haven't skated since I was maybe nine, I thought that the first time I went it would be a complete disaster. But! I either have a knack for skating or it's like riding a bike. Two times gone, two times tumble free. It was also National Sledding Day here a few days ago and most of the foreign students gathered together at "Lauluvaljak" or "Singing Square" for some good old fashioned, sitting on a garbage bag in lieu of a real sled, sledding. If I had nickel for how many times I narrowly escaped death, I wouldn't have a loan anymore. I think every person in Tallinn, sometime during the day, made an appearance at this hill, which is also on song festival grounds (incidentally how Estonians gained their freedom, during a "Singing Revolution"). It was a truly great day and for the first time in my entire life (because I loathed the cold as a child), I am enjoying outdoor winter sport. Hell just froze over. Did you hear that?
Now after the wholesome talk, we will take a moment to bow our heads for the amazing Estonian nightlife that I have come to fully partake in, which is really unlike me. I have learned thus far, that for European ERASMUS students, these exchanges are meant for a well rounded education in how to party, in addition to economics or politics. Every weekend is filled up with this or that party, and they are really worth going to. There have been a few places I wouldn't care to go back to but for the most part the clubbing is exceptional. Good music, safe environment, and open until the wee, wee hours of the morning. Also on the menu are a list of pubs that, for this East Coast Canadian, could rival any Haligonian Pub. Molly Malone's for soccer and a beer or for live music and Irish coffee. Hell Hunt for delicious pub fare including dumplings and meatballs as well as your favourite drafts. Really, for such a small city, you could find something for every one and find plenty of time to enjoy it.
But I don't just drink. I've also revived my long lost verve for cooking. That's right, I referred to cooking in a positive manner. I've attempted and been relatively successful at bruschetta, beef stew, not burning chicken, roasted vegetable and feta salad, among other things. It started as a housewarming party issue where I needed to bring something edible and now has become a way of giving the possibility of getting scurvy the finger. That's right! No scurvy for me. I can cook. Kind of.
Lastly, the temperature dipped again today so that the hairs inside your nose would have frost on them if you were here. I'm actually starting to enjoy the weather. It's becoming refreshing.
Anyway, my writer's block decided to clear at 1am and so now I can hear my bed calling to me. Until next time, keep fit and have fun.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Shopoholic Takes Tallinn
Many shopping centres= utter mayhem and excessive shoppers guilt. It's day 9 of my Estonian adventure and I, the one carrying many shopping bags, have not only seen the sights but also the inside of every available shopping centre in the city. For the most part I've been able to restrain myself. I've only purchased a few frivolities aside from any necessities, but, I nonetheless feel like I've purchased too much (presents for my family, going out clothing because I brought only casual wear which isn't my fault because that's all I own, and one rather expensive tube of toothpaste). I haven't really over spent, but since every time I spend something I go further into the negative (not to mention the stomach awash was nerves and churning with guilt), I really ought not to spend much.
The problem is, and in fact the problem always has been, that I find shopping therapeutic. There's something very comforting about the sense of uniformity and anonymity found in shopping malls that seems to calm my very soul. Which religion am I, you ask? Why, I am of course an ardent follower of the consumerist lifestyle! My places of worship are the Temples of Mammon which in Tallinn, are nicely juxtaposed with the Temples of God. And you?
The worst part is, I know what I'm doing. Each time I slide the little red card, time worn with scratches on the surface, across the gleaming black countertop to the smiling sales clerk, I can hear my father's disapproving voice as if it were coming from the shop's speakers. "Noelle, you don't NEED that!" But, alas, it's too late. I silently scrawl my signature in shame and tuck my parcel inside my giant bag of tricks otherwise known as a purse. "Too bad," I mutter to my speaker-bound father and I scuttle furtively out of the shop.
If the habit was bad in Canada, it's far worse in Estonia. New stores, handicrafts, amber, coffee, oh my! Not to mention the delicious cakes and meals available at my beck and call. But really, though, I haven't been doing that badly. In fact I might even be doing rather well. The larger items such as a mobile phone and glasses have both been necessary and budget options and everything else has been on sale. The one thing that may have been a bit excessive might be the fact that since being here I've purchased my weight in black tea. I can't live without the stuff. It's a great match to the best eclairs I've ever eaten available at Reval Cafe.
I write this as I sit in yet another shopping centre. But, it's snowing rather heavily outside so it's ok I think. Oh wait. Look! There's a sale at Zara...
The problem is, and in fact the problem always has been, that I find shopping therapeutic. There's something very comforting about the sense of uniformity and anonymity found in shopping malls that seems to calm my very soul. Which religion am I, you ask? Why, I am of course an ardent follower of the consumerist lifestyle! My places of worship are the Temples of Mammon which in Tallinn, are nicely juxtaposed with the Temples of God. And you?
The worst part is, I know what I'm doing. Each time I slide the little red card, time worn with scratches on the surface, across the gleaming black countertop to the smiling sales clerk, I can hear my father's disapproving voice as if it were coming from the shop's speakers. "Noelle, you don't NEED that!" But, alas, it's too late. I silently scrawl my signature in shame and tuck my parcel inside my giant bag of tricks otherwise known as a purse. "Too bad," I mutter to my speaker-bound father and I scuttle furtively out of the shop.
If the habit was bad in Canada, it's far worse in Estonia. New stores, handicrafts, amber, coffee, oh my! Not to mention the delicious cakes and meals available at my beck and call. But really, though, I haven't been doing that badly. In fact I might even be doing rather well. The larger items such as a mobile phone and glasses have both been necessary and budget options and everything else has been on sale. The one thing that may have been a bit excessive might be the fact that since being here I've purchased my weight in black tea. I can't live without the stuff. It's a great match to the best eclairs I've ever eaten available at Reval Cafe.
I write this as I sit in yet another shopping centre. But, it's snowing rather heavily outside so it's ok I think. Oh wait. Look! There's a sale at Zara...
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Socks and Underwear
I was having a bit of writer's block this week, but was writing to a friend on Facebook about how I was running out of socks and suddenly, voila!! My inspiration for how to start my next post. Why, you ask? Well, because I am running out of socks and underwear! I've been here for a week and every day I need three pairs of socks so my toes don't fall off in the -20 degree weather. One day I went out to walk on the frozen Baltic sea (very beautiful, by the way) and I still haven't recovered. All of that aside however, this place so far has been truly wonderful. Looking up at picturesque snow topped buildings while walking on winding, slightly slippery, cobbled streets with fat snow flurries floating gently down around you is an activity that I could do endlessly if it didn't involve frost-bitten finger-tips and noses. Infinite passageways, tunnels, staircases and narrow alleys transport you all over the central Old Town and every time I take a trip there I discover something new. For example, last week I went to view an apartment that belonged to an Italian girl, Carlotta, who was also on exchange in Estonia. After seeing her apartment (which I agreed to take, incidentally) we were standing chatting in her kitchen where I explained that I had been there for a while but hadn't really met anybody yet. She was kind enough to invite me to dinner with her and a group of her friends at a pizza place just outside Old Town. The food was delicious, the company was fantastic and so after, we decided to continue our evening at a coffee shop. Joined by a few more people we made our way into a tiny nook that was through a gate and didn't look like it contained much of anything. To my surprise and delight, this tiny nook was in fact, home to many shops and a beautiful little coffee place selling a number of culinary fascinations such as chilli chocolate and pineapple flavoured green tea. The interior was infused by low lights and was decorated by lovely, old furniture, flowers, chandeliers and candles. It was a typical Old Town structure with low ceilings, old stonework and visible beams. Settling down into a corner, all of us ordered and waited at our table in anticipation for what we were sure was going to be an incredible dining experience. We were not disappointed. The tea came in little mugs with filters in the centre for the loose tea leaves to settle and steep and the chocolates were served on small silver plates like the ones your grandmother has in her china cabinet someplace, all scrolls and frills along the edges. The chilli chocolates were to die for, with just a little heat in the truffle centre to set off the rich, dark chocolate. I have to tell you, the I have not often had cause to use the word "swoon" but that day, I may very well have "swooned" over those chocolates.
Each time I've explored the city, it's been something like that. Someplace new, with different people and even though whatever activity we are partaking in may not be my favourite thing (think clubbing complete with disco lights and a gazillion people) it's still an entertaining experience. My friend Pauline has been a huge help in showing me the sights and the shopping (which I very definitely like) and the orientation put on by the International Office and student club has been both fun and informative. I've met tons and tons of people from all over and we've bonded over trying out the preferred local alcohol (Vana Tallinn) which burns on the way down and trying to find our way around. It's really starting to pick up here and it's all very exciting! My classes start on Monday and I'm looking forward to figuring out what my routine is going to be like. Only having three courses will be quite different for me, and will hopefully leave me with lots of time to travel! Of course that also means more blogging and more pictures! But, we'll see. Tonight, an Estonian party with traditional music and snacks. I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Grocery Wars
The eating issue is by far the most difficult problem I've come across since I started travelling. Restaurants are hard to navigate (which are expensive, which aren't?) and menus are often not in English. I really need to buy some groceries so that I can eat at home. After my Old Town adventure, I find my way to a grocery store called "Kaubamaja" in the downstairs of the mall "Viru Keskus". I walk in, find a basket and to my relief, the store is organized like a North American supermarket with produce at the front, and milk in the back. I pick up what I think are normal oranges and grapefruit, and spy to my left some, wait for it, Chiquita bananas!! I smile in relief and pick up a bunch. The next parts are far more difficult. I only have a pan at the hostel, no pots or microwave so I need things that can be prepared in a pan. However, I can't read the cooking instructions! After some struggling, I manage to get what I need in terms of food stuffs. Now, for the milk section.
Far and away the most difficult part of my day was trying to buy milk. Do you know how many different kinds of white stuff come in milk-like cartons?? Cream, yoghurt here comes in cartons, and then full milk, half fat milk, and no fat milk. None of which I can read! I make a guess and hope for the best. God knows if it's actually what I want. I venture down to buy juice and some crackers and then make my way to the cereal aisle. And then, I saw Cheerios!! For the first time, Cheerios sufficiently cheered me. I stash the honey variety into my basket and move on to checkout.
The checkout was a tad bit stressful. The cashier didn't speak English and there was a line behind me of busy people getting food after work. I try to find bags but I can't see any, nor do I see where to put my basket. I find the bags eventually, hiding under the counter, move to the end of the checkout and start bagging my items. Everything else runs smoothly.
I get lost again on my way out but eventually find my trolley stop and purchase my ticket properly. When I finally find my way back to my hostel I am exhausted. I've been on hyper-aware for the last five days and I need to unwind. So, I call home and put a movie on and fall asleep. I had a productive day, but I don't think I'll move very far tomorrow.
Far and away the most difficult part of my day was trying to buy milk. Do you know how many different kinds of white stuff come in milk-like cartons?? Cream, yoghurt here comes in cartons, and then full milk, half fat milk, and no fat milk. None of which I can read! I make a guess and hope for the best. God knows if it's actually what I want. I venture down to buy juice and some crackers and then make my way to the cereal aisle. And then, I saw Cheerios!! For the first time, Cheerios sufficiently cheered me. I stash the honey variety into my basket and move on to checkout.
The checkout was a tad bit stressful. The cashier didn't speak English and there was a line behind me of busy people getting food after work. I try to find bags but I can't see any, nor do I see where to put my basket. I find the bags eventually, hiding under the counter, move to the end of the checkout and start bagging my items. Everything else runs smoothly.
I get lost again on my way out but eventually find my trolley stop and purchase my ticket properly. When I finally find my way back to my hostel I am exhausted. I've been on hyper-aware for the last five days and I need to unwind. So, I call home and put a movie on and fall asleep. I had a productive day, but I don't think I'll move very far tomorrow.
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