Pärnu. Birthday

After several years me and Scott were in the same country on my birthday and to not to skip traveling completely we booked us a hotel on the beach in Pärnu.

Arrived on Friday evening, we squeezed ourselves in between all that smoking crowd by the entrance and fairly contactless got our key. Being the ever so prepared travellers, we walked to a newer restaurant in old town and as always, ordered way too much food. Among other things we got a plate for two with different cheeses, tartar, pate, fish, prosciutto etc. We had almost polished the plate when I decided to try the goat cheese. I took a bite and before I could realize my mistake, I had already managed to bite into that. Whereas I put some goat cheese in my mouth, the thing I spat out was clear pork fat. We walked some on the beach and watched the sunset.

After my morning run on Saturday I can confirm that the beach in Pärnu is almost the same length as Klong Nin on Koh Lanta in Thailand. Well, in case the loyal reader cares for that information.

Breakfast was a bit more like a buffet than it was in Pühajärve - appetizers were all set out, each thing separately wrapped - cheese and ham slices covered with plastic wrap, jam, smoked fish etc in cute little jars. Coffee and prosecco was served and warm meals brought directly from the kitchen. Really nice.

Since Scott’s first encounter with Pärnu was during the February storm, where we were crouching by the walls, to have some cover from the rain and wind, we decided to have another sightseeing walk and looked at everything worth looking at. During the two hour walk we managed to see everything three times at least. Luckily after that there was time for a nap before heading out for dinner.

Turned out that post-corona Pärnu was popular place and two hours in advance we didn’t manage to get a table in Accord. But the one who pays, gets to choose the music, so we went to the Note. We had scallops and shrimps and roastbeef, creme brulee and little custard pancakes. Sunset we enjoyed with raspberry margaritas from the terrace of a nearby SPA Hotel.

Sunday morning run and late morning donuts and we made our way back to Tallinn.

Make Sports Great again and end of the state of emergency

When they declared it a state of emergency in March, closed all gyms and shopping centres and asked people to stay home, the next day my usually totally empty running route was full of runners and people walking their kids and dogs. The whole Tallinn was exercising suddenly like there was no tomorrow. And while understanding the runners - they just moved their trainings from Fitness24 outdoors, I was puzzled as to where did they keep all the babies and dogs that needed to be walked all of the sudden?

Now, in May, when the state of emergency is over, shopping malls and gyms open again and weather nice and sunny, my running tracks are empty again. I don’t have to figure out anymore how to squeeze myself through between the mom scrolling her phone while pushing the baby carrier and the dude waiting for the dog to pee. Program Make Sports Great again and healthy lifestyle found their quick and gloryless ending. The shoppers can breathe easier again and attack the stores.

Pühajärve. First overnight trip after the isolation.

Our first after-corona overnight trip took us to Tartu. Since they still recommend social distancing, we decided to stay in Pühajärve. Booked ourselves the lake view room.

By Friday evening we arrived in Tartu, had dinner at my mom’s following all the rules and made it to the hotel shortly before sunset.

Since the trees were all green by May, we didn’t manage to see enjoy our lake view that was well hidden behind the woods. Breakfast was buffet-style - the buffet was behind two servers, who then, their visors pushed back like redneck’s caps on hot summer day, handed the food out. We managed to get the table in the piano room and finally enjoyed the lake view.

Did some hiking around half the lake and drove to our lake house to have some freshly smoked salmon by my dad. Rules were followed only partly. Meaning, if you can’t do everything, do half. We kept half the recommended distance.

On Sunday morning we had a longer walk in the village and drove to Tartu after that. Had lunch with my mom, chatted with Gerli and her family as much as  it was possible over 20feet (just in case, right!) and made our way to Tallinn.

Since Scott had never visited Viljandi and we were in no rush, we decided to pay it a short visit. Most of the way it was pouring rain and we also got some while walking in Viljandi.

How we didn't go to Zurich. Viimsi.

Today we decided not to take a longer trip and went just to Viimsi. We walked on the beach, watched the city disappearing in sudden fog and drove around on the peninsula. On the way home we tried to buy some croissants from Lyon, but despite all the big promises in Facebook, Lyon had already locked the door.

How we didn't go to Zurich. But ate lunch while trespassing.

Trying to avoid the suddenly oh-so-popular hiking trails like for example Viru bog, we decided to go to Rakvere. Scott had never been there and additionally there are some other nice places to see on the North coast.

Being the ever prepared tourists, we had chosen the place to get our lunch takeaway and with those essential preparations made we drove straight to Rakvere today morning. We walked some on the totally abandoned main street, visited the castle and Tarvas, the bull. Having walked plenty we called Sarvik, where we wanted to get lunch from. The girl answering the number on the home page informed us that there is no Sarvik on this number... Oh, well. We called Berlin Trahter and placed the lunch order there. Arrived, stepped in and were greeted by a waitress, who was coughing her lungs out. We could only hope that the cook was still healthy, paid the other waitress, whose hands were free, not covering the coughing mouth, grabbed our bag and ran to the car. Already before starting the car, we had finished the cheese balls.

We had planned to eat lunch on the picturesque north coast, right next to Toolse castle. Right before the castle there was a smaller road going into forest and we figured that it would take us to an especially empty beach. We were driving until it became clear that the forest road will turn into a narrow footpath sooner rather than later, stopped the car and finished also the rest of our food. Sitting on the front seat, food boxes on the laps, it wasn't nearly as glamorous as we had imagined, but still delicious. To get from the nature back to the civilization, we had to back out for the bigger part of the road. In the first wider part, where we could turn the car around, we also saw the sign on the ground that strongly recommended not to proceed on that road with the car. I guess, those signs would have more use, being standing and readable.

We did visit also Toolse castle and from there went to a nearby beach to have a little afternoon nap. We had planned to see some nice manors on Lahemaa, but after two weeks of staying home, the day felt tiring already and we just drove home.

How we didn't go to Zurich. Out of town.

To start in the beginning I have to mention the Chinese who considered it a great idea to eat the bat. After that there was January when we got ourselves tickets to Zurich for the labor day weekend. And form there the whole travelling went downhill. Anyway, by May we had spent seven weeks only at home or in nearby neighbourhoods within walking distance. So we rented a car and planned to get out of town on the long weekend. Or even within Tallinn to go somewhere that's not Shnelli park. We got the car on Thursday and first thing went to hardware store to buy some camping chairs. As we all know, it's essential to eat while daytripping and the roadside cafes don't seem like a great idea with the current circumstances. From the hardware store we went to see Kopli Lines and from there to Pikakari beach.

While planning the menu for Friday's trip Scott thought that nothing would be better than fresh hot bread right out of oven... Shared the tasks and started the dough on Thursday evening, Scott mixed it at 6:30am on Friday and by 9:30am it went into oven. Also known as the time we would have otherwise eaten croissants with coffee on our balcony in Zurich. We placed an order for some profiteroles by Ristikheina cafe and already at 12:30pm the bag was packed and we started our way to Tänavjärve lake.

On the way there we passed several barrios with sowiet era architectural highlights like Rummu, where after building the houses 50-60 years ago, nobody had even from afar shown them any paint or filler. Scott refused to give those buildings a second look and told that if he'd be forced to live there, he would be buried in that house as well. Once he's made his way inside, he would never step out of it again in the fear to have to see them from outside anew.

About an hour and 15 minutes later Google Maps told us to take a left turn into the woods, grab some paddles and row our car through the muddy puddles. We turned around and tried the next path. That worked better and we parked the car by Veskijärve lake, where we considered the lake view suitable for our sandwich and cake lunch. The bread had cooled down, but was still crunchy. Since we didn't have any disposable plates at home, we had grabbed some silverware and were dining now like in the best Arabian restaurants. Everything was peachy until the profiteroles. Ristikheina profiteroles are well known as a pound of delicious cream in the pastry. After the third bite the filling was running out of all the holes that even didn't exist. After lunch we sat there for awhile, me wrapped in the yak wool rug, Scott wearing flip flops... and enjoyed the silence and fresh air.

From the lake we drove to Nõva beach, where at first we thought that we had missed the beginning of the beach season, because the parking lot was more packed than the surrounding of the singing grounds during Metallica concert. But turned out that all the crowds had come to the beach to just grill their hot dogs next to their cars and the whole long sandy beach was totally empty. We walked some, skipped few rocks and made our way to Padise manor and castle. And form there to Rummu quarry also known as Estonian Blue Lagoon. We watched some heterothermics going for a swim, got some sticks to bring home and made a last stop before heading home in the Ämari Pilot's Cemetery, where instead of traditional tombstones they had used parts of aircraft.