Estonia with Tea

My next move westward after Russia was Estonia. A good friend of mine, Tea, from university is Estonian and I couldn't come this close without a visit. So, this part of my journey changes from exploration to visits with friends.

The last time I visited Tea was four years ago. We had a marvelous time and she lived up to the reputation this time - what a great time it was.

First, entering Estonia I had such a sense of excitement to see her. I was greeted at the border by this nice castle:

Tea lives in Tartu, Estonia at the moment and the drive there was just beautiful. There had been snow here as well, but only small traces were left. The fields and houses became even more beautiful with the sunset.

Upon arriving in Tartu, I called Tea...which was a good thing because she was sound asleep after quite a week of end of semester celebrations. She and her friend Taavi came to pick me up at the bus station and we headed back to her apartment for snacks and talks.

The next day we walked around Tartu a little bit.

Here we are in front of her university there.

A beautiful Tea

Asian food for lunch

spring or winter?

And, of course, no visit to Estonia would be complete without a visit to her parents house. They live in the Estonian countryside and live the "simple life". Her father huts (and always sends me home with some yummy canned moose) and fishes. They have an outhouse and well. And my favorite part...bathing is done in the sauna. It wasn't sauna day, but we built a fire and made a sauna for ourselves anyway.

getting the fire wood for the sauna

building the fire for the hot water

While the sauna got hot, we took a walk around her town. What beautiful colors and vibrant greens. The weather did have trouble making up it's mind whether to be spring or winter!

in her garden

Tea by the old mill

the lake behind her house

The sauna was great. We even went down to the lake in the middle. It was too cold to get in fully, but we did splash ourselves with the icy water. (It's good for the pores, so I'm told...) And sleep after a sauna is always wonderful. I slept like a baby on the second floor of their old farm house nestled between the blanket and the sheepskin and feeling as clean as ever from the sauna experience.

The next day, after we helped her parents clear some brush, her dad made the smoked fish that I LOVE! The first time I was a little nervous to eat it right out of the skin with my fingers. But, since that time, I've had such interesting culinary adventures that I dove in with great excitement this time. Yum!

smoked fish with the smoker in the background

And after our delicious lunch of fish, we hitch hiked back to Tartu. (I love hitch hiking!)

What a wonderful (albeit short) visit with a wonderful friend!