in Estonia: Tallinn, in brief

As I stated in my Beer Festival post, Luke and I went back to Tallinn again this past weekend. Jane was working this time, so we went with Mary. Being as her roommate was out of town and had two beds in her room, the situation worked out well.

First we went and spent the night with Mary's family, the Peikels, in the tiny town of Palivere. Palivere is really just a dot on the map, with one or two main streets and inhabitants probably numbering in the triple digits. Still, Mary's parents, grandparents, and brother, Priit, made us feel like guests of honor. They made a huge meal, brought out the fancy silverware from a box on the mantle, and Priit gave up his room for Luke and I to sleep in. Very generous people.

We were greeted at the gate by the family dog, Lord, who I am told is half wolf.

We ate a delicious meal of pork tenderloin, potatoes, salads, kraut, and wine. We had a lively dinner discussion, with Priit and Mary acting as translators. Mrs. Peikel was learning English vocabulary at an astonishing rate.

After dinner, we went for a walk around Palivere, where we saw the community, Mary's mom's workplace (a lumberyard) and the adjacent local swimming hole.

Before going to bed, Mary, Priit, Luke, and I stayed up talking for a few hours, drinking beer, and eating the delicious cinnamon raisin bread that Mary's grandma made.

The next afternoon we went to Tallinn, and attended the beer festival (see below.)

The day after that we went to the botanical gardens and TV tower. Those are better shown than told, so I'll post a few photos, and you can see the rest in the various albums on my Picasa page.

We also went to the WWII memorial. It was a mixed memorial for Soviet, Estonian, and German soldiers, as Estonia has been in control of its own monument-creation for only a couple of decades at this point. Really cool monument, though with sloping walls and stonework.