What a sight it was

to witness the little creases on Mike's forehead disappear and light come to his eyes and the corners of his mouth go way up. It made my face mimic the transformation as well. I don't think you'll guess the reason behind it so I better tell you before you let your imagination work too long. It were the customer service skills of our waitress tonight.

One of the reasons I've decided (so far) not to write down our experiences when dining out here is, as Mike says, if you can't say something nice... So when we were provided with the list of ingredients when inquiring about the meat content of a dish and recommended an alternative to a less popular menu item, when our glasses were refilled before becoming empty, when I was brought a bowl with warm water to rinse my fingers, when the waitress apologized for not getting a drink fast enough (as she had the whole dining area to serve), and when she made eye contact! (a no-no for servers in Tallinn whenever a customer is trying to get another drink or the bill) it was enough to elevate our moods for the evening.

Add to this exceptional service good food, live background/dance music on a Thursday night, and an open grill area and you get a restaurant we would recommend. So if I recommend it I better reveal the name: * in downtown Tallinn.

* - Read the comments on what happened to the name.

Still tripping, part II

The scariness didn't end at the dark cellar of Rakvere Fort. We had to find a place to stay for the night. We had looked at some options in a resort village of Toila but made no reservations. Turned out that was a bit of a misjudgment. I guess since the beach season is over for this year the guest house and B&B keepers don't vie for drop-ins anymore. Instead, we found a hotel on a side street in the outskirts of Jõhvi. As I said, it was at the end of the town, on a dark street, in a large log house, behind locked doors (about five of them to try). Even though the attendant seemed friendly and there was another guest, or perhaps because of it, we proceeded to make up different ghost stories, lying in our beds in the wood-lined crypt, errr, room with half of a roof window, listening to the sounds around us.

[But, to be fairer, I think the hotel's pub would be a good place to have a rustic themed party or grab a pint of beer or hot chocolate by their fireplace while listening to a band play on a busy weekend night. Also, I could see the rooms as about perfect for school children for their overnight stay on a field trip. And although the hotel did not provide the best of amenities, wi-fi connection was considered "natural".]

Whereas the dark tour in Rakvere was unexpectedly nostalgic, day two was planned that way. We drove to Narva-Jõesuu which is the northeastern tip of the mainland, and a resort at the bay. It boasts the longest stretch of sandy beach and fresh pine-cleaned air. It used to have several spas and summer camp sites. Unfortunately, most of them are now in ruins. Many of the private houses or summer cottages have succumbed to the same fate, lurching behind thickets. The town park is still groomed and scenic, and the beach is still there. Those sites are still usable for memories.

Of a peculiar passage, nostalgic too

My friend and I decided to continue exploring the country (there really should be two paragraphs about it somewhere). We set out on the Narva (St. Petersburg) road and turned off where ever we liked or felt that we had traveled far enough from the last turnoff.

The focus of the first day was to be manor houses and other large structures from centuries ago. There were probably several dozen manor houses between Tallinn and Narva but we chose a few that were closest to the highway. So there was Aaspere manor (first recorded in 1583) that I guess has been partly renovated and looks better inside than out, and seems to be for sale! right now. There was the church in Haljala (originally from 14th century, damaged by fire several times) with its new red roof and embrasures in the bell tower. There was also Vasta manor (first recorded in 1398, the house supposedly from the 18th century) that now houses the local school and has beautiful gardens around it. We peeked through the gate at one of the best renovated larger manor houses in Kalvi (built in around 1913 on former vassal estate) and admired their collection of large and small felines - the first consisted of two stone lions, the latter of five or six live cats. The last manor house we saw is now a hotel, Saka built (in 1864) on a cliff close to the sea. Soviet border patrol had their watch tower right on the edge of the cliff and guests at the hotel today may climb the tower or descend and ascend the stairs down to the beach for their daily exercise. There was also the highest waterfall in the country (a whopping 100 feet ;) right on our way and a beautiful sunset with a rainbow to drive under.

The sight I was most impressed with was Rakvere Fort. I've driven by it a few times and thought it nice but never known to venture inside. Turned out that is where the fun is. I called this trip nostalgic. This is where they nostalgia comes in, too. I vaguely remember coming to Tallinn as a child to visit the sights, such as the zoo that had buffalo and bears, and an amusement park that traveled here for the summer. The amusement park had scare rides, and those were fun. I think. Maybe they were scary but I don't remember that part. My travel companion thought them scary.

Anyway, we were surprised to find a well created historical setting inside the fort with different living and working quarters, and townsfolk and livestock as well. We were in a courtyard and heard a door creak open and a voice ask: Did someone want to come in? We swiftly slipped in behind the latecomers and found ourselves in a dark chamber. There was a guide and a group of people, young and old. The guide showed us old torture devices and told stories about sins and punishments, beliefs and customs related to death. There were lights and sounds too that some young visitors found terrifying. There was a "walk through hell" that only the bravest or holiest were told to partake and that for us reminded those scare rides in the amusement park. One of us deemed it funny and even hilarious, the other one thought it quite scary.

You guys know me

as a shopaholic and I cannot deny that. I can't. But consider this: on my way home from today's shopping trip ;) I counted 13 items decorating me and of those none has been purchased in Estonia. Well, ok, maybe the socks. Most of my socks actually are but I'm not positive about this particular pair. Also, when I normally go out wearing my set of three rings, one of those is locally bought. Today, maybe subconsciously, I chose a different ring.

Now about those dozen things: six of them were from the U.S. (on six different trips/stays, two of them Mike's), three from Spain (on two trips), and one each from Ireland, UK/internet, and Hong Kong/internet. This should give you an idea of how often I purchase any clothes or accessories here. I  just can't see myself paying what they are asking and then walk into a look-alike the next day. However, we are seeing the competition strengthen in the second hand clothing market, and I get encouraged both by some of my friends and local green living groups so things might change... Give it a year or a half.

Back from our summer vacation,

back in fall, I got to go to the farmers' market again. The same old one (the new one mentioned two years ago did not quite make it), with the same abundance of produce. This time I got some carrots, broad beans, and parsley for dinner on Saturday, cucumbers, dill stalks, and currant leaves for a project on Sunday, and cute little potatoes for Monday. Those purchases were planned but I could not say no to ripe peaches for my dessert and a bouquet of sunny flowers for the table.

So today's project was pickling. I used to help my mother and grandmother every fall, artfully arranging cucumbers in rows in jars or keeping a watch on a big cauldron, adding firewood when necessary. Today Mike and I stuffed those greens into two jars, a bigger one for New-Mexican inspired hot pickles, and a smaller one for spur-of-the-moment ginger(!) flavored pickles. We'll meet again in a week and see how they turned out. We should still have the time and means then to tweak the recipes if needed and fill the rest of our fridge for the winter.

Washing a car, hanging laundry outside -

these are some of the modern "rain dances" we do; and we know they work. That is in a normal summer. As we found out, on drought summer these tricks don't necessarily help. You might, however, try one of the following:

• prepare a poolside party for your colleagues (for a 15-minute drizzle)
• invite your relatives of three hours away over for grape harvest (for an early morning pre-picking shower)
• sit outside and watch a bread dough rise (for an overnight one-inch thunderstorm).

The drought has diminished this year's crops they say but what has survived tastes wonderful. We've tried local sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches, Mom's peppers, Grandma's zucchini - it's all been great. We've splurged on roasted corn soup, chicken mole, edamame salad, and everything grilled - every dish tastier than the previous one. It's been a constant feast. Alone worth traveling those 4500 miles.