Adventure in Estonia, part 1

Ken manages to keep it all as a secrect until they arrive at the cargo harbour of Vuosaari. He takes something out of his backpack and says:
- Here, hold these, we will need them very soon!
- Our passports!? We’re driving to the ferry? To Estonia?!
- Yes!!!!

 

 

The ferry leaves at 8 pm and reches the other side of the Gulf of Finland right before midnight. 

It’s the first morning on the Estonian ground and Ken confesses:
- I know nothing about this country. I’m terrified.
- Why the heck for? You’ve been here before!
- Only with Hector.
- Bollocks. Don’t let your old age take away your adventurous spirit! You’ve never been afraid of travelling.

 

It doesn’t take long before Ken spots the first stork and it makes him immediately love Estonia! 

 

Everything is pretty! There are butterflies everywhere! The birds sing differently than at home and the flowers here look strange!

 

The Jägala Waterfall is magnificent. Ken is amazed because there are no protective railings anywhere. People could easily fall down from the cliff and die. Or swim under the waterfall and die again! 

 

Kaarna laughs:
— Yes, the stupid ones. The World doesn’t need stupid people, so let them die. I like this. No overprotective thinking like in Finland! Letting people be in charge of themselves!

 Ken and Kaarna spend the night by the waterfall. They wonder if they could try swimming like they have seen some other people do. 

 

 

Their swimsuits are up in the parking area, but since there’s no-one else around, Kaarna manages to convince Ken:

- We can just sit here in the shallow water and pretend we’re in a jacuzzi. No need to dive under the falling water and drown like an idiot.

 

It’s a cloudy and semi rainy day - excellent for enjoying some beach life! 

The beach of the Rummu prison ruins is nearly empty. 

Ken and Kaarna swim around the ruins and Kaarna says:

- If I had known about this I would’ve asked Mari to lend us the snorkel! The first floor of the building is under water. Would be great to see it!

- A paddle for the SUP board would’ve been nice too, Ken thinks when they sit down for a snack.

- Look! Nothing seems to be forbidden in this country! They just say ”do whatever you want but please do it carefully”! 

Kaarna is feeling energetic:

- We can climb all the way up to the hill!

- It might be dangerous. Look at this soil. It’s not solid rock, but only sand. It breaks when I scratch it with my bare plastic hands!

Ken made it to the top, but Kaarna’s constant search for adrenalin overdose is getting on his nerves. 

- You will travel home in a coffin if you won’t stop taking risks like this!

- Ok, boomer! Now, let’s roll down and go see that prison museum! Museums are not dangerous!

The Murru prison was closed and abandoned about ten years ago and left as it was. Now it’s just a partly collapsed and mostly vandalised area. This kind of abandoned buildings are Urban Explorers’ favorite places, but here it’s called a museum. 

Ken says:

- They just put a ticket booth in front of anything and suddenly it’s a museum. I think that’s hilarious!

”You are allowed to go anywhere where the doors are not locked,” the girl at the cash tells. And once again Ken notices that nobody would be allowed to enter a place like this in Finland. The teenagers would anyway. And of course Kaarna.

She says:

- I would be thrilled about wandering here secretly, but now that I paid for it and I have a permission to enter even all the darkest corners, it’s not as much fun.

 

 

It’s Ken’s birthday. He’s turning 50 and he can’t deal with it. Kaarna wants to take a portrait of him anyway, in the middle of some cute pink flowers. 

And she manages to take a decent shot too, before the murderous ants attack poor Ken! 

- Yummy, tender meat, the ants think.

The lazy days are wonderful. It means no sightseeing, no driving and no grocery shopping. 

Just chilling. Maybe hiking a bit, sunbathing, reading, drawing. 

There are plenty of nature zones with dry toilets and fire places meant for free camping in Estonia and they are the best places to spend these quiet lazy days. They are called ”lõkkekoht” and easy to find on the map app.

 

 

The sky is not on their side today and the battery is running low. Ken cries:

- Please, my darling Sun! Come out and give us your energy! 

But the clouds have no mercy and it’s time to drive again.

While driving they spot many funny or beautiful things though. 

The traffic signs are hilariously different than in Finland, and the roadsides are magical with all the flowers.

 

 

 decide to drive to the extremely beatiful (and very windy) town of Haapsalu and have a belated birthday cake in some pretty cafeteria. 

Ken also wants to visit every single handcraft shop.

Kaarna is so ashamed she nearly gets a panic attack. These two uncivilized Finns went to make an order at the cashier desk, even if the waitresses are serving to the tables.

Ken tries to be an adult:

- It’s not the end of the world. Besides the cake was delicious!

- A fucking 7 euro cake! And it was tiny! We can’t afford this! From now on we’ll just buy our sweets in the grocery store and enjoy them in the bushes and parking lots like we’re supposed to!

There happens to be some folk music festival going on and Ken is delighted to see all the beautiful national costumes from Estonia and Sweden. He doesn’t know which ones are from where, but that’s not the point for him. They all look beautiful and well made!

Next stop is at the museum that presents the work of illustrator Ilon Wikland. 

Her drawings for kids’ books have been an important part of both Ken and Kaarna’s childhood. (You might see her influence in Kaarna’s own paintings.)

Kaarna watches the original art work on the walls and says:

- Look at her talent… Look closer!!! And I’m such a crappy illustrator. I will never paint again.

- Don’t say that! Maybe also you should buy some quality paper and brushes instead of the cheap ones, Ken suggests.

- And waste the expensive papers on my shit?!! Hell no.

 

The worst days are the rainy ones. You just have to drive on in order to keep the coolbox running. Ken gets tired and sore from the driving and Kaarna gets in a bad mood just because she can.

It’s really hard to find a nice spot for the night. But in the morning when they wake up at a parking lot of some golf course close to a magnificent beach, life is good again.

- I can’t believe I forgot to pack my shorts. Do we happen to have scissors and some sewing things with us?

- I have naturally brought my travel sewing kit along. But you’ll have to make the alteration by youself. I’m on vacation.

 

The beaches on the Estonian coast seem to be even better than the sandy beaches in Spain. 

Instead of being among the really loud Spanish people and red skinned tourists, here you are most likely all alone. 

This beach is 3,5 km long and Ken and Kaarna walk it from the beginning to the end. They count less that 20 people sunbathing here and there.

There are a lot of shells on the sand and Ken collects some souvenirs to take back home. 

Kaarna finds something else though:

- Look. I’ll take this to Mari as a gift. She likes this kind of blingy shit. And I like free gifts.

- Great find. I wish we could find something for Hector also. Do you miss Mari now that we are on the road just the two of us?

- No, actually, I hardly even think about her.