Spring Days

It's felt different here in Tartu over the past few days. Mainly, of course, because Shelley and Chloe are back in the U.S. now and I am on my own for the remaining 5 weeks in Estonia. But the season is also definitely changing over into Spring. Here are four recent signs of Spring:

(i) On Friday they finally turned on the 'Kissing Students' fountain in Tartu's main square.



(ii) On Saturday I saw my first Estonian butterfly -- and managed to take a picture of it! It's a brimstone (typically the first species to emerge in many parts of Europe).



(iii) The outdoor tables that were set up in the main square by several cafes now have significant numbers of Estonians sitting at them. (I have seen other people using them before this, but they turned out to be English!)



(iv) While on the bus back from Tallinn last week I saw a stork's nest on top of a telephone pole, with a stork sitting in it.



Oh, and a final important part of the Spring-like feel has been the weather -- sunny and mild (in the mid-60's) for several days now.

arb