Scarlett Linda

Estonians have some strange names for their kitchen appliances. Our kettle, for example, is called 'Scarlett Linda.' Our stove is called 'Classic Candy.'

Staying with the culinary theme, I have been saving up some examples of 'restaurant English' that we have seen on menus in Estonia. As you will see, there are some funny ones. But it has to be said that the overall standard of written English that you see on signs, in official documents, etc. is very high. Anyway, here are the menu highlights:

Grilled wild animals with basil potatoes

Lamb's casserole with potato peeling

Pork cutlet overcooked with cheese

Fungal Stew

Minced dollop in sauce



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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.

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Helsinki Trip (Part Two)

Another place we visited in Helsinki was Temppeliaukio Church, also known as the 'Rock Church' because it is mostly underground and carved out of the natural rock. It is dramatic, both inside and out, with a striking copper roof surrounded by skylights to let in the natural light to the main part of the church.


The picture below shows Chloe in contemplative mood inside the church, modeling the new sweater that Shelley finished knitting her just before we left on our trip to Finland.



An annual event in Helsinki on the Saturday evening preceding Easter is 'Via Crucis', a play re-enacting the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. After Chloe went to bed I strolled down the dockside from our hotel to the steps of the Lutheran Cathedral, where the play begins. There were already several thousand people gathered in the main square in front of the Cathedral. After the first couple of scenes, the actors moved off through the streets of Helsinki with the audience trailing behind, until they reached a nearby square where the next scenes were played out. Then the procession continued, eventually ending up back in the main square where everything had started. It was all very atmospheric -- various buildings were lit up in striking colors, and some of the 'guards' carried flaming torches as they marched between the different venues. The picture below shows Jesus being led back up the cathedral steps with the cathedral lit up in the background and some torch-bearers in the foreground.


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Helsinki Trip (Part One)

We spent Easter weekend in Finland's capital city, Helsinki, conveniently located less than two hours by ferry from Tallinn. One of the obligatory sights in Helsinki is the monument to the nation's most famous classical composer, Jean Sibelius, located in Sibelius Park, at one end of Sibelius Avenue (Sibelius is very famous in Finland).


The main part of the monument consists of a densely packed array of vertical silvery cylinders, looking like suspended organ pipes.




We arrived at Sibelius Park about 3 seconds ahead of a coach-load of tourists from Taiwan. As usual, we tried to get Chloe to pose for a couple of photos, and, as usual, she refused to smile or to stay still long enough for us to get our pictures set up. But in the meantime various Taiwanese photographers had arrived at the monument and began snapping pictures of Chloe in front of the organ pipes, and posing with her for other people to take photos. Chloe gradually got into the spirit of the occasion and began hamming it up for the assembled paparazzi. She beamed at them, ran back to the base of the monument and sat on a rock for more photos, marched up and down, and generally preened and pranced around like a 2-year-old runway model. Somewhere on some Taiwanese travel blogs there will soon be lots of pictures of Chloe!


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Picture Quiz

Below are two things that I have seen in the past couple of weeks. What are they? (Hint: Despite appearances, they are two very different things.)




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Chloe's Guide to Tartu Baby Sculptures

Tartu boasts an unusually large number of outdoor sculptures and statues, dotted around its open spaces. Chloe is particularly keen on the two sculptures that depict babies. The first, next to her favorite playground, shows the artist and his infant son, reduced and enlarged respectively, so that they come out the same height. Chloe refers to it as the 'Big Baby Little Daddy Sculpture'.



The second baby sculpture sits atop a monument that was erected by the pedestrian bridge across the river in the 1970's to mark Tartu's population surpassing 100,000 for the first time. Ironically it soon dipped below this mark due to migration and a low birth rate, but apparently it is now back over 100,00o again.



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South Estonia day trip

On Saturday we rented a car for the day and headed out into the countryside of south-eastern Estonia. The brilliant sunny weather continued and we had the chance to see a variety of aspects of rural life. Our first stop was at Rouge, about an hour's drive south of Tartu, and reputed to be one of the most picturesque villages in Estonia. It is situated in the only (relatively) hilly part of the country: the highest mountain in the Baltics -- over 300 meters! -- is only a few miles away, and in the background of the picture below is the deepest lake in Estonia.



Perched on the hill overlooking the village was a picturesque church, parts of which date back to the 18th century.


After lunch in the nearby town of Voru, we spent the afternoon meandering back towards Tartu, taking in various churches and manor houses on the way. Manor houses are something of an Estonian speciality. They mainly date from the 18th and 19th centuries, during which time they housed members of the ruling German aristocracy. Several hundred have survived intact and a few are open to the general public. But not in March, which -- current weather notwithstanding -- is still definitely 'out of season' as far as tourism is concerned. Our favorite manor house was at Rapina. We did manage to get inside this one because it houses an art school.



Our final stop of the day was at the church in Vonnu, situated next to one of the rivers that empties into Lake Peipsei, a body of water several hundred miles long that forms the border between Estonia and Russia.




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