go abroad!
A dear friend recently lost her father and a few of her knitter and spinner friends got together to make and send wee handmade hearts as a sort of, "we're thinking of you in this hard time" message of love.
When I heard the sad news I was in the States. Therefore, my hearts were begun overseas and, as it turns out, they seem to have a bit of wanderlust built in.
You see, OH and I had a trip to visit family in Estonia planned, and so as we were packing I quickly wrapped up the hearts ready to be posted before we left.
But wait. . . where'd they go?!
Ah ha! Stowaways!
Ah well, who am I to dissuade anyone from traveling? It's only a week, after all, and just think of the adventure Estonia would be for two wee hugs and a smile! So off we went.
The train there was spent reading the guidebook and pondering the interesting (and sad) history of Estonia, as well as learning all sorts of fun facts about the lovely places we were going (for instance, did you know that the island of Saaremaa, where OH's family is from, is known for it's homebrew? no wonder OH ended up a brewer!).
Once on the flight, the hearts were very interested in the emergency cards from the seat pockets but were distressed to learn that the oxygen masks and life jackets didn't come in their size. :(
Buckle up! Estonia ho!
We landed safely and rented a car to drive out to the island of Saaremaa, where a few of OH's relatives still live.
The hearts enjoyed the ride out to the ferry to Saaremaa. The scenery was beautiful, with storks and windmills and fields of newly harvested hay, and we couldn't have asked for better weather!
We swung by Haapsalu, the centre of Estonian lace knitting, and took a wander through the town down to a beautiful promenade along the water.
We stopped for lunch at a waterside restaurant. The impulsive hugs wanted to go swimming, but the smile spotted a polar bear and they decided against it (the polar bear wasn't real, btw, there *are* bears in Estonia but not that variety).
Once on the ferry, we settled in and enjoyed the view across the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. Next stop Saaremaa!
The first thing the hearts noticed about Saaremaa were the flowers - there were wildflowers everywhere! And bees. And grasshoppers. And horseflies. Urgh.
But there were butterflies too, astonishing numbers of butterflies.
The hugs wanted to go swimming again, after they missed the chance in Haapsalu, so we headed down one of the many dirt roads that crisscross the island to find the sea.
It took us a while (there are precious few signposts once you're off the beaten path) but we soon found a beautiful beach.
Worth the trip, no?
The hearts were especially charmed to see swans in the sea.
There were wildflowers at the beach too, of course. I spotted sea kale and a variety of nightshade.
The smile also spotted some wee strawberries amongst the pebbles.
Then, after much persuasion, we left the beach and headed to the meteor crater at Kaali. A performance group were practicing around the fresh water spring that fills the middle of the crater.
What a magical place!
We spotted a magical place of a different kind on the way back to the hotel.
::sigh::
After a hard day's sightseeing, we had a wander around Kuressaare and a well earned drink. The more adventurous hug ordered a strawberry mojito. It may have been a bit much for the little guy!
The next day, we gathered ourselves up and headed back to the ferry for another beautiful ride back to the mainland. We had a great time in Saaremaa, and now we couldn't wait to get to Tallinn and do some more exploring.
The hearts and the smile started off their first day in Tallinn with a great view. The old city lived up to it's old-e world-e reputation with charming, winding streets full of cafes and boutiques, and intriguing architecture.
We started at the top of the old city, and worked our way down. First stop was the gorgeous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, looking appropriately religious against the blue sky.
The we wandered down into the heart of old town.
The old city is a triumph of detail. From the walls,
to the doors,
to the ironwork doorknockers,
to the. . .
Uh oh. Turns out some details are more fierce than others!
We stopped at the renowned Beer Haus before heading out for more exploring. The hugs needed something to settle their nerves after that close call.
Back in the old city we go!
The hearts wanted to stop by that great view again to take some touristy photos.We got a good shot, but then. . .
. . . wait. . .
. . . who is this?!
Turns out the hearts made a new friend, a local, and he insisted on showing them another great view of the city, one that included the walls and towers too.
Phew! After a full day of walking we all needed a quick rest.
Then the heart's new friend showed us more of the city. The fading light added a radiant atmosphere to the already beautiful architecture.
We wandered down more narrow lanes,
to the city walls,
and through to an unexpected surprise - an exhibit in the Tallinn Flower Festival made up of show gardens, snuggled right up against the city walls.
The gardens were as full of wonderful detail as the city within.
::Yawn::
It was getting late, so we headed back to get some sleep before catching our plane back to the UK. We had one last present from Tallinn on our walk back to the hotel.
Tired and happy, and time to go home.
The hugs and smile have had a good rest and are ready for another adventure. This time, it's to Dorset, and they simply can't wait!
