Today we started the day by walking through the forests of the Lahemaa National Park in northern Estonia. At first we saw birch trees which gradually changed to pine trees. We walked along the Viru Bog Nature Trail, where a wooden boardwalk led through a unique bog ecosystem surrounded by pine forests and mossy wetlands.
At the end we climbed up a viewing tower which didn’t seem all that secure as I could feel it moving with all the people on our tour on it! Our guides gave us some sweet and savory treats when we reached this point, and Inger read this description from the box of chocolates which I thought perfectly described our experience:
Fine mist creeps over the morning marshland, getting entangled, for a few moments, in the branches of scraggly crooked pines and in the slanting rays of the low-hanging sun. You tread carefully among the tussocks, with the intoxicatingly sweet smell of swamp quay in the air around you. Until something makes you stop. No, not a moose snapping branches at the edge of the wetlands or the hoots of the cranes lifting off, but silence. A rare and breathtaking silence. The wetland spreads around you in an endless field, enchanting and invitintg. And then you continue on your way. with courage and purpose. Because those, who know how to move around in the wetland, also know that the wetland is full of wonderful treasures. In the soft carpet of moss, you can find golden cloudberries, deep blue bilberries and ruby red cranberries — the mouth-watering gems of the North.
The next stop was at the restored Palmse Manor, a grand Baroque estate, for a guided tour. I was excited to see that they had an Estonia piano!
In the afternoon, we continued to the fishing village of Altja. We strolled through the village on a walking tour, taking in the traditional wooden houses, fishermen’s huts, and views along the rocky Baltic coastline.
At the end, six of us went on a giant swing designed for six people and I guess it was fun at first, but then when we swung higher and higher, it got a little scary! Apparently in the old days, it was possible to swing all the way around and do a 360-degree circle!
We drove back to town and immediately set off for the Maiasmokk marzipan workshop where we chose a marzipan figure to paint. I chose a butterfly and Bill painted a dog. Apparently they will still be good to eat for about three months, then they’ll become too hard and dry.
Dinner was at Port, a restaurant featuring seafood from several famous seaports. I had a delicious Bergen fish soup.
For the first time on our trip, it started raining, and I had to use my umbrella. We have been so lucky—in London, Gloucester, Helsinki, and now Talinn, in that the weather has been absolutely gorgeous for many days, with deep blue skies and comfortable temperatures.
Even though I had an umbrella, my phone got wet and I was unable to charge it, because every time I put the cable in, I got an ominous alert: Liquid Detected in USB-C port. I had to wait more than three hours for it to dry out!
Unfortunately, rain is predicted for tomorrow, our last day in Tallinn.