Blogs from Parnu, Estonia, Europe

Youpieeeee : sommes descendus de latitude donc à nouveau la télévision... ca fait du bien quelque part le soir pour se reposer... et s'informer ! Sommes en Suède pour quelques jours puis rejoindre le Danemark... ceci est écrit le 26 juin mais l'Estonie c'était encore début juin... Départ de Riga... nous irons plus loin... et ce sera l'Estonie ! 69èm pays... Nous commençons bien le voyage puisque quelques kilomètres après la frontière nous sommes arrêtés par la police (sans doute frontalière...) - Rassurez-vous... tout va très bien Madame la Marquise et son copain Pollux... Le permis de conduire est bon et les papiers du véhicule sont en ordre... A voir le passage de la frontière, ce ne devait pas être jojo par ici avant que l'Estonie ne rentre dans l'Europe... Nous voici à nouveau dans un ... read more

Today we biked 40 miles for a total of 300 miles it was partly sunny with brisk, but not overwhelming wind. Spritzed a little rain on us sporadically. Never truely rained on us. Left the winery, but discovered Bobbie had a deflated rear tire. Attempted to refill the tire with air, only to find a hole in the valve stem. We quickly changed the tube in the tire. Reinflated the tire and we were on our way. The winery is at the end of a bumpy packed dirt road, leaving we enjoyed the same bumpiness going away. We hustled down the road, but missed our ferry. Fortunately, they leave every 30-35 minutes. Went from Kuivastu to Virstu uneventfully on the ferry. We cycled down south along the coast and later inland to get to our new ... read more

Parnu Estonia 14 August 2014 We arrived in Parnu in time for lunch. This is a resort seaside city, with a small harbour in the South-Western part of Estonia. We again visited the very helpful Tourist office which is built onto the restored Town Hall. We have some fantastic books on the country which makes it really interesting to look around a new area. This town has lots of restaurants and cafes as well as accommodation. The beech is of clean sand but the water is not very deep at all and we saw people walking a long distance from the shore and still only up to their knees in water. The city is famous for its spas, in addition to its beach and beautiful parks. It is also a popular place for conferences, theatre performances ... read more

Was heading south this morning so there was no dawdling and, after packing the suitcase, I went for an early breakfast. After checking out, I loaded my bags on to the bus and, carrying my 5L bottle of water, boarded. By 09h00, the bus was heading across Estonia for Parnu, known as Estonia's Summer Capital. With its leafy streets and pastel-coloured wooden villas, it's easy to see why this proved so popular with it's recent inhabitants - most of whom have returned eastwards! By 11h00, the bus was parked outside the Hotel Parnu and I had several hours in which to view the Red Tower (closed and white), the Tallinn Gate (open and pink) and St. Catherine's Church. I also managed to get to the beach via the Art Nouveau Villa Annende. Lunch was at a ... read more

ESTONIA PART II PARNU Heli picked us up at the Parnu bus station and began our orientation tour of the lovely seaside spa town that she calls home. Parnu is the ancient home of the Estonians. The first humans settled in Parnu between 9000 and 8500BC. Later Parnu, even before Tallinn, played an important role as a member of the wealthy Hanseatic League. This is reflected in the charming old villas and houses decorated with “wooden lace” that are everywhere throughout the city. Today Parnu is best known for its spas and health centers, its white sandy beaches and its beautiful parks. After a quick drive pointing out her old school, the school where she teaches now, the Old Town center and the spas, Heli suggested a coffee at the beautifully restored Art Nouveau Ammende Villa ... read more