so this was Kuressaare on the full second day - with sunshine, after day of arrival when I ended up rreading my book and then spending the rest of the evening in the Vinoteek (see separate bibulous account) - Barbara said I thought was A. A. Milne - had to Wikipedia that one, as I thought he was the bloke who wrote Winnie the Pooh and other stories (or maybe he did that AND wrote about food for the Sunday Times!). Anyway finally down to the Kuressaare Bishop's Palace [marked on the map attached generally as Vallekraav - it does not [View Full Entry]

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I am now on Saaremaa island the largest in Estonia - in a place called Kuressaare, which is the biggest town here - but we are only talking about 11,000 people so WAY smaller than anywhere else I have been. It was quite a surprise to come somewhere so small. However I was ale to use my initiative and found a pretty reasonable hotel not mentioned in the LP (Lonely Planet) the Arabella which was only 500Eek (thats Estonian krons - about 9 to Aussie dollar - so that was pretty reasonable. The bus ride to Kuressaare [View Full Entry]

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(From my book OUR SUMMER IN ESTONIA, AMAZON.COM) It’s ironic that my second historical interest on Muhu spans those 800 years, with the battle of 1227, representing the beginning of Estonian subjugation, and a deserted Soviet air defense missile site representing the final shaking off of Estonia’s foreign occupation. Muhu was off limits to all but the island’s residents, for the almost fifty years of Soviet Union occupation following WWII. In addition to Soviet paranoia that someone might escape their loving embrace by sea to Sweden, Muhu was a restricted site becau [View Full Entry]

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Mexican food night was an adventure. It was held in a dorm that is on the school grounds so everyone that came had an easy place to get to. Then my friend Pille-Riin and I started with making rice krispy treats (not Mexican food I know, yet it was technically dessert). When we had that set up, then we started making burritos, and lastly nachos with meat. I found (no idea how yet I managed) some cheddar cheese in the stores, tortillas (which the Estonians pronounce like tortillas instead of the double L sounds), tortilla chips, beans, and some minced meat. [View Full Entry]

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I know that this entry is much too late, however here it is. Ever since I moved from my last host families’ house (which is about two months ago now), I have been so busy. More than I can believe, still, has happened. Here are a few pictures of my new host families’ house. It is a cabin and is real wood. There are four rooms, a sauna, two bathrooms, and a television room as well. They have an old dog named Rolli and a cat (who is younger than the dog, yet not by much) named Otto. Everyone just calls [View Full Entry]

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(Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN ESTONIA available at AMAZON.COM) One criteria Elysee an I look for when selecting our summer home location each year is the opportunity for nearby excursions. Estonia offers ample opportunities for a few days of very interesting travel. We waited until September to visit Estonia's islands to avoid the summer crowds, allowing the tourists to get back to work and their children back in school. Yet the weather promised to still be pleasant. Our plans called for us to visit Muhu, Saaremaa, and Parnu. I know, it sounds biblical like Meshach and Abennego. [View Full Entry]

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I thought I would tell you a bit about Saaremaa. Living here for about three months, and you guys still don't know too much about it. Here are some random things that I notice... still! Half the days (especially here on the island of Saaremaa) are filled with either snow or rain, or extreme clouds that look like either could happen at any moment. Once in a while, if the wind blows just right, you can smell the sea walking back to the flat. The walk to my school is only about 15 minutes or so from the appartment I live [View Full Entry]

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Just a few days ago, I visited the capital of Estonia (Tallinn) to see a few friends and to see the parliament building. The other exchange kids met us there in Tallinn of course too. When we got to the parliament building, we met Estonia's prime minister: Andrus Ansip. He is a funny man and showed us (just for a joke) a letter that George Bush Jr. hand wrote. Not meaning to be the sound hypocritical, yet his handwriting was quite terrible and we all laughed at the fact that none of us could read it- even me. Later Ansip showed [View Full Entry]

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To ski. Being an exchange student should have one golden rule. Well a few, yet one above all else: Expect the unexpected. It is not as easy as it appears, and is just as rewarding when you figure out how those two sticks work as well as moving your feet with little boards attached to them. A couple of us exchange students (the one in Estonia) all went to this place that is in southern Estonia to go skiing. The cabin type of house that we stayed in was pretty cozy and very warm, unlike the weather outside. When we first [View Full Entry]

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I am sorry that this has taken so long to write yet I have been quite busy lately. To start it off, I moved from Tartu to Saaremaa- the biggest out of the three Estonian islands. I live right in the capital city called Kuressaare and it is wonderful. My family here is made up of my host mum, my host dad, and three host brothers. One of them (Taavi) lives in Tartu and goes to University there so I don’t see much of him. He visits every now and then though. He is 20 years old. The next oldest is [View Full Entry]

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