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Sunday July 4 - I work up this morning covered in red welts. Good news - it's not bed bugs. Bad news - it seems there are mosquites in the dorm and they are eating me alive. And I must be allergic or something to this particularly beasty. It hurts and they are everywhere, including one on my forehead. Lovely. Today was my bike ride through Lahemaa National Park. I had to be there by 9am so I thought I'd get up nice and early at 7:30. No need to worry as I woke up at 6am and then couldn't sleep as the four Spanish guys from the next room got up then, had breakfast, blah blah blah. The problem is that the wall my room shares with the kitchen area is only have a wall, so I can hear everything made worse by the fact that I had taken out the earplugs as they start to hurt after so many hours. As they were leaving - for good - I got up and started my day. On my way out, I discovered two important things. There are no tourists here before 9am from the ships (yay!) and the store nearby
does not carry mosquito repellent (boo!). It was almost like a ghost town, in a good way. I think tomorrow I will get up early to take some people free pictures.
I got to the bike shop before 9am to pick out my bike. I should never be allowed to do this. Both times recently - here and in Israel this spring - I got a bike that is too big for me. It felt right testing it out, and I only realized my hands couldn't reach comfortably 80 km away from the bike shop, once in the forest. Bummer. There were four other people with me, from the Czech Republic, but they rode together and not with me. Fair enough. We stopped first at the largest waterfall in Estonia, which is only 8m (24 feet) high. Pretty, but not very impressive. I started out in the information center and watched a 20 min slide show about the nature of the park. It was great - stuff I would love to see but wouldn't this day. It's a beautiful park, the first and I believe biggest created during the Soviet Union days. My bike ride would take me 35
km and through several forestd areas (but on a paved road) and through several small towns in the park. I had five hours to get there once the slideshow concluded. You are supposed to have time to walk some trails, eat lunch, go to the beach possibly. I did stop at two manor houses to have a look around. At one I stopped and had a banana and sat by the lake for a bit. I also stopped once to try to go for a small hike to see some beaver dams, but I coulodn't find the trailhead! And it wasn't just me. I was with a German couple that had driven in and together we still couldn't find it. They may have eventually, but by then I needed to get going. It was about 2:30pm by then and my butt was starting to hurt. I had to ride almost continuously until 5pm to get to the place where the driver would meet us. It was slow and painful. I did stop at one point around 4pm for an apple - I was starving. It was hard when I saw the driver go by me and I knew that I
had to keep going since she didn't stop. Oh bikes hurt. I find it hard to believe that it gets better, but that's what everone says.
I did make it in the end, just before 5pm. We were very close to the beach and the driver told me that the others had riden over there and did I want to take a look. I told her I was done riding for the day but she said I could walk there. So I did and it was very nice. I'm glad I went. Overall it was a good day. On the ride home I dozed and read and talked a bit with the others. When we got back we were given a pieve of chocolate and sent on our way. I stopped at the grocery store to get some lunch meat and cheese for dinner since I wanted something quick, showered, and am settling in for an early night. I think I have 1000 new roommates, so it could be interesting.
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Perla
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Pobrecita!
Aww your poor little arm is all red and swollen! I get bitten by mosquitoes anywhere I go, the only thing that helps is rubbing alcohol and let time take care of it. Anyhow, I am taking a class called "history of math." The professor lectured about Euler, a very important mathematician born in Basel. He solved the "Basel problem" and I immediately thought about you. It is such privilege to be a teacher in such an imporant city for the world of education! I hope you are doing wonderful besides the bites; i see your boyfriend is very handsome. Good to read your blog. Take care!