7/08/2012
Holiday in Ida-Virumaa with the village
Narva castle
Ivangorod
I just look pretty in the beach with Pavel
And on the road we are....
Summer
Walking in the moonlight
Complications never stop us
THE camp
Cooking for 60 people
Kuremäe Monastery
A pile of people
Cool people in Toila Valley Park
Me being cool with an inhabitant
Toila castle's park
Summer in pictures
As my summer has been crazy busy so far and is gonna be even busier I've had nearly no time to post anything here. So instead, I made a decision- I'm gonna make loads of posts about things I've done and will do, with pictures. I think it's a great change for a little while as well.
Singing with the inhabitants in Põlva
Cycling trip @ work to Põlva Maantemuuseum (Highway museum)
In the museum
6/12/2012
Riga Good Times and Baltic Pride
I'm really sorry for not writing this post earlier but I have been really really busy with my school and work in the past couple of days.
Before RGT I had made a deal with Lauris that if I go to Baltic Pride he will pay for rainbow hair dye that I had wanted to have for some time. So, a day before going to Riga, Kirke dyed my hair into rainbow. Blimey, it looked bloody brilliant!
So on Friday I took off early in the morning to go to Riga. I arrived there at 11 and met one of my CS hosts Christoph and we went to the place I was supposed to stay that night. I dropped off my stuff there and went to have a look around in the city. I met with Lauris and Heli and Pierre who had been there for couple of days already. We wandered around in the market, which is pretty brilliant and big and I absolutely loved it! We just relaxed and chilled in a park next to the Freedom monument. Then it came time for me to join the first CS event- Riga Bike Time. It was a bike tour around Riga and not only city central. I met many lovely people all around the world and already knew couple of people for the sauna in the evening. I saw Riga nearly as a local, had loads of fun. Even though it was raining. But never mind the bollocks, I'm not made out of sugar!
After the bike tour I got myself some food and then tried to head back to my host's place- I had a tiny misunderstanding of the map because my host had marked two places on it and of course I thought the one that was further from the city center, was the one where he and his gf Yvonne lived. Right. So after more than an hour of walking and getting to know the streets of Riga, I managed to get to my destination.
Over there I met Yvonne, who was the person who had actually written me to offer a couch. She was really lovely! I'm really glad I met her- definetely a person to surf with! She was hosting a girl from Taiwan at the same time as well and one of Yvonne's flatmates was hosting two people as well. Those two turned out to be a girl from Finland and living in Tartu and it looked as if I had met her before somewhere or seen her somewhere. The other girl was a Polish volunteer in Viljandi who knew couple of people I know and, of course, knew where I worked. Such a tiny world again. We all made pizza and eventually missed our last bus to the sauna place. So we took a taxi. It wasn't too expensive, surprisingly.
As we arrived to the sauna place I saw the people I had met earlier and it was great fun. Some beer... Some dancing. And then- at some point Pat, my couch host in Bristol, as soon as he arrived and saw me, came and hugged me. Was nice to see him! The evening was nice- I had a drinking competition with Pat and Mackin (a guy with whom we had made a deal to get Pat drunk). Our plan worked..... I was dancing the whole evening and talking to loads of people. It was really really epic party. Can't write everything I did here, but I can assure you, it was damn great fun! Me and my hosts and Taiwanese CS (Caren) left at 5am to go home again. As we were leaving, the firetruck came because obviously some Estonians, who are too hot for Latvian sauna, managed to overheat it. As far as I know, the ceiling had to be taken off...
In the morning, when I got up, I got dressed and went to the central where I met up with Lauris, Heli and Pierre and headed to the Baltic Pride- the second reason why I was in Riga. It was a sunny day and great fun to see all the LGBT people gathering. Interesting, as I had never seen anything like it before. As the parade started, it was raining and besides the water, the gales came down from the sky as well... It didn't ruin our day, even though I was frozen to my bone marrow. Yvonne also joined us :) We marched a little bit of time to a park where loads of politicians held speeches followed by a concert. By the time the concert started, I was already so cold, we decided to have a tea in the teahouse in the park. It was nice and cosy. We sat there for about two hours.
And after that me, Heli and Pierre went to the couch station and back to Tartu.
I can say that next year, if my exams will allow me to do it, I will definetely go back to Riga Good Times VI to see all the people I met during that one night :)
Before RGT I had made a deal with Lauris that if I go to Baltic Pride he will pay for rainbow hair dye that I had wanted to have for some time. So, a day before going to Riga, Kirke dyed my hair into rainbow. Blimey, it looked bloody brilliant!
So on Friday I took off early in the morning to go to Riga. I arrived there at 11 and met one of my CS hosts Christoph and we went to the place I was supposed to stay that night. I dropped off my stuff there and went to have a look around in the city. I met with Lauris and Heli and Pierre who had been there for couple of days already. We wandered around in the market, which is pretty brilliant and big and I absolutely loved it! We just relaxed and chilled in a park next to the Freedom monument. Then it came time for me to join the first CS event- Riga Bike Time. It was a bike tour around Riga and not only city central. I met many lovely people all around the world and already knew couple of people for the sauna in the evening. I saw Riga nearly as a local, had loads of fun. Even though it was raining. But never mind the bollocks, I'm not made out of sugar!
After the bike tour I got myself some food and then tried to head back to my host's place- I had a tiny misunderstanding of the map because my host had marked two places on it and of course I thought the one that was further from the city center, was the one where he and his gf Yvonne lived. Right. So after more than an hour of walking and getting to know the streets of Riga, I managed to get to my destination.
Over there I met Yvonne, who was the person who had actually written me to offer a couch. She was really lovely! I'm really glad I met her- definetely a person to surf with! She was hosting a girl from Taiwan at the same time as well and one of Yvonne's flatmates was hosting two people as well. Those two turned out to be a girl from Finland and living in Tartu and it looked as if I had met her before somewhere or seen her somewhere. The other girl was a Polish volunteer in Viljandi who knew couple of people I know and, of course, knew where I worked. Such a tiny world again. We all made pizza and eventually missed our last bus to the sauna place. So we took a taxi. It wasn't too expensive, surprisingly.
As we arrived to the sauna place I saw the people I had met earlier and it was great fun. Some beer... Some dancing. And then- at some point Pat, my couch host in Bristol, as soon as he arrived and saw me, came and hugged me. Was nice to see him! The evening was nice- I had a drinking competition with Pat and Mackin (a guy with whom we had made a deal to get Pat drunk). Our plan worked..... I was dancing the whole evening and talking to loads of people. It was really really epic party. Can't write everything I did here, but I can assure you, it was damn great fun! Me and my hosts and Taiwanese CS (Caren) left at 5am to go home again. As we were leaving, the firetruck came because obviously some Estonians, who are too hot for Latvian sauna, managed to overheat it. As far as I know, the ceiling had to be taken off...
In the morning, when I got up, I got dressed and went to the central where I met up with Lauris, Heli and Pierre and headed to the Baltic Pride- the second reason why I was in Riga. It was a sunny day and great fun to see all the LGBT people gathering. Interesting, as I had never seen anything like it before. As the parade started, it was raining and besides the water, the gales came down from the sky as well... It didn't ruin our day, even though I was frozen to my bone marrow. Yvonne also joined us :) We marched a little bit of time to a park where loads of politicians held speeches followed by a concert. By the time the concert started, I was already so cold, we decided to have a tea in the teahouse in the park. It was nice and cosy. We sat there for about two hours.
And after that me, Heli and Pierre went to the couch station and back to Tartu.
I can say that next year, if my exams will allow me to do it, I will definetely go back to Riga Good Times VI to see all the people I met during that one night :)
5/28/2012
My first ever marathon
Yesterday I completed my first ever marathon, or actually half-marathon. It was on bike and the distance was 74 km.The weather conditions for the ride were nearly perfect- sunny, some clouds in the sky, not too hot, but still a bit warm, no rain, nearly no wind. So, I started at noon and cycled from Tartu to Elva, to Pangodi, to Kambja, to Vana-Kuuste, to Ülenurme, and back to Tartu. My time was 3:22:58. It could have been better if I had practised a bit more, but I didn't so there's still a lot of space for improvement.
The marathon itself- it felt so good to cycle on the road with loads of other cyclists, take over some of them and vice versa. I realized that my bike is not too good for the highways as it develops only a certain speed and then that's it- not more. And also, 21 gears is not enough for cycling on the highways- it's just too slow and easy. I could have used 28 gears. :)
I got to Elva pretty fast, had some energy drinks for 1min and then took off again. After Elva there was a high rise and it lasted for more than 2km. It wasn't steep, but it was just constant. By the time I got to Kambja, where was the second service point, I was a bit tired already. But then I was given a big bottle of energy drink and I ate 2 pieces of banana and went on. It was uphill in the beginning, but then- about 2km only downhill. I think I might have developed the speed about 60km/h at least, maybe even more. It was so good....The last 5km of the cycle were hard, taking into account it was in Tartu- it was wind straight to face.... But, as the finish got closer I raised my speed and finished. It was lovely! I absolutely loved that marathon and will go to another cycling marathons as well. The next one will be in September :) Thinking about doing it for the village, try to to some fundraising, perhaps. I shall see- it's something I'm gonna go to talk to my employers tomorrow.
But now, must study hard. Got exams.
5/15/2012
My home in Google Street View
I like the clouds!
Ahha, and what's more about the street view- In Tartu, the crossing from Aida to Turu, when you turn left, it's spring, when you turn right, it's winter.
And my old home in Tartu, in Väike-Kaar 41A, the window of my previous apartement is split to half.... :)
Ahha, and what's more about the street view- In Tartu, the crossing from Aida to Turu, when you turn left, it's spring, when you turn right, it's winter.
And my old home in Tartu, in Väike-Kaar 41A, the window of my previous apartement is split to half.... :)
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