Nature in the Baltics

Castle Games :)

      Recently the weather has changed from negative and snowing to sunny and warm. Estonians are saying this particular winter has lasted the longest they have witnessed in a while. It only started getting nicer in April and now I can say with confidence Spring is finally here! Trees are blooming, grass growing, green all around! With this nice weather I have been able to venture out into the national parks of Estonia and see nature through hike trips, field trips, and just plain old adventures with friends. The first trip I went on was a nice hike through the woods of a national park here in Estonia. This was in April, so there was still snow on the ground, but it was a nice hike in nature. In late April for one of my classes we went on a field trip all over Estonia. Starting off at Lake Peipsi, the very same lake I went to in February, was no longer frozen and the beaches were visible. Quite a lovely site, and during the summer I am sure it would be a nice place to hang out. Then we traveled up North to the Gulf of Finland and saw Estonia's tallest waterfall, now this doesn't mean it was necessarily large. On the contrary, it was tiny and a very ugly brown color, but nonetheless a  neat sight to see. Because this class was a nature and environment course for the Baltic Region we traveled to an industrial city where there were many artificial hills made from the factories waste dump. One hill which was not in use anymore had stairs to be able to climb to the top, very steep, but a great view at the top! The next stop was an amazing ancient castle from the Teutonic knights period of Estonian history located on the top of a huge hill. The castle has been set up as a tourist site with all sorts of fun things inside for kids. Not only do you get to dress up in what people back then would have worn, but there are also swords and other medieval activities like jousting available to try. The torture chamber was the craziest part, learning all about how they used to torture people against Christianity. Insane and creepy, yet very interesting! I will spare you the gruesome details ;) We ended our day trip at the Estonian wetlands, where a boardwalk runs all the way through and we walked to an observatory that overlooked the entire area. So wonderful and reminded me a lot of Yellowstone, gorgeous views of nature. Signing up for that course was probably one of the best decisions I made here!

Lake Peipsi, not frozen!

       A week later my friends and I went to a city called Elva, 15 minutes away from Tartu. This city is known for their two small lakes used often during the summertime, and their nature trails. The nature trail we went on was a 3 km walk around the forest and a lake. Along the way there were 24 different totem carvings which were supposed to bring energy and take away negative thoughts. It was a fun walk, especially because the weather was so nice! Later that week Tartu held what they call 'student days'. It's always this time of year and they organize so many events for a week straight before May day. There were competitions, marathons, activities, and races for students to participate in. The funniest one for me was the boat race. Students had to bring their own boat and paddle through an obstacle course on the river. The teams all had themes and costumes, there was teletubbies, nuns, nurses, pirates, etc. All so fun and creative! The student days ended with a light show on the last night. Fireworks, music, and things being lit on fire, it was really fun!

      Last weekend I got the opportunity to go to the capitals of Latvia and Lithuania. Of course because of them being further South, the weather was hot and sunny and the trees even more green and full than Tartu. Vilnius, Lithuania was amazing and such a beautiful city. It is called the "Rome of Eastern Europe" because of all its churches and I believe it because there was a different one on every corner! One day we went to Trakai, an area 30 minutes outside the city and there is a nice lake there, with an island with a castle in the middle. Such a beautiful castle and area. I would have liked to have stayed longer! We went to Riga, Latvia as well, which holds one of Europe's largest markets, and this is clearly true. There was a huge warehouse and on top of that space, the market extended outside, it took more than an hour just to walk around half of it! It was really fun though to see all the different sections they had. Fish market, meat market, vegetable market, fruit market, pickled items market, etc. Not to mention all the clothes and shoes they had for sale! Riga was a nice city, although I am sure my impression of it would have been nicer if the weather had been a bit better, cloudy and rainy is not the best to be touring and walking around a city in. Such a nice few weeks it has been with the weather getting better!

Trakai Castle, Lithuania

      As far as school goes, I am currently trying to finish 4 essays while studying Estonian and political history. It is getting quite crazy, but I am very excited to get my finals over with and be ready to finish off my 5 months here traveling to Southern Europe! Off to Ireland next weekend! Cheers!