Estonia feels like a second home these days. We did have one unpleasant surprise. We were going to rent a car, but that is no longer allowed without an international driver's license. Yikes, We had a great stay at the st petersberg hotel in Tallinn's old town (wonderful breakfast), and tried other car rental companies but eventually exhausted options. The next morning we gave Estonia's bus sysrem a try -- had a comfortable, incredibly inexpensive bus trip to Viljandi. We llinked up with the owner of the guesthouse we would be renting, who was kindly able to (through a friend) find us a car to loan for a few days so we could get back and forth from our house and the music festival.
The guesthouse is very Estonian-complete with a sauna, a pair of nesting storks, a special stone out front. It also has a little pond out front and a forest nearby, plus some pesky flies. We are amazed at how inexpensive food is --even large bottles of imported olive oil are just $3 dollars or so. A bag of groceries--$10 to $12.
Now on to the music festival, which feels like a cross between the Renaissance fair and MetsaUlikool (Estonian cultural program in canada). The music is great, the audiences appreciative. We have heard some amazing stuff. All of the groups perform varients of traditional music. Some Is Estonian (as Viljandi is known for its Traditional Arts Center), but there are music groups from all over the world. I will write more about the festival tomorrow.
One non-festival highlight was finding the cemetary plot where my Reiseberg forbarers are buried. Strange to see it with my own eyes. More on this too.
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