Monday, July 30, 2012
Hair Cuts!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Another Score for Tallinn
Before we ever left Japan, I was scoping out places to visit here in Estonia. One place I found that looked like fun was a children's museum called Miia-Milla-Manda near Kadriorg Park. Kadriorg Park is beautiful and has been highly recommended by several people, but I really wanted to check out the museum too. The other day I had Charlie swing into the Kadriorg part of town to get an idea of where everything was. We saw an awesome playground and what I thought was the children's museum. Once we saw the playground I promised the kids I would take them soon.
Today, the forecast looked good so I asked the kids if they would like to give it a try. They were in favor. We hopped on the bus and strolled through the beautiful Kadriorg Park. As we approached, I was not very sure of how to proceed but found our way into the museum and paid 5.20 Euros for the family rate. That is when I found out the playground does not belong to the museum but is a public park...which is free! Sporting our stickers allowing us to go back and forth all day, we went back out to the large playground.
This playground was awesome. There were several play structures, but the rest of the fun was in the sand. There was a fenced in area just for younger tots, and then a larger area with monkey bars, merry go rounds, etc and swings too. There was a water fountain that Zach had a blast in as well.
The museum is a treasure. I cannot wait to share the pictures (waiting on the cable in our household goods). The kids had a blast. One room was like a giant playroom with a little puppet theater, doll house, kitchen and more and then there was another area set up to be various historical offices (post office, grocer, photo studio, etc) where the kids could play with the items or even dress up. We took a break and visited the small cafe with quite reasonable prices. I had a cinnamon roll, Clara had a big cookie, Zach a smiley face cookie and we split a bottle of water, all for less than 3 Euros. After we finished with the museum we went back out to the playground.
When the household goods shipment arrives I can definitely see biking with the kids in the trailer to this area and packing a picnic lunch to enjoy while looking at the lovely park. I was very pleased with this find and know we will be back many times.
Today, the forecast looked good so I asked the kids if they would like to give it a try. They were in favor. We hopped on the bus and strolled through the beautiful Kadriorg Park. As we approached, I was not very sure of how to proceed but found our way into the museum and paid 5.20 Euros for the family rate. That is when I found out the playground does not belong to the museum but is a public park...which is free! Sporting our stickers allowing us to go back and forth all day, we went back out to the large playground.
This playground was awesome. There were several play structures, but the rest of the fun was in the sand. There was a fenced in area just for younger tots, and then a larger area with monkey bars, merry go rounds, etc and swings too. There was a water fountain that Zach had a blast in as well.
The museum is a treasure. I cannot wait to share the pictures (waiting on the cable in our household goods). The kids had a blast. One room was like a giant playroom with a little puppet theater, doll house, kitchen and more and then there was another area set up to be various historical offices (post office, grocer, photo studio, etc) where the kids could play with the items or even dress up. We took a break and visited the small cafe with quite reasonable prices. I had a cinnamon roll, Clara had a big cookie, Zach a smiley face cookie and we split a bottle of water, all for less than 3 Euros. After we finished with the museum we went back out to the playground.
When the household goods shipment arrives I can definitely see biking with the kids in the trailer to this area and packing a picnic lunch to enjoy while looking at the lovely park. I was very pleased with this find and know we will be back many times.
Tallinn Medieval Days
Thursday kicked off the Medieval Days festival. After doing some homework and chores, the kids and I hopped on the bus to catch a bit of it. I took the camera and think I have some pretty nice shots, but I will have to wait until our household goods arrive to upload them as I forgot to pack the cable.
Anyway, Zach fell asleep in his stroller on the bus and spent the first bit snoozing. Clara and I walked up and down the aisles of vendors selling a variety of items dressed in their medieval costumes. It was very charming. There were a few vendors we opted to purchase some items. There was some sort of entertainment at the top of each hour. We would break from browsing to check it out.
The first we caught was students Mystika Dance Studio which was belly dancing. I was impressed with the girl dancing with candles on her head. The second act we saw was titled "Interesting Thoughts". I'm sure they were interesting, but he wasn't speaking in English so it went over our heads. The Estonian language is very rhythmic though, so we enjoyed it anyway. The kids were starting to tire a bit before the next act performed, but it was a sword demonstration so they stuck it out. While waiting we munched on some roasted nuts that were candied and others that had garlic on them. Surprisingly, the kids enjoyed the ones with garlic the most. We were in no danger from vampires by the time we were through, I can tell you that!
So, we stuck around to watch The House of the Lame Wolf demonstrate how to handle a sword. This was fantastic! Even though we could not understand a word they said. Dressed in authentic-looking medieval attire, several men put on a show that caused chuckles just from their body language. The ladies looked quite nice too. They paused for several minutes and seemed to be sharing details about the clothing and weapons that I really wished I understood.
So, we had yet another fantastic day in Estonia! And I love the fact that we ate lunch at home before we left so this trip technically only had to cost bus fare. I did purchase just a few souvenirs for people and the nuts, so still rather cheaply done.
Pictures will be uploaded as soon as possible.
Anyway, Zach fell asleep in his stroller on the bus and spent the first bit snoozing. Clara and I walked up and down the aisles of vendors selling a variety of items dressed in their medieval costumes. It was very charming. There were a few vendors we opted to purchase some items. There was some sort of entertainment at the top of each hour. We would break from browsing to check it out.
The first we caught was students Mystika Dance Studio which was belly dancing. I was impressed with the girl dancing with candles on her head. The second act we saw was titled "Interesting Thoughts". I'm sure they were interesting, but he wasn't speaking in English so it went over our heads. The Estonian language is very rhythmic though, so we enjoyed it anyway. The kids were starting to tire a bit before the next act performed, but it was a sword demonstration so they stuck it out. While waiting we munched on some roasted nuts that were candied and others that had garlic on them. Surprisingly, the kids enjoyed the ones with garlic the most. We were in no danger from vampires by the time we were through, I can tell you that!
So, we stuck around to watch The House of the Lame Wolf demonstrate how to handle a sword. This was fantastic! Even though we could not understand a word they said. Dressed in authentic-looking medieval attire, several men put on a show that caused chuckles just from their body language. The ladies looked quite nice too. They paused for several minutes and seemed to be sharing details about the clothing and weapons that I really wished I understood.
So, we had yet another fantastic day in Estonia! And I love the fact that we ate lunch at home before we left so this trip technically only had to cost bus fare. I did purchase just a few souvenirs for people and the nuts, so still rather cheaply done.
Pictures will be uploaded as soon as possible.
July 4th
We enjoyed celebrating July 4th at the AmCham - U.S. Embassy picnic. We really enjoyed it and I was quite impressed with the 11-year-old Paola Meidra's performance of our national anthem. While there the kids had their faces painted. Zach was Spiderman while Clara chose to be a cheetah. There were games and live music and lots of tasty food. The cake was delicious! I'm including a link to the AmCham's page regarding the event here. You might notice that Zach looked a bit sleepy, because he was. He had fallen asleep on the way to the picnic and it took him a few minutes to warm up.
Monday, July 2, 2012
More exploring
I love Estonia! I also know that people will say I am still in the honeymoon phase of our moon and I would agree with that. Everything is so new and exciting. There are so many places I want to visit. When our time comes to leave I do not want to have any regrets. For this reason, I rarely say no to suggestions. Sooooo...
Last week our CLO let us know that you can go on a free guided tour of Tallin. So, the kids and I hopped a bus and had breakfast with the Marines and met some of the other ladies and their kids. Then several of us walked over to the starting point. I loved it! Our guide was a student and it was her third summer giving the tours. She was a riot and took us on a very unique two hour tour of Old Town. It is hard to imagine a better tour, unless you want to be driven somewhere. Later that evening Charlie and I enjoyed dinner at Goodwin's in Old Town to celebrate our 17th anniversary. Yum!
The next day we were invited to celebrate a little boy's birthday by going to see Madagascar 3 at Coca Cola Plaza. This was a very neat experience. You can go to the website to view the movies and see what languages are available. Kids movies are harder to watch in English, so there is often only one viewing in English in the evening. Adult movies are often shown in English with subtitles. We enjoyed the movie and the company as well.
The weekend was a nice one. Charlie managed to fix Clara's bike and finished putting the adult bikes together. Aside from a few chores and errands we spent the day playing around the house. Sunday was just gorgeous! Charlie had to put in a little time with work but we decided that we'd go into Old Town and when he had to leave the kids and I explored and waited until he rejoined us. This was a very fun excursion for me. First, we located the Estonian Puppet Theater so we could confirm the time for the puppet show that afternoon. Then we set off to find a place to eat. We wanted to try some traditional Estonian food so settled on Liisu Juures. Charlie ordered a pepper steak meal with roasted potatoes and beets. I had roasted pork with some sort of sauce drizzled on it, boiled potatoes, and fried cabbage. The kids each had happy sausages (hot dogs) and french fries with salad. This was not fancy food, but it was quite tasty. I'll admit I'm not a fan of fried cabbage, but I devoured the rest of it. We've been told food on the Town Square is not so good, but we were pleased. We ate on the outdoor summer terrace, making it even better.
The kids and I then scampered off to watch the puppet show while Charlie went to work. The puppet show was a delight! It wasn't what I expected at all, but was four young ladies wearing black dresses doing a variety of quick and lively skits. They were very energetic and talented! However, after the show we were directed by an older lady that did not speak English to check out the museum. I was able to determine where to go, but quickly realized we were the only people in this museum and we were away from all other humans. After checking out the displays, walking across the glass bridge, and opting to no go into the creepy looking/sounding dungeon that said it housed the evil/scary puppets we decided to try to get out. This is where the tour took a little sour note. Clara was a bit creeped out by the dungeon and kept worrying I was going to make her go down there and clearly she didn't have faith that I could find my way out. After several dead ends of following the exit signs only to find locked doors we decided to back track. Nearly there, we encountered the older lady. She turned us around and I thought, oh, she is going to take us to the exit. Nope. She very kindly led us on our own sort of personal tour. So, we enjoyed that for a bit longer. Then she led us to the bathroom and seemed quite insistent we step inside. We did. I asked the kids if they needed to use the service and they did not, so we went back outside. Our friendly guide had disappeared. Soooo, backtrack we did and this time we weren't stopped. As soon as I saw an open exterior exit we bolted.
I thought it was a perfect time to get a blizzard from McDonald's. The kids did not fight me on that one. Again we sat out on the outdoor terrace and watched the people. It just so happens that this weekend was the jazz festival so we walked back to the town square for a few jazz numbers. Later we did a little more exploring and checked out the Sweater Wall. We also selected a very nice shawl thing that will serve as Clara's souvenir for Estonia. I had no idea there was an official name for these vendors until I was researching it upon our return.
By this time we were making our way back to rendezvous with Charlie. He was having a hankering for chocolate so we set out to find a cozy cafe. As we were strolling, we saw the entrance to Master's Courtyard and checked it out. It was there we found The Pierre Chocolaterie. I have mixed feelings about this place. It was awesome in terms of scenery. Charlie and I each had an excellent cappuccino. Charlie also had a chocolate truffle that he shared with the kids. I thought it would be a treat to have freshly made lemonade for the kids. This was the downside. It was pretty much seltzer water with a minty flavor. I could detect no lemon. I do not recommend this, but I'd say their coffees/desserts are excellent.
We were pretty much ready to head home by then. Since we have perpetual daylight here (only a slight exaggeration) the kids were able to play outside more at home before I cooked dinner and we all went to bed.
Although we are definitely enjoying our experience, we still have our typical days of chores, errands, outdoor play and getting together with friends to play. Clara is not overly pleased with her daily math facts practice and reading requirements. I just completed the first week of my new class. I will admit it puts a wee bit of a damper on my fun now. The kids are beginning to get a little restless for their belongings to arrive. We are thinking our household goods should arrive within three more weeks. I think the kids and I have found all the good hiding spaces inside for hide and go seek for those rainy days. While I am thankful for the pots and pans I have until mine arrive, I am limited with what I can cook as a result.
No matter what, each day is a good day!
Last week our CLO let us know that you can go on a free guided tour of Tallin. So, the kids and I hopped a bus and had breakfast with the Marines and met some of the other ladies and their kids. Then several of us walked over to the starting point. I loved it! Our guide was a student and it was her third summer giving the tours. She was a riot and took us on a very unique two hour tour of Old Town. It is hard to imagine a better tour, unless you want to be driven somewhere. Later that evening Charlie and I enjoyed dinner at Goodwin's in Old Town to celebrate our 17th anniversary. Yum!
The next day we were invited to celebrate a little boy's birthday by going to see Madagascar 3 at Coca Cola Plaza. This was a very neat experience. You can go to the website to view the movies and see what languages are available. Kids movies are harder to watch in English, so there is often only one viewing in English in the evening. Adult movies are often shown in English with subtitles. We enjoyed the movie and the company as well.
The weekend was a nice one. Charlie managed to fix Clara's bike and finished putting the adult bikes together. Aside from a few chores and errands we spent the day playing around the house. Sunday was just gorgeous! Charlie had to put in a little time with work but we decided that we'd go into Old Town and when he had to leave the kids and I explored and waited until he rejoined us. This was a very fun excursion for me. First, we located the Estonian Puppet Theater so we could confirm the time for the puppet show that afternoon. Then we set off to find a place to eat. We wanted to try some traditional Estonian food so settled on Liisu Juures. Charlie ordered a pepper steak meal with roasted potatoes and beets. I had roasted pork with some sort of sauce drizzled on it, boiled potatoes, and fried cabbage. The kids each had happy sausages (hot dogs) and french fries with salad. This was not fancy food, but it was quite tasty. I'll admit I'm not a fan of fried cabbage, but I devoured the rest of it. We've been told food on the Town Square is not so good, but we were pleased. We ate on the outdoor summer terrace, making it even better.
The kids and I then scampered off to watch the puppet show while Charlie went to work. The puppet show was a delight! It wasn't what I expected at all, but was four young ladies wearing black dresses doing a variety of quick and lively skits. They were very energetic and talented! However, after the show we were directed by an older lady that did not speak English to check out the museum. I was able to determine where to go, but quickly realized we were the only people in this museum and we were away from all other humans. After checking out the displays, walking across the glass bridge, and opting to no go into the creepy looking/sounding dungeon that said it housed the evil/scary puppets we decided to try to get out. This is where the tour took a little sour note. Clara was a bit creeped out by the dungeon and kept worrying I was going to make her go down there and clearly she didn't have faith that I could find my way out. After several dead ends of following the exit signs only to find locked doors we decided to back track. Nearly there, we encountered the older lady. She turned us around and I thought, oh, she is going to take us to the exit. Nope. She very kindly led us on our own sort of personal tour. So, we enjoyed that for a bit longer. Then she led us to the bathroom and seemed quite insistent we step inside. We did. I asked the kids if they needed to use the service and they did not, so we went back outside. Our friendly guide had disappeared. Soooo, backtrack we did and this time we weren't stopped. As soon as I saw an open exterior exit we bolted.
I thought it was a perfect time to get a blizzard from McDonald's. The kids did not fight me on that one. Again we sat out on the outdoor terrace and watched the people. It just so happens that this weekend was the jazz festival so we walked back to the town square for a few jazz numbers. Later we did a little more exploring and checked out the Sweater Wall. We also selected a very nice shawl thing that will serve as Clara's souvenir for Estonia. I had no idea there was an official name for these vendors until I was researching it upon our return.
By this time we were making our way back to rendezvous with Charlie. He was having a hankering for chocolate so we set out to find a cozy cafe. As we were strolling, we saw the entrance to Master's Courtyard and checked it out. It was there we found The Pierre Chocolaterie. I have mixed feelings about this place. It was awesome in terms of scenery. Charlie and I each had an excellent cappuccino. Charlie also had a chocolate truffle that he shared with the kids. I thought it would be a treat to have freshly made lemonade for the kids. This was the downside. It was pretty much seltzer water with a minty flavor. I could detect no lemon. I do not recommend this, but I'd say their coffees/desserts are excellent.
We were pretty much ready to head home by then. Since we have perpetual daylight here (only a slight exaggeration) the kids were able to play outside more at home before I cooked dinner and we all went to bed.
Although we are definitely enjoying our experience, we still have our typical days of chores, errands, outdoor play and getting together with friends to play. Clara is not overly pleased with her daily math facts practice and reading requirements. I just completed the first week of my new class. I will admit it puts a wee bit of a damper on my fun now. The kids are beginning to get a little restless for their belongings to arrive. We are thinking our household goods should arrive within three more weeks. I think the kids and I have found all the good hiding spaces inside for hide and go seek for those rainy days. While I am thankful for the pots and pans I have until mine arrive, I am limited with what I can cook as a result.
No matter what, each day is a good day!
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