Estonia - the East

Estonia/Tallinn: At 11.30 p.m., the ferry spits us out in Tallinn in the darkness (it's the first time in 10 weeks that it's really dark again). The city is lit up and sparkling. Many buildings are beautifully illuminated. But first, we want to get out of the city quickly. Our dog (and we!!) need a bit of nature and tranquility to really arrive in the Baltic States. We'll visit Tallinn when this heatwave is over. The travel guide shows a great place outside at a waterfall in Jolehämte. There, we want to get a good night's sleep first. Arriving, we quickly find a quiet parking space and go to sleep right away. (That was easy!!) What an exhausting and exciting day. We hear the sound of the waterfall, but we decide not to walk there in the dark. The next morning (the Kopp phenomenon strikes again!!), we are awakened by cars entering. Oh my god!! What's going on here. It's late Sunday morning. It's 32 degrees Celsius and !! of course !! all Estonians are bathing here. And all the travel guides are also taking their tourists here. Tour buses arrive. We are parked in an instant. Really? Or? - now it's time to stay calm. We go a bit off the river and lay down there in the shade. Now we just have to endure. But it's crowded here too and we are surrounded by (quite loud) Russians and Estonians. We notice: the Russians and Estonians are much louder than the people in Scandinavia. It was pleasantly quiet everywhere there. At campsites and also in public places. Here, people yell and talk loudly. OK, different countries - different customs - we'll get used to it. In the evening, a stretch limo even arrives with (probably) outrageously rich Russians. Enough is enough. We hide in the bus.

The next morning, we continue towards the Russian border. We want to refuel, but we still don't have an adapter. It's still with a friend in Germany. We see: oops, gas tank only at 5% !! That's enough for another 3-5 days !! And at 30 degrees Celsius outside, suddenly not having a refrigerator is not great. So let's go. There are gas stations on every corner here. Maybe they have an adapter? It can't be that hard! But no luck. All the gas stations in the area are self-service. No people anywhere. So what do we do at 33 degrees Celsius in the middle of the city? We drive to various shops, but there's no adapter here. The stress level is rising. It's incredibly hot and there's an incredibly lot of traffic. And they drive here as if the devil is chasing after them. We decide to look for a campsite outside and have the adapter sent to us from Germany by express delivery. We drive to the coast towards the east/Russian border and then luck strikes. We find THE perfect campsite. Hiie Talu Pukkeküla!! Here an Estonian (Peep the little lusty one) has been creative. A park-like area with a small lake awaits us. Wooden sculptures are scattered everywhere. Not for small children - all the figures are women in the funniest and sexiest positions. Or little men with huge (you know what) :) BBQ areas and little hidden nooks and crannies at every corner. Sunset benches everywhere. We have truly never seen such an amazing campsite before !! Do they have normal swinger parties here? We are amazed and can't stop taking pictures. But the boss is super nice and we are the only guests. We like it here... we'll stay here. We have given the address of the campsite to Germany and the package is already on its way... with our adapter. Thanks Markus!!! Not even 20 hours later, the package actually arrives via UPS. Now that's what I call super express. We finally have our DISH adapter in our hands and can go refuel tomorrow. The next morning, we say goodbye with a heavy heart to Peep the boss (yes, that's really his name) and drive towards Tallinn to refuel and visit the city.

Our route to the city takes us through light pine forests. We keep passing large old dilapidated buildings that betray the Soviet era. Communism is still clearly felt here in the countryside. In the suburbs of Tallinn, there are still countless old ugly high-rise buildings to see. No beautiful wohnen.de here :)

Refueled with gas and filled up with fuel, we venture back into the big city of Tallinn. For security reasons, we want to park our Knut at the city campsite. It is under video surveillance and safe. You never know in the big city.... The 3 km to the town are a breeze, past the two gate towers, and we're already there - in a different world. Tallinn is a very well-preserved medieval town, with beautiful old stone buildings, churches, towers, cobblestone streets, and the old city wall that still partly surrounds it. There are street performers and musicians everywhere to see and hear. It's a bustling city where you have to say Ohh or Ahh around every corner. Beautiful to look at and beautiful to photograph. After 3 hours at nearly 30 degrees Celsius, we (and especially our dog) have had enough. We make our way back to the bus. Once we arrive there, something happens that is one of the beautiful aspects of traveling. A German speaks to us. We parked next to each other in Northern Norway in Hammerfest, and he recognized our bus. We meet the couple from Ammersee: Daniel and Susi with their bus 'Elli'. The chemistry between us is immediate and a nice conversation ensues right there in the parking lot. We decide to have a barbecue together and thus a beautiful evening with the two of them unfolds completely unplanned. They are also 'escaping' reality for a year and traveling together through Europe. They have even been to Iceland (amazing!!)). The evening flies by, there is so much to talk about when you are undertaking almost the same trip. Daniel shows us his great drone videos of Iceland and Norway. We have been to the same places in Norway, but when you see them from above, you see even more what a dreamland Norway is and in what paradise we actually stumbled around. Late at night, we all go to bed. The next morning, I wake up and feel like my head is going to explode. Really? Oh god, what have I done wrong? Maybe the last drop of red wine was bad (for sure!! - or just unnecessary??) Never mind - the hangover is big... but still, the evening was super nice. We say goodbye with a heavy heart to the two of them. Our paths go in different directions. Daniel and Susi are heading south towards Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, then across Germany to Holland. Then via Belgium to France, Spain, and Portugal. And our destination is the east of Tallinn again - we only left it for refueling, and we want to pick up where we left off. - Take care Susi and Daniel - what a nice evening. Thank you very much for that and all the best for your further journey. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross again on the trip. And if not... maybe we'll visit each other sometime. It's not far from Lake Constance to Ammersee.

We arrive at Laheema National Park. A huge area in the east of Estonia has been declared a national park. There are great beaches with many boulders here. It is also a bird paradise. We secure a spot right by the sea and are all alone at first. In the afternoon, other motorhomes arrive. Mainly Germans (seems like they all have the same travel guide as us). In addition, an Estonian family with three children and a caravan parks right behind us. The dad comes over right away with two cans of beer. This is for you?? what?? Really? We can't believe it. The Estonians seemed very reserved to us so far. But Ivor is different. We have a nice conversation right away. He wants us to join them for a barbecue and later he even gives us two self-caught fish. That makes you feel welcome. In front of us, there is a couple from Regensburg. We also have a nice conversation there and get to know Ute and Toni (the almost retirees). Here too, there is an immediate great sympathy and we chat into the sunset together. (We managed once again to park in such a way that the only tree far and wide is directly between us and the sunset - you have to be able to do that).

The next morning, we say goodbye. We are drawn further east. We visit Toolse Castle and actually wanted to spend the night there, but the parking area is closed. Then a camper van arrives: Ute and Toni from Regensburg. This can't be true !! Yes ... you always meet twice in life. We decide to drive to a nearby campsite and spend the evening together. The campsite at Saaka Cliffhotel becomes ours and we chat into the evening again. What a likeable couple. We get along great and have a lot to talk about. The next morning, we take a walk to the nearby waterfall. Unfortunately, due to the severe drought, there is no water in the waterfall. So it's just a rock. Well... the walk to the beach was fantastic in return. After all, the beach here is absolutely beautiful. Fine sand with many boulders at the water's edge and a lot of driftwood. Then the two continue on towards the south. Unfortunately, they only have one more week of vacation... then reality starts for them again. Before they leave, Ute gives us two bags to hang on the chair that her mother sewed. Great for storing things that otherwise always block the table. Thank you very much for that. These things are really great (thanks to your mom). Take care Ute and Toni. What a nice meeting with you. It was a pleasure for us. All the best for both of you. We throw ourselves into the deck chair and enjoy the fact that we are now the only guests (at the posh spa hotel) at the campsite.

We learn that Sweden is currently burning terribly. Many places we visited are engulfed in flames. It's really terrible. We love Sweden and the Swedish people. Nowhere are they as warm-hearted and friendly as there. We really hope they will get it under control soon. It's incredibly hot here in Estonia too and everything is bone dry. Not even the waterfall has water!!