Ahoj, I think I was leaving Riga in my last entry. Caught the sloooooow local train out to Sigulda, a smallish town on the edge of the Gauja National Park. It had the most open park space I've ever seen in a small town, all nicely groomed, no-one about. Found myself a room with a nice old lady, living by herself in a big house with a big old dog who still thought he was a puppy! Had originally planned to camp down by the river, but given the variable weather of the past few weeks decided against it. As it turned out, since then the weather has been glorious, but the mozzies down there were nasty.

Basically I spent the next 3 days being incredible lazy. Sleeping til about noon then descending into the Gauja river valley and hiking along the river, checking out castles (disappointingly rebuilt), caves gouged into the soft sandstone cliffs and natural springs purported to prevent wrinkles on those who wash their faces in it (no effect so far, the furrows on my brow are still there!). It was hard work slogging up and down the hillsides, justifcation methinks for my otherwise laziness.
Had an interesting night one night. Had met a Dutch "tour guide" on the track, he was off exploring on his own having sent his group on their own merry way. We ended up having dinner at a bar in town and meeting some American army guys, young babies, who were out in Latvia helping to rebuild some schools out in the east. They were with their local counterparts, all Russian first lanaguage, so I got my first chance to try out the language. Let's just say with patience and humour we got by!!! Good to see military doing useful stuff though!
From Sigulda I went to Valmeira. I'd been recommended it by an Aussie girl I met, she said it was really nice and the hostel was grand, also the LP said it was the best run hostel in Latvia. Well I guess they must have had low standards. Really nicely fitted out but he didnt even want to check me in, saying they were full although when i asked him to double check he found me a bed, and i turned out to be the only person in the place for the night! The bus station was similarly confusing with a timetable on the wall that was so full of footnotes and secret codes that it would take a genius to decifer it! Even Greek timetables (in greek) were easier to follow. I had to get Mr Dopey to call transport info for me as the ladies at the station told me it was impossible to go to Estonia from there, I had to go back to Riga, but I knew that it was possible. And sure enough it was, although my bus wasnt listed on the boards, presenting the piece of paper with the right times on it procured me a ticket to the border!!!!
Maybe it was just a bus for wierdoes though as one of the strangest things I've seen in a while took place on the journey We were coming up to a huge roundabout, on a quiet, narrow road in the middle of wheatfields, when the bus slows and lets off a grey ponytailed lady in matching purple skirt and sweater. We go around the roundabout, she jogs straight ahead, the bus stops and waits for her, she gets on the other side, puts her handbag bag in her lap and off we go!!! What the.......!!!!
My German friends Orst and Lea were on my connecting bus to Parnu, so a few more tedious travel hours were filled.
Parnu, on the coast in Estonia was a nice, laid-back welcoming kind of town. I have to say the Estonian language is one of the most impenetrable I've ever come across. Can't make head or tail of it! Baar and restoran are about as far as I got!!!
Got a ferry out to a tiny island called Kihnu (kept thinking of books as the Slovak for book is Kniha). My friend Jen has told me about this place. It's still very traditional, the women still wear their stripped woollen skirts and floral headscarfs. I thought it's likely to be fairly touristy by now, it was only 2 hours by ferry from Parnu, but I arrived there with 2 irish girls and we were faced with one roughly painted map of the island and some random handmade signs pointing in the vague direction of tourismus something or other. There were no sealed roads, transport (the island is only 16km2) and the signs were as a general rule put up by drunkenpranksters I concluded by the end of my second day there! But no mater, with lots of walking, and lots of sign language as nothing except the local dialect seemed to be spoken there, I got myself a cute little cabin on the seashore for the night. I had hoped to stay with a local but I later discovered that there was a funeral on that day - I saw them in the forest and could faintly hear the singing drifting through the pine trees, so I guess that was why.
Locals get around on old motorbikes with sidecars. They are such cool things to watch and you can hear them a mile off with the loud roar of the engine. Unfortunately I was too conspicuous to ever get a photo but I'll never forget the old guys puttering along, leather peaked cap and cigareete hanging out of mouth, or the headscarfed babushka being whisked along by her blong headed 12 year old grandson, barely able to see over the handlebars.

Whilst eating my sandwich outside the general store I was joined by the local drunks. I thought there were quite a few drunks in Slovakia but in the Baltics they have a litre of beer for breakfast on the way to work!!! And you are always seeing people, even young couples, strolling along carrying a bottle of beer. But these were guys in their 40's I guess. Staggering as they came up to my table, they cracked open a bottle of vodka. As it was only 1pm I declined! We failed to find any common language, although we managed to clarify Australianska (ie I'm an Aussie) but no further ground could be reached. I later saw a couple of those guys passed out in a field. It seemed to be all the women who did the work on the island.
Well suffice to say I spent 2 pleasant days hiking around, playing by the shore, building rock stacks, and just chilling out.
Tallinn was stunningly beautiful. Crowded with tourists of all nationalities but still with a certain amount of grace and style about it. Had to get camera fixed and do some other odds and ends so didnt "do"much.