​Today mum and I headed to craft camp earlier in the morning for a little lecture on hair jewellery. It is not something I had ever heard of before however it is big in Swedish culture and Estonian in the earlier days. It was an interesting lecture and the lady had the tools to allow people to have a go at making something with different patterns. After the lecture we went back to working on our pockets! I had to learn step by step how to cut and create the pocket from the little patch I made the previous day. We had a lot of different options to choose from with the backing materials etc however I chose to keep it simple and use block colours rather than different patterns. We started sewing the backs to the patches then the sides and back of the pocket. There was a lot of it where we had to hand stich it so that was a new skill I learned that day. I actually liked the process of hand stitching the pieces together, and got a little bit better at it with each stich. The process of making this back took hours but it was really enjoyable. At one point I had to unpick my stiches a few times from the machine because there was something wrong with it and one of my runs of hand stich was not good, as it would not hold enough, so Anika had to run it through the machine. Thank god for the lovely ladies who helped us!!

​Once I had finished my bag, it was time to make the ties. This was the part I had been looking forward to for a few days, I really like finger weaving and this time I had some of the Masters teaching me, not me trying to work it out with a book. First, we had to decide on how long we needed to make it, I decided mine was going to be 2.8m then we had to add 30% to allow for the weave to tighten and reduce the length. We then created a warp using what ever we could and measured the length in between some of the big looms. I then chose the colours I wanted, 2 background colours then 3 other colours. We then warped it with 6 strands of the main and background then 2 each of the other 3 colours. We cut each end of the warp and had the strings. It was an interesting process and now I know how to do it at home! Once we were done warping we had to start the weave. Inna showed me how to start it off using a table clamp but in a different way than I had learned before. We did one half first then the other half later. We had to get the strands in the right order then started off the weaving process. It took me a little bit of time but I got there and it felt so natural to do, I really enjoyed this process, and I chose colours to match the colours of my pocket. At one point it was so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop because we were all so focused on the weaving process. During the time we were doing this, we were interviewed by the local paper, Sakala, you can read the story and look at the pictures here. It is about the whole craft camp but there are photos of me in there too.

​Once we were finished for the day we went to this crafters area where three different crafters told us about their businesses. The first one was telling us about their project where they take old material from different places and use it to make sets and other big things for businesses, line banners etc. They upcycle things and have been doing it for a few years now, learning lots of things on the way, including what can and can not be reused. It was interesting to hear about this all as they are really passionate about what they do, but not enough income yet to make it full time for all 3 investors. Then there was a glass blowing lady who had been doing it for about 10 years or so and she spoke about it being really hard work but she really enjoyed it. She showed us the furnace she uses and never turns it off, only about 3 times a year. She said it takes 6 days to turn off and on again so they just leave it running. She did a little demonstration and blew to hard the class popped. It was so thin but it was really beautiful, it sounded like a light bulb popping. We then went to the last building which was a jewellery making studio where three jewellery makers had their set up and one lady selling. They showed us a room where they paint the jewellery and need to have a lot of pieces ready before they paint to not waste resources. There was more equipment than I realised to make this kind of jewellery. We then headed back into town and went to the “craft café” for dinner. It was at this nice restaurant where about 10 people from craft camp, including our leader Kathlin joined. We had some wonderful conversations, some interesting insights into craft camp and how to get into the Viljandi Academy. It is a big process involving interviews, practical skills tests and so many other things, I might just stick to the two year course if I ever decide to properly study Estonian Folk Costumes. It is something I might do one day.

​It was a long day and a short walk back home, ready for some good rest, but had to get up early the next day for Kihnu!
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

​Today I was so excited as I was going to start learning how to weave on a loom, just like my great grandmother, Anette, who made many of the Estonian Rahvariide skirts in Australia in the 60’s and 70’s!!!!!!! I was practically glowing from the inside out! We made our way to craft camp, but because of the road work season, aka summer, we had to walk through the roadworks! No way in Australia would you be ever able to walk through roadworks with the machines around, this was a new experience. We got there and old the old memories of the building came back, we knew exactly where to go. We got to the staff room and started talking to Kaithlin, the lady we met in Kihnu 6 years ago who took us around Kihnu island, about the old memories and when we were there. We were talking so much, we almost missed the start of the class so we were ushered to the room to start our adventures in weaving on a big loom!
 
We got into the room and were met by Inna Raud, who would be our teacher. She remembered me from 2 years ago when she showed me how to make the leather shoes! It was so nice having the same teacher as I did two years ago but now for something new. The class started by Inna telling us all about Rahvariide and the significance of different regions. She had some amazing photos on the screen and incredible information to go with it. She showed us her Master’s work which was a published book from one parish. The one thing I noticed on the table though, as we were sitting there was different patterns printed out on the table. Once she had explained some information about the different patterns she had images on the screen which correlated with the images on the table. She asked us to select an image and use her template to choose the pattern we were going to weave. The inside of the pattern was going to be the size of the patch we would weave and make up the pocket outside face. Her stencil was 17cm on the inside. I found it challenging to choose but eventually I landed on the Ambla design, which was the same as one of my skirts. I was so excited this was an option as it was one of the first designs I did for Estonian Designs AU. After we cut out the part of the pattern we wanted, we had to go select our wool. The photo was a little dark so I used the colours I had on my website, which were a little more vibrant and bright. Once I had selected my colours I had to spin them onto the spools that we would use on the loom. I thought it was pretty cool because they had the old hand held ones where you had to turn the winder to transfer the wool, then they had made an electric one using a drill. I thought this was really clever. Once we had all the wool on the spools that we wanted, we took it and the image of the pattern we were going to create and took it to the loom.

​The loom stools were really tall, I don’t know how my great grandmother did it, she was shorter than I was! It was for sure a full body work out! Before we got started, Inna showed us what we had to do to do the waves. She made us do 4 rows of this cotton to hold it all in place then we could start our colours. We had to do it the same thickness as the one in the image so we would periodically hold the image up to the weave to see if we had done enough. When we had done a few centimetres we had to use this took with teeth on each end to push the pattern open so it did not bunch up. I had such feelings of connection to my great grandmother when I was doing this as this is what she would do for hour and hours, making skirt material for people in Australia. I have to say it was far easier to weave this than it is to weave a belt! But the equipment is a lot harder to get! After a little bit of time we headed home for lunch, because we were not that far away. We of course had to get through the road works but this time we found a better way home, still not the best way bit we were learning. We walked past the church and to our home, had some lunch then back to craft camp!!
 
After lunch we continued to weave our patches but this time I wanted dad to see what I was doing because he used to watch my great grandmother do this all the time and I wanted to see what he thought of the looms. He was very impressed and I think it was a lovely memory for him too. There was one very special moment when we were all weaving in that mum, Ingrid and Maie S all started to sing this old Estonian work song, they all knew it and the organisers said they had never heard this before. It was so lovely to sit and listen to them singing all together, and of course it was lovely, they were all in the choir. Once we had finished our patches it was time to cut them off the loom! I held my breath as they cut it off and it looked so good. We took them to the tables and had to cut off the excess thread and then tie all the knots together, 2 x 2 until each side was tied. I did not know on one side I had to take off the black thread before tying all the knots so I had to untie about 7 knots, take out the black thread, then keep going. Once we did that we had to iron it and the patch was done, ready for tomorrow. It was time to go home and have a quick dinner, then off to the walking tour!

​We met at the Grand Viljandi Hotel and were welcomed by the Mayor of Viljandi. It was really special having a private tour from the Mayor. He was fairly young, not more than 45 years old at most, seemed very forward thinking. He started off by talking about the area we were in and the small non-for-profit project that took over building and maintaining the small area we were in. it was really pretty and a nice use of space in the summer. We then headed to the Jaani church, which had some monument placed there after Soviet occupation as there was something Soviet there before. After some little stories we headed to the old castle ruins where we heard more stories and went over the suspension bridge that dad used to jump on when we were kids, to scare us. As there were about 20 of us walking over it, it naturally was a bit bouncy, not great but it was there. We walked through the ruins and when we got to the lake view we stopped to get some pictures. The Mayor was telling us there was a really beautiful hiking trail around the lake and would take several hours to do the walk. We went to the stage area and the Mayor was telling us this is the location for the Viljandi Folk Festival, which would be really amazing to see. As we were walking out of the castle he was telling us of the road just out of the castle was a debate between the culture and heratige people and the town as the town wants to renovate it but the cultural people are responsible for it so they decided it is historically accurate so they could not fix up the area, dad mentioned until someone has a fall. We continued along and the Mayor told us why there were all these cats around in the town as statues. They came from a popular children’s story that did not name the town but when they turned it into something with images they took buildings from Viljandi so they decided to own it. We had a few more stops on the tour and it was so lovely to hear some stories from him, about the town, including the reason why there were a lot of red brick homes and buildings, it was the natural resources they could get. There are a lot of stones in the foundations of the buildings as they took the stones from the castle once it was no longer a fortification for the town back in the middle ages. This was a cool story to hear too.

​Over all it was a lovely day filled with culture and memories.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

Today we packed up our things and headed off the Island! We went to the boat earlier than our ticket and turns out you can still get on and go through the boom gates, just in a different line. It was nice to be able to leave earlier than anticipated so we can do other things. When we got on the boat we were packed in there like sardines, it was a little challenging to get out of the car, but I managed. When we got back to our cars and off the boat, we were headed for Pärnu to see the monument of the mass flight 1944. When we arrived there we were really disappointed because the park it was situated in was surrounded by scaffolding and the monument was also surrounded by it. It had heavy security, with alarm systems in place so we did not go in. Two men did go in and after a little it triggered an alarm and I over heard some older Estonian men getting angry at them telling them the police have been notified and they should not have gone through the construction zone. We continued to walk away towards lunch, the same pizza place we went to 2 years ago, still pretty good wood fired pizza. We went back to the car but as I was walking back I just stopped for a moment in the park and took in the beautiful surroundings, typical Estonian grass and greenness of it with small flowers everywhere, so beautiful and grounding. We got back to the car and headed for Viljandi.

​On the way to Viljandi we drove through Tori and what struck me was the architecture and the way the church was built. It was like modern stone with different colours, very clean cut, not like other churches in Estonia that are centuries old. The whole town was just really beautiful and there was some kind of triathlon happening in the middle of the village. Before we got to Tori and I noticed we were heading there I asked mum to google if there were any Käsitöö shops there and she couldn’t find any. I stopped to take a photo of a small sign that said Tori so I would remember it and right in front of us was a sign that said “Käsitöö” so we drove up to it and there it was, a Käsitöö barn full of some lovely things. The owner said he had items from over 100 makers in Eesti, even a honey lemonade which dad bought. Dad did comment he was a good salesman. The other thing I noticed about this town was how many horses there were! So many big horses. Mum told me there was a breed of horse named Tori and it originated from there, they even have some in the island of Saaremaa. After this little pitstop, we headed towards Viljandi. On the way, I did not realise, but we drove through Soma National Park and one thing I noticed was the forest here was super dense, more than I had ever seen before. It was almost like massive walls of trees, almost like 20-30m tall waves about to engulf the road. It was incredible, however that lead to a discussion about the forest brothers and how they lived in these dense forests for decades, fighting the Soviet occupation. Just something we can not comprehend.

​We arrived in Viljandi in the afternoon and found our accommodation. Dad was unpacking the car and the older lady next door came and started talking to him, asking his whole lifes story and why we were there. We have a saying in our family, dad likes to chat and when we got to his house, even before you get inside if he is working in his shed, he will catch you outside and catch you up on all the gossip and what’s been happening. We call this “getting Toivoed” so when this was happening to dad outside where a lady was chatting with him sharing information and the goss, I told mum he was getting “brauad”. A Braua in Eesti keel is an older respected lady. Mum thought this was really funny and now something that is going to live on I feel. In our house it was really muggy and there was no airflow so I found a hardware store online and searched a fan, this did not yield any results so I used google translate and found out a fan in Eesti keel is a ‘ventilaator’, so I searched that and it worked! So off dad and I went to the local hardware store and got a little USB powered fan to add to our collection of things here in Eesti. Thank god we did so I could sleep better. We had Matti and Maie Simson come over for a little catch up to hear about their travels in Eesti and what they had been doing, it was a nice little pre dinner evening before we headed off to the Grand Viljandi Hotel for registration and catch up then dinner. We got there and all us Australian’s were there. There was 5 participants and 3 companions. It was really good having a lot of Australians there. After a catch up we headed into dinner and some information about Craft Camp. Just before dinner, a lady came over who recognised us, Katlin. She was the tour guide we had in Kihnu in 2019 and she recognised dad of all people! He must have left an impression! She was a big part of craft camp and I was so excited she was there, to ask her questions and verify some information. I did ask her what do I do with my skirt now that I am divorced, she told me it was a valid question and I can wear it either way, with or without the apron. I felt a sigh of relief because I had been wearing it without! I want to wear it correctly as it is the only living cultural heritage rahvariide (folk costume) that is still worn traditionally, daily and is UNESCO heritage listed, so it should be done correctly. It was lovely seeing people I had not seen for a little and catching up. After dinner and information, we headed home, to bed. It was a great day and I could not wait for the next day where I would be weaving, just like my great grandmother!
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

Today we took our time getting ourselves together because nothing opens before 10am on the island of Muhu, except the bread shop! However we were to late to go get Muhu bread, even the supermarket had sold out! But before we went there, we went on a little adventure, looking for the song festival ground where they do midsummer. I had it my head it was in one location so I put this into google maps and off we went, however when we arrived it did not look like I had remembered it, it was like a camp ground for travellers. So we quietly turned around and left that area then mum mentioned the area we were looking for was opposite a church so I put into google maps the church in the village we were in. On the short drive there I noticed the local Coop supermarket had Muhu designs on the window, this really makes me smile and makes me feel a little spark of joy! Of course we had to stop and get photos! During our travels dad noticed we were driving back to the Sadam and he told me I have been voted off the island and I need to leave but I have to leave the car here for them. It appeared we had created a new voting system for our travels with the amount of votes always changing and the outcome doesn’t really matter. It was good for a laugh anyway. We found the grounds we were looking for. It was as I remembered it, with the big swing and a stage with folk costume material as the feature. I really liked it here and you could see they still had a fire there from midsummer. This place brough back memories from 2019 when we accidentally found this place because I was so confident at my navigation, which was not good, when looking for Käsitöö shops, dad trusted me and I ended up getting us lost, however it made us find this beautiful place. After a little pit stop and amazement at how they protected the sandpit, with a flip off lid that turns into a seat, we headed into Liiva, the main town. As I mentioned before, we headed to the bakery but it was sold out, by 10:15am! This was a bit of a shock but it didn’t matter, dad went to the shop next door and got some smoked eel. We then went to the supermarket to get a few supplies for dinner and headed off to a Käsitöö shop on the way to the farm museum. It was along a long road and a little farm house shop. We had been there before and it still amazed me how much this lady produces and sells. She still had the blanket she had been working on since 2019, which she showed us last time. There were so many flower patterns, unique to Muhu. I remember my grandmother painting these flowers on things in her later years, I still have a treasure chest with some of it on it, beautiful. We then headed to the open air farm museum but it was raining so we headed to the Käsitöö shop there. I noticed they were selling key rings much like in my Estonian Designs AU store and I am glad they were all roughly the right price, seems I had done my home work! We walked past the museum and took a few photos of typical Muhu houses, they are unique to this area, more on that later. We went home for lunch and a little nap, first time I had done that in a very long time.

​In the afternoon/evening we headed to Kadri’s summer house in Muhu and what an adventure that turned out to be. We arrived and it was as I remembered it, a fairy garden. She had the table all set out ready, in the sun, as this was the first sun we had seen in weeks. Although it did get a little hot sitting in the sun but it was still lovely to do. We had some wonderful conversations and she was so excited about my business and wanted to hear more about it. I of course brought her one of the Muhu designed mugs and coaster and she was amazed I did it all myself. I wanted to give her this gift as I feel she would really appreciate it, and she did. Dad of course was the grill master and made sure the sausages were cooked perfectly and Kadri made some salads including this one with purple cabbage, salt, oil and lemon, it was really good. After dinner Kadri offered to take us on a little tour around her place and the village. She took us to where she grows cucumbers and managed to grow them from seeds to big plants in 3 weeks, dad was really jealous! She did share some gardening secrets though and dad has some new ideas on how he might be able to do it at home because he struggles with the pickling cucumbers. She showed us her little huts and explained to dad what they were for but she said there was a lot of work needed to be done so I suggested a farm stay where people pay to come and stay here and work on the farm. She thought it was a silly idea but I explained this is a big business in Australia, and this would be good as it is a very unique way of living in Muhu. I hope she thinks about this and considers it because it is a really good idea. Kadri then took us on a little walk around the village. What strikes me about Muhu is the moss on the stone walls. There is a stone all around the village then each Talu or farm house area. Some where redone, some where old. They were all beautiful. Their cellar construction is unique to Muhu architecture in the way it looks, so beautiful. Kadri showed us these stones with crosses on them, which signified the boarder of different properties, they were all over the village. We saw the big family swing in the middle of the village and their midsummer fire area. We walked around to the village well which the infrastructure to get water was recently reconstructed, only 2 weeks ago. It was the same one in the open air museum in Tallinn and you use it from the end that is closest to the well, not the back end, which is what dad and I originally thought. It was so peaceful walking through the Muhu village, soft grass, beautiful colours, just something so unique. When we got back to the house they wanted to show us her friend, Kadi’s house so we walked a short distance to watch the sunset. She purchased this house 3 years ago and it was nothing but the walls of the cellar. She had to reconstruct everything new and had placed a modular home on the property with a cute little outdoor area. It was really nice in this space and we sat on the veranda and watched the sunset. Dad then mentioned he could fix the lock on Kadi’s house, which he did then she gave him some win as payment. He also mentioned he could fix Kadri’s gate as it was leaning and not very stable, so we went to Kadi’s shed and got a heap of power tools, all needed to be connected to main power with an extension lead, and selected the timber plank he needed. We went back to Kadri’s house and dad got to work. He was in his element just working things out, fixing the gate and explaining to Kadri what different tools were for because she was asking him. Dad’s knees were so dirty after this job we insisted he have a shower when we got home. It was challenging because when we were holding the gate up for him to stabilise it we had ants running all over our feet! He had to use stones from the wall and hit them in around the post using some heavy objects to help stabilise the gate then attach the brace to it. It was a somewhat small task but dad was able to do it. Once he finished work, at about 10pm, we said our good byes and headed back home. It was such a fun and memorable evening, unexpected but so much joy and laughter.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

​Today started off very slow as we were up in the 4th floor and once mum went down I don’t think she was going to go back up. So we took our time, I was catching up on writing blogs and working on some other big surprises for Estonian Designs AU and really just taking it slow. Once we got ourselves moving we headed into Haapsalu but first of course, we got lost finding the castle. This was the first laugh, how on earth do you lose a castle? Well we did! Thankfully Lekso, my nephew, wanted to call us so we pulled over and as we were talking with him we re-routed ourselves to the correct car park. We arrived to the castle grounds and mum was headed straight for the Käsitöö shop, thankfully dad directed her and not me. Dad and I headed to the castle grounds to see if things had changed. When we came here in 2019 they had just opened the museum to one side, we still haven’t been in there. We walked in and went onto some kind of viewing platform and I called Lekso to see this castle! He was a little bit excited but more excited to see Paps (my dad). We noticed they were setting something up but we couldn't work out what it was, some festival or party with lots of kegs and beer. It was so surreal walking through the grounds, it was built back in the 1200’s and to imagine people who lived then were walking the same paths as we are now and seeing the same things, to a degree, is just incredible and mind blowing. There is so much history here and I imagine millions of stories. We walked over to the moat area on the other side of the castle because I remember as a younger child playing in the playground and when we got there we saw it was still there! It is the most spectacular playground and in the moat! So many incredible memories there. We kept wondering and dad was giving me a little commentary on the building process back in the days when they were constructing it. We did go into the museum to just have a little look at the front shop. Dad and I made a plan to join a tour group and act like we were meant to be there, but the only group was leaving so we joked about just casually getting onto their bus and seeing where it would take us, but get a few people ice creams first so they would miss the bus and we would have a seat to sit on. Some good laughs here.

​It was getting to be past lunch, and dad likes to eat at 12:30, but it was already 2pm and he has been warned he has to give me notice for when he wants meals and he told me 12:30pm was already gazetted in, well it was not in my schedule hehe but thankfully we were able to stop on the side of the road to have some delicious quiches mum bought in the bakery in Haapsalu. We were at this random stop, near a town but the stop had a town map. Mum told me to pull up there so we can read all about the town as we had lunch, this was one of the many laughs we had that day. Dad had a little look around the area we were in, had a beer and we continued on our journey. We were driving and we noticed this fly in the car. He kept going from back to front and back again. He was annoying all of us and didn’t contribute to the petrol cost, so basically taking a free ride to the islands. Mum decided to name him, well that was it, tears coming down the face. She called him ‘Herman Kapses’ then I added in ‘Pikkat’… mum lost it, I am sure I almost wet myself. We were talking about him like he was a pet! He stayed with us until we got to the port in Virtsu and I am so glad we bought an E-ticket. We arrived a little early so I stayed in the general que until after the current boat had left. Then I followed everyone else driving the wrong way to the E-ticket line. Amazingly you don’t need your ticket, just the car registration and it lets you through! Then you have to see which gate they let you in, I sat there for a few moments, trying to work it out then they ushered us into the right lane. We waited there for about 20 minutes but we saw the pervious load come in and as they came to the dock they opened the mouth of the boat and cars just came off. They have cars, buses and trucks it was insane the amount of vehicles one boat will carry! We finally were able to get onto the boat and of course, they sent me up to what I call the balcony. It was strange driving up there but there was plenty of room, still scary. We went up to the cafeteria area and I got a coffee, but the machine was broken but thankfully some nice Estonian’s helped me and we found more. I did help some Russian speaking people work out the machine before it was broken though so good karma I suppose. We got the call that we had to go back to our cars to get ready to get off the boat so we went!

​As soon as we got off the boat we headed straight to the Käsitöö shop, I may have cut across several lanes of traffic to get to it, because it is as soon as you get off the boat, and illegally parked! There were so many beautiful things in this store, just adorable. I really like this one with some beautiful products and designs. We then got into our car and headed to our accommodation. I had a vague idea of where I was heading and I took a gamble and went towards a pin drop I worked out. We were driving around the island the same way I was so confident in going towards Käsitöö stores in 2019 but got lost. Anyway, we were driving towards our place and drove up to what looked like the pictures so I was sure it was it. Once we arrived we called the lady and found out the key was under a pot and was instructed to leave the key under the pot in case other people arrived… I did not realise I booked a share house but thankfully for the first night anyway we had the house to ourselves. Once we unloaded a little we head into town because the Käsitöö shop was going to close in 30 minutes so off we went. It was as pretty as I remembered it from 2 years ago, so many muhu items! We then went to the Coop to get things for a grill because we had a grill at our accommodation, we were so excited because we had not done this yet since we were there.

​It was getting to be mid afternoon and in Sweden they have Fika (I may have spelt it wrong), where you have a coffee and some cake or fruit. Here, Eva and her family had coffee and ice cream, the kids really enjoyed it. It is nice to pause in your busy day, intentionally, and have a coffee and be a little social. Eva shared with us that at the same time every day at her work, they stop and have coffee all together bringing a sense of community and connection to the work place. I really like this idea, something I might do when I start my new job! The kids played in the park a little bit and of course there were some tears over the bus and who was to be the bus driver. We have seen many kids cry over this in the last few days. We then headed home for a little rest then off to dinner! We invited Eva and Hillar to dinner as well. It was lovely catching up with them too, some of my parents friends from Sydney. Eva told me she ordered the Käsitöö sausage however there were not rahvariide patterns on it, so she was a little disappointed. After dinner we headed home and went to bed. It was a lovely day filled with child like wonder and I was grateful to have shared some memories with everyone involved.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

Today was our last morning with Eva and her family. We had our traditional breakfast together in our apartment and talked about when we might see them again, with plans for Christmas 2026. I can’t wait! We took some time in the morning packing our bags but we had to be strategic about this because we have filled up 2 bags with gifts and material and wanted to leave at Denis’s house while we travelled around Eesti a little bit. It made it easier than taking it with us and we are very fortunate to have this little option. We also had to be strategic with what we had with us for the next 3 days before our next bigger stop for craft camp in Viljandi. So we packed everything into the car then headed into the old town for one last time. Dad did share a little story with me, when he first started packing the car, he had a bit of a seniors moment. He got into the car and wondered how I turned the car on with the key then wondered where the steering wheel was. It took him a few moments to realise he was on the wrong side of the car! This made me laugh, only something dad would do. After we packed the car, we wondered through the Freedom Square taking it all in one last time and slowly walked towards the town square. Eva shared with us she wanted to start a new tradition in getting a Christmas orniment for every family holiday they are going on and I knew the perfect place. I took them to the store in the town square that had beautiful items at a good price. She was delighted by the selection and got herself something, mum got the same one so both our trees will have something. Vincent wanted to see what I had bought, a little doll for a very close friend, but when I showed him, he put it straight into his bag, cheeky little thing! We ran into one of mum’s choir friends who wanted to know where we get material from so we directed them to Svetlana’s store just near the Viru Gates. They were very grateful. We continued to walk towards the Viru Gates as mum wanted me to go back to that store to get something for her, but they didn’t have it but on the way we saw these ladies again. I was also very grateful as one of the ladies told the other about my business and was excited to share about it, I was so grateful that other people were excited about Estonian Designs AU and sharing this excitement with me. I was heading to this shop so I took them with me! There were some skirts there and the lady asked how she could wear it so I shared some ideas on how she could wear her own skirt using more modern takes, when singing in the choir, she was very grateful. Once we were done there, I met back up with my family and we headed to Lido for lunch! I had buckwheat for the first time in a while and I really liked it. I might make it at home I think! Vincent and I were connecting really beautifully and playing around a little with his toys and dried kiwi fruits he wanted to eat that he had purchased. It was so sweet that he was becoming more warmed up to me, it was delightful. As we were sitting at the table there was an AI robot that came around to collect your plates and trays, and spoke Eesti keel. This was so cool Vincent was so excited and wanted to show the robot his new Christmas decoration! After lunch, we took them to the stop with their things. Vincent was so excited to get to the airport, but we had to wait a little at the bus stop and he was excited when ever he saw a bus and it was such a let down when ever I would say no to a bus not being the one he needed to get but once his bus was finally coming he was so exited! He got on quickly then went to sit down and the smile on his face was something I wont forget for a long time. It was sad saying good bye to Eva and her family, but we will see them again soon.

​After this, dad and I walked back to our car and started to head out of Tallinn. The drive out of Tallinn was a little scary, especially having to turn onto one of the main roads without traffic lights AND there was a tram! But thankfully we got out safely and headed to dad’s cousins house to do the bag swaps, as they were leaving and wouldn’t be home when we arrived back there to collect our things. Denis met us there and took things to his place, so grateful to have him around. Once we gave him these things we headed off out of town! We had to make a little stop in Hageri for some secret business, watch this space for some special things coming, then headed to Rummu underwater prison. We arrived there and we assumed it would be free or reduced entry into the arena as it was really cold and no way you would swim, however they wanted 20 euro’s for our car to enter, so we decided to turn around and keep heading towards Haapsalu. We arrived at our accommodation and discovered it was 4 flights of stairs, needless to say mum was not happy about it, so she stayed in the car while dad and I took some things upstairs. We then headed back down and into the town for a little wonder and dinner. We found the Käsitöö shop and had a look through. I was surprised, the prices were the same as in Tallinn unfortunately. There were some beautiful things in there though. It was raining so we headed to what I think was the most expensive restaurant in Haapsalu. We were there in 2014 and I remember the pizza being really good and it still was! It was a very eclectic setting with some good memories including what we think was the Russian mafia making deals under the table! After dinner dad and I headed to the supermarket which had folk costume patterns on it, and I loved it!! The new headed home, but via the most strangest way to get home, through back allies, one way streets and driving through car parks. There is always some silly moments in Haapsalu!
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

​Today we set off to the Kommunismiohvrite Memoriaal, or the Memorial to the Victims of Communism. We have been here a few times before but this time my dad was coming to place flowers under his grandmothers name who was stolen and deported to Siberia during 1940’s. My mother and some relatives here had worked hard to get her name onto the wall as there are thousands of names on this wall of people that were murdered and deported by the Russian’s in the 1940’s and beyond, during the Soviet occupation of Estonia until 1991 when we regained our independence. What struck me about this place, this time in particular, something I had not noticed before, was the sheer honesty in what happened and how the Estonians who developed this place were not shy in calling things for what they were such as people were murdered, stolen etc. Sadly they were doing work on the place through the middle so we could not get to the names on the wall but it did not take away from the sheer size and grandeur of the monument. We walked up the stairs and to the open area one side of the monument and it is always so spectacular. There is even forests in the area which are just stunning. It was so peaceful being there though, considering the horrific past where the elite such as doctors and professors were taken to this area to be murdered. There was such a sense of calm being here but also great sadness, at the thought of the terror that occurred here. I have uploaded photos if anyone would like to read the information provided, it is incredible the story they tell. Another thing that always gets me when I come here is the song, ‘Ta Lendab Mesipuu Pole’. This area is based on this song and it talks about the bees (Estonian’s) being taken from the hive and using the apple trees to call them back. It is such a powerful song, and one that is so significant at Laulupidu it is always accompanied by lights that resemble all the bees coming back to the hive. I get emotional just writing about it. We walked out of the area a different way than I had before and saw another perspective of the monument, we even noticed graves to the side, something I had not seen before. Dad went to an area which was fenced off, which we think was the Russian monument to the horror they caused, he went through the barriers and took some photos, of course he breaks the rules!!

​We then headed to Kadriorg park and palace, via bus! Vincent (4 years old) was so excited to take the bus, I think he really likes public transport. We got off the bus right where we were standing in 2014 for the parade with Eva, close to where my aunty and cousins were staying. I remember we had a couch out on the street, it was so much fun. We walked up the Kadriorg park and had some lunch in a lovely little café there. It was so nice seeing the kids be so excited by the water feature in the middle of the lake, especially Vincent who really wanted to see the fish! What struck me was the lack of fencing around the big water area, something you would never see in Australia! The park here is stunningly beautiful and we were fortunate enough to see it on a really sunny day. We wondered around a little, towards this carnival area where kids could go on some rides, but at a big cost! It was something like 4.5-6 euro for one ride, that was stupidly expensive! It was so much fun though watching the joy of the kids delight in the rides, what to choose and go on. Vincent was starting to warm up to me by this time and it really filled my heart. There was such excitement, curiosity and joy!! It was really infectious and Vincent wanted to show me everything through his eyes, I adored it. After a little bit of fun we headed towards the kids museum. I was not overly sure which way it was but we did find it however once we arrived we saw it was sold out for the day. Hot tip, book a spot in advance! There was a small playground the kids wanted to play on so we did that for a little while then headed back to the café from lunch for a Swedish Fika. Vincent was so excited because he found the BIG Estonian ice cream cones and enjoyed the chocolate one. It is nice to stop and pause a little throughout the day and just be together, again, it might be a thing I start up in my own life once I get home. Once we were finished we got on the tram and headed back home. I went and had a little rest because I was so exhausted, same with Eva’s family. Mum and dad went into town for a little wonder and mum managed to find a book Danae (my sister) had been wanting for her son. It is a picture book with all Estonian words, I think this book is going to get a lot of use! We headed to our favourite little pizza place in old town and the kids were so tired, I am pretty sure they had a little nap before their meal arrived. It was a little bit of slow service though. It was delightful being able to just talk to Eva and share stories, updates and learn more about her life in Sweden. After dinner they headed home and I met up with Maria from Sõled ja Preesid for some business discussions and connections. I won’t share what came of that conversation but it really has opened some beautiful new doors for Estonian Designs AU. I am so grateful to have met Maria and she just wants to help and see Estonian Designs AU succeed and continue to connect people with Estonian culture and traditions. I am so grateful for her.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

​Today was a not so eventful day but we did a lot, including almost 15,000 steps! Today we had a lovely breakfast with Eva and her family in our apartment. It was a little small for 7 of us but we made do. We ate so many blueberries and strawberries, they are so delicious here. In the morning though we had to move apartments to the penthouse for the last two days, so we spent some time to pack our bags and move upstairs. We didn’t spend the day with Eva and her family, they went to the sea plane museum, we had to do other things. Mum really wanted to go to the fabric shops to see what they had, as she was looking for some ribbon, so we headed off on a little adventure. I may have got the directions a little wrong and made mum walk a little more than she would have liked but we also spoke about the importance of walking. We bought a few things to be able to create some new products for Estonian Designs AU but that is part of our future plans. We headed back home after some shopping for a really lovely lunch, just at home, with a variety of things put out on the table. I really enjoy this style of eating, it is really wholesome. After lunch and a little rest we headed back out to Vanalinn, and met Eva and her family. Dad and I had to go pick up and order from near the top of the city then wondered back down to see Eva and her family, playing in the park on Haarju Street. It was so sweet watching the kids play and laughing, it fills me with joy. Dad and I then went to do some more business and pick up groceries for dinner. I was cooking for everyone some chicken dish with chantarelle mushrooms, my favourite. Like I said it was a day with lots of little things to do, almost like living here but I really enjoyed it.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

​Today we had an adventure to the open air museum. I have not been to this place since I was 11 years old and it is a lot bigger than I remember. What struck me when we first walked towards it was some of the folk costume colours that made their signs up. I really liked their branding, it was really sweet and made me feel like I was in Estonia. When we started walking around, the thing I noticed most was how much forest was around us. I could really feel I was in Estonia but in an old world Eesti with all the farm houses and seeing the way they lived back in the day. The forests here are just so magical, incredible really. They are quiet, calm and in abundance, something I really adore, even the trees are different here. We were walking along the path and I was somewhat walking alone to a degree and I had some quiet reflections of where I was, where I am going to go in life and all the work I had done on myself. I was reflecting on Estonian Designs AU and some exciting things I am working on there, and could not wait to share with the world, and just really being in the forest in Eesti. I can’t even describe the feeling, and I got to share it with my parents and Eva’s family. As we were wondering down the path they had a little area which had boxes and each box had a nest in it showing each birds eggs but when you lifted the lid, it made the sound the bird would make. We found the barn swallow which is Estonia’s national bird, I had never heard it before. I really enjoyed it. I had seen them before a few years ago but never heard them. We continued on to areas which were set up like a family ‘Talu’ or farm house. There is usually one building for sleeping, another for communal things such as eating, another for food and grain storage and if they were well off, one for animal storage, especially in the cold winters. The way they create these buildings is incredible to see, just the infrastructure and engineering involved with not so modern things. We got to a windmill, it was massive and I head a tour guide share to his group we have 2 different designs in Estonia and this one was a Dutch design. The kids wanted to go behind it where there was a swing under a big oak tree and have some morning tea. They were having the best time on this swing, so much laughing and joy, it was very infectious! We then headed off towards the big swing, well I thought we were, clearly I could not read the map overly correctly and it lead us to doing more steps that really needed BUT it was nice walking through the forest. At one point I saw a little baby frog and pointed it out to Vincent who was mesmerised by this little frog jumping over the path and into the grass, I was also curious at where it was going to go. We then got to the children’s area and the big swing. Dad had a look at it and said this type of big family swing would not be to hard to reconstruct and I have been waiting over 20 years for a family swing at home, so I took lots of photos in hopes he will reconstruct it for me one day! Eva and Viktoria had a go at the swing, Vincent did not want to, he reminds me so much of my nephew Lekso, in so many ways. We then headed to the restaurant where they served traditional Estonian food. I managed to order our food all in Estonian, a proud moment but before we had food, when we walked in they were showing Tantsupidu on the big screen and one of my favourite dances were being performed, Kikapuu. I couldn’t help but watch. Once it was over, we went to order the food and I finally had some Kali, an Estonian drink made from rye bread or something like that. Fredrik and Eva tasted it and Fredrik shared it tasted like he was drinking bread. Not everyone likes this drink, it is kind of like the vegemite of Estonia, not everyone likes it. During lunch Eva and Fredrik were asking us what was the significance of the song and dance festival, so we explained to them how this was part of our fight for independence and now they stared to understand even more why our folk costumes, singing and dancing traditions were so important to us as a nation and our freedom. It was nice being able to share this with them so they could appreciate even more where they were and what they were somewhat a part of just by seeing it. After lunch Viktoria and Fredrik went on a horse and carriage ride and we headed to the gift shop, it was starting to rain. After some more purchases, we headed back into Tallinn, the old town.

​It was getting to be mid afternoon and in Sweden they have Fika (I may have spelt it wrong), where you have a coffee and some cake or fruit. Here, Eva and her family had coffee and ice cream, the kids really enjoyed it. It is nice to pause in your busy day, intentionally, and have a coffee and be a little social. Eva shared with us that at the same time every day at her work, they stop and have coffee all together bringing a sense of community and connection to the work place. I really like this idea, something I might do when I start my new job! The kids played in the park a little bit and of course there were some tears over the bus and who was to be the bus driver. We have seen many kids cry over this in the last few days. We then headed home for a little rest then off to dinner! We invited Eva and Hillar to dinner as well. It was lovely catching up with them too, some of my parents friends from Sydney. Eva told me she ordered the Käsitöö sausage however there were not rahvariide patterns on it, so she was a little disappointed. After dinner we headed home and went to bed. It was a lovely day filled with child like wonder and I was grateful to have shared some memories with everyone involved.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx

​Today started out like most days, writing, blogging, Instagram etc. Mum and dad headed off to meet some family who they had not met before, who live in Finland, but also the same ones from the one day that live in Canada. Mum was sharing of all the photos and stories they had from Finland of the history of some of our family, it was from my mum’s dad’s side, so Alan. I was not there so I didn’t hear the stories but I am sure I will one day! I met with Anne from Baltic Folk and her husband, for a coffee. It was so nice to actually catch up and have a chat! After this we had a sneaky look at the sock shop across the road where they sell all the Estonian designed socks. It feels really lovely going into there because it is all the Estonian folk design patterns but more the flower designs rather than the stripes. Last time I bought way to many socks so I had to stop myself from buying any this time, but I did get some for a few friends. I then called dad to find out where he was, turns out he was on his way to the supermarket, which was on the way home for me, so we ended up making a plan to meet there. We grabbed a few things then I heard from Taimi! We had both been in Eesti for over a week yet not caught up, due to her and the rest of my friends dancing in Tantsupidu. Taimi came over to our apartment for a few hours for a long catch up and a coffee. It was so nice to hear about her stories and experiences from Tantsupidu and the excitement she still had for this. It really is something special, our Australian group dancing in this festival with over 11,000 other dancers.

​It was getting time for dad and I to head to the airport to pick up Eva and her family (my Swedish sister via exchange student when we were in year 11). She lived with us for 11 months. Dad and I got the bus to the airport with a building excitement. We got there slightly early and had to wait a little. There was like no one there then all of a sudden there were so many people coming off the plane! Dad was standing to one side to warn me when they were arriving through the gate so I could get a video of it. After a long time, almost 30mins after the plane had landed, we got the video, and we got to see them! It was so incredible seeing them again after 2 years for me, even longer for dad, I think 6 years. Eva’s kids are just so cute, a little shy but really cute. It was their first adventure outside of Sweden. We got the bus back to Tallinn and Vincent was so fascinated at everything and of course it was all in a new language. The curious mind of a child is just a joy to watch, really something special. We got ourselves to the apartment and called mum down, she was so happy to see Eva and her family. When we were just chilling for a few moments in their apartment, the kids were playing on the bed, just laughing and playing with raisins. They were laughing so much, it was so lovely to see, it was infectious. After some time we headed out to Lido in Solaris for dinner. That is an adventure in itself! It is basically a cafeteria where there are many food options and you choose what you want then pay at the end, at the check out. There is something for everyone. Dad and I split a potato serving, because I just love Estonian potatoes. It was good catching up with them over dinner, even though the kids spoke only Swedish, we were still able to communicate. I was reflecting a little and no matter what country you are from, kids are all the same. We went back home and watched Laulupidu. Mum was meant to sing in the big choir that evening and she was really hesitant about it all day but after some convincing she went! At first she messaged me telling me she thought it was a mistake as it was hard to get to the area, but once she started singing all of that went away. Dad and I were watching the event on TV, couldn’t look away with the final songs that were being played. It was incredible watching 35,000 singers and 100,000 people in the audience. This is something really incredible and very much part of our history and culture. It is all part of the Signing Revolution and how Estonia got its freedom in 1991. Look it up, you won’t be disappointed. Once it was finished dad and I were just sitting up, waiting for mum to come home and we were about to go to bed and she came home, close to midnight. We were happy she was home and she was on such a high from signing, I am so proud of her that she went and did it! I was about to go to bed then got a message from Taimi, telling me a few of them were going out to the pub, in town square, and I made the decision to go. So I got changed and off I went. It was so peaceful while walking there, especially freedom square. It was all lit up and really beautiful. When I got to the pub, there were so many Australians there and Linnus was playing music. It was a bit loud but lovely to connect with people I had not seen for some time. After a few hours I left there but we saw an impromptu performance of Tuljak at the bar outside so Taimi and I started to dance to it, naturally. I had never done the boys part, yet here I was! Doing it! I walked home, taking in the peacefulness of the old town at 3am with the sun due to come up soon. As I was walking home Denis saw me and came to where I was staying, with his car. I did a quick video call with his wife, she showed me their house in Siberia and wanted to come to Tallinn to come see us, who knows what is possible.
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx