Day 8 - Connections

​Today we started off by wondering down to where my Grandpa used to live. It is an old house, 12 Vene tv, today used by some guild. When we went inside, we saw it! The stair case my grandpa used to tell us stories about sliding down. I don’t think we were meant to be in there, because the person cleaning it didn’t seem to pleased we were in there yet, at 10.30am, and when we went out he locked the door. While we were in there though, I could feel his presence. Just thinking about the fact that my grandpa used to run around this area, as a child, this was his town, and now we are here experiencing it in a very different way. It is somewhat connecting and really special to think we are walking the same streets and paths he did. I really liked that idea. Estonians are very much into energy and connecting with the spiritual world. I am definitely in that category of Estonians and it brings a certain level of majik to your day when you feel the presence of some good energy and those that have passed, walking the paths you are walking, but from a different place and time.

​We then wondered around a little because nothing opened until 11am! There were a few shops that were though. We wondered into the "Masters Square" which has some amazing fabric shops, a chocolate shop and a few other things. This place feels so majik and looks so cute. We have made plans to go back when everything is open... after 11am.

One shop we came across had the cutest Muhu design on the front door, up an ally, which we found because we took a new path. It brought me a little bit of joy seeing this in Tallinn. The store is called “Oma Asi” which means “Your own thing” and on the front of the store it had something written like “Little red house, full of bright ideas”. Mum commented to me this must be my store, because I am full of bright ideas. When we went inside there were so many cute things and a few racier things. I loved the pins!! I almost bought them for a few of my friends, but I didn’t. They were fantastic though! The man that worked there, Riivo, had an abundance of conversation! ​

He was sharing with us some wonderful stories and connections to Estonia and he absolutely explained why Rahvariide (folk costume) designs are so mesmerising, something I have never been able to put into words… “there is a certain magic to the designs, a mystery”. I loved this! This is what it is and what draws me to it! Riivo explained it in such a way I had never considered but it made perfect sense!! I was very grateful for this moment and will remember his kindness and conversation for a long time! He also agreed to help me find some amazing places around Estonia, connecting on Instagram.

We then headed back to the Käsitöö shop in Rakoija Plats, because we had an appointment to meet with Liivi, one of the people at the head of this organisation. I wanted to meet with her to see what the possibility was to get some of the beautiful Estonian products into Australia and how we could go about it. Well, amazingly, she was extremely hospitable and really was so inspired by my idea. Through conversation I could see her eagerness and passion she has for the Estonian culture and couldn’t be more helpful with providing contacts, ways of getting around the high shipping costs, how we could do it. If I did do something like this, it would be a passion project and also a networking thing and something I am still pondering. It would be nice to be able to get people full sets of Rahvariide if they needed it, in Australia, being that connection, as well as sharing the joy I get from these little bags and other items I adore. Who knows what lies ahead, yet another side hustle that makes up what I do for work! Liivi was so lovely an walked us around the store, showing us the items from different regions, mostly in Estonian so mum was really paying attention and I could understand most of what she was saying but it was so nice to be welcomed in the way they did welcome us. They even were gracious enough to hold onto our items until the day we leave Estonia, we just have to come back and pick them up! How amazing is that. I am so grateful we connected and had this experience, and who knows what will come out of it! Liivi was so kind and gifted mum a beautiful piece of linen and myself a little book of designs.

​We then headed to the oldest café in Tallinn, where we had some coffee (me) and wine (mum) and the most expensive chip to cost ratio I had ever seen. Thankfully we only got one bowl of chips and I had a really nice Vanatallinn chocolate cake, it was so good. This café feels old and apparently is something to experience when here but I wouldn’t rush back there.

​After a small rest (still getting better from being sick) we met with some family! But before we did, we had to stop and appreciate how they do construction here in Estonia. I thought it was interesting how they literally wrapped the cords around a chimney as they sailed down the building, siliconing the windows. That was making me nervous and I wondered if this would cut it by Australian standards. Probably not, but at least they had helmets on!

We met with Dad’s cousin and his wife, Urmas ja Kaja, and his other cousin’s daughter, Tiia. When I lived here, at 16 years old, the three of them played important roles in these months. Urmas ja Kaja looked after me when I came to Tallinn, made sure I got to Tartu ok and then took me to the airport when I left. And when I came back in 2018 they also took care of me in the same way. Tiia would come to Tartu when I was staying with her father, Toomas, and spend time with me, and bring her kids which were awesome. There were some times when I would look after them too. It was so nice to see them and reconnect. They mostly spoke Estonian, which was fine, as Urmas doesn’t speak English, and I was following along most of the conversation. Sometimes it would flick to English. Tiia kept getting phone calls, and we wondered why. She told us there was a scandal in the media the day before of a Minister having an affair with an Organist in church Tiia is an Organist in. Everyone thought it was her, even Urmas! But it wasn’t her, and so she kept getting phone calls from people asking her about this an she had to reassure them it was the other Organist. She told us the Minister has been stepped down for 6 months to think about what he has done. Not sure how I feel about that but each to their own.

​When we were having dinner…oh my god, my heart exploded! I saw a PUG! She looked so much like Runi, I got up and went to talk to her mum and had some delicious cuddles!!! She was so friendly, Mai was her name, the pug, not the mum. And my heart filled. I was so happy I got to cuddle her and pat her for a moment!! She was only a year old, similar to Runi and it just made my day!

​After dinner, we said good bye to our family then mum and I walked up to Rakoija plats and thought…it’s a lovely night, why not have a drink at one of the places here…so we did. It was the most expensive drink and desert we have had in a long time BUT when I converted it, the prices were similar to Australia. I didn’t care, the view was incredible, people watching was lovely and it was so nice just to be out there at 9pm and seeing the world from this view. I really enjoyed our time there and of course, you pay for the view there, but I thought it was worth it. As people walked past I would be curious of their stories, where they came from, where they were going, what was their purpose here. Seeing people just be and enjoy what ever it was they were doing, was a beautiful thing to watch and just a joy. I was so grateful in this moment that I could do this.

​We had a lovely day connecting and reconnecting and I wouldn’t change it.
Marissa xx