Made in Japan, Outsourced Globally

My European travel reached a new height - quite literally - when I visited Estonia, the highest latitude I had dared to go (for now). And it couldn't have been more opportune - Kristina was making her pilgrimage for the Mid Summer Festival, which is a traditional pagan holiday that celebrates the longest day of the year in Estonia by staying outside, BBQ-ing, drinking, popping in-and-out of saunas, and lighting a bonfire. Perfect!

Being a completely ignorant tourist, I was under the grace of Kristina and her wonderful family and friends for an awesome weekend.


Ready for the canoe trip.


We looked pretty good in the photo. Actually getting through the 2.5 hour downstream paddling? Not so suave. We tippy-canoed twice. The camera miraculously survived (thanks to Kristina's reflexes and tree-hanging abilities!). We encountered downpours, limbo-worthy trees, curtains of spider webs, dead animals, and shallow water (we had an interesting time rocking the canoe over logs). Our hairs were frizzed and we looked rather tattered (given our swim in the river) by the end of the journey.

But there's nothing a little bit of cognac and sauna can't cure! We were high in spirits again, enjoying each other's company. There were many Russians and other Estonians, which was a bonus for me. I was either a "Japanese vodka" or something that sounded like the Estonian beer (Saku).


They weren't kidding when they said that there would be a big bonfire.


The sauna culture is very Estonian. You have to stay in 90-degrees steam for as long as you can Then pour water on baking stones again to raise the temperature. Pop outside (it's a norm to jump into ponds like this). Repeat. Oh, and don't forget to wet your pipes with some beer or water in between (with moderation)!


Mmm... meat... In Estonia, only beef, pork, and lamb are considered "meat." Chicken is strictly "poultry." Most East and Central European nations take their meat eating very seriously.


Beautiful sunset. The way a relaxing weekend in the country side ought to be.


And the bonfire is lit! We started the fire at midnight.


You can make anything out of marzipan. Even rotissery chicken.


Lithuanian hot chocolate - it's fun to play with too! We drank some melted hot chocolate - that's literally what it was. I can feel my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth just thinking about it.


Menu from Olde Hansa:

Reval's Plate for Tasting - Juniper flavoured beef, orange tongue jelly, French royal poultry liver pate, Onion jam, quail eggs, herb bread with nuts. We glugged it down with some spiced red wine. Yum! :) I'm betting my Estonian kroones that people in the medival ages didn't eat this well.


Baa Nimeta (The Pub With No Name). Funny enough, there was a 'Pub With a Name' right across the street. Since I was with a beautiful Estonian girl, I was fending off British and Australian blokes on stag parties. We danced to the tunes of Euro beats till 4am.


And after a night out in the town, we went for a healthy tour of the country side - well, it seemed like traveling around all of Estonia by going to an open air museum! Kristina's family and I visited various houses of different groups living in the country side.


This lady was excited to see a Japanese tourist - so she busted out her organ skills for us. When she recognized that I was Japanese, she enthusiastically pointed at her watch, "Seiko!" and then proceeded to tell us that she lived in Japan briefly.


Kristina demonstrates the proper way to 'do sauna.'


We felt like giddy children, rushing to the big swings.


Kristina and her family. Kristina's mother is Russian and her father is Estonian (from Hiiumaa Island). It just goes to show that the Soviet experience has brought the two cultures in such a way that it is inseparable today. Personally, I think it is ridiculous how some Estonian schools are trying to discourage learning Russian. The language is completely different, since Estonian derives from Finno-Ugric roots (it's much closer to Hungarian and Finnish). Perceptions of the Soviet experience will most likely provoke grunts, but many of the Russians who migrated to Estonia seem to have integrated and made Estonia their home.

I couldn't have asked for a better experience in getting to know Estonia. Kristina's father, Vigor, took us everywhere and told us some interesting tales, such as the story of why oak tree leaves are shaped the way they are. (According to legend, the devil made a bet with god about eradicating humanity. God accepted the challenge and said that the devil could do as he pleased when all the trees lost their leaves - but the oak tree (which uniquely remains intact during the winter in Estonia) did not lose its leaves. So the devil furiously tore at the leaves, trying to rip them off - but things apparently did not go his way and oak trees have their unique shapes today).

I really enjoy the Nordic mythologies in Estonia. It makes the place a little more magical and less pedagogic (there are beautiful Russian Orthodox and Christian churches in Tallinn, but I highly doubt that there are many religious Estonians). I also could not have asked for a better guide. Kristina is well-versed in the history of Tallinn and Estonia, and she told me interesting stories as we walked through town.

One story that sticks to my mind is the Rumplestiltskin-like tale of Olaf, the architect of 'Olaf's Church'. A man agreed to build the town's church under the condition that they pay him a sack of gold - and he also said that he would build it for free if the townspeople could guess his name before completion. As the finishing day neared, the townsmen greedily sought for a solution. In the forest, they heard a mother tell her son, "Child, we will soon be rich when your father, Olaf, brings back money from building the church!" Elated, the townspeople crowded at the church and yelled to the man, "Hey Olaf! The cross on the tower is a little crooked!" Infuriated by the last-minute revelation, Olaf fell off the tower to his death, where a frog hopped out from his body. There is an engraving of Olaf's skeleton at the bottom of the church.

Bitten by mozzis and a bit of the adventure travel bug, I really enjoyed my Estonian chapter :)