Home from Estonia

We came home from Estonia today. I'm very tired but we had a really good time. We stayed at Markna Talu, a lovely place in the forest outside Pärnu. It is owned by an estonian couple in my age but mostly we met her very friendly mother who lives in an over 100 years old house next to the three houses that you can rent. "Our" house, the Saunamaja (means Sauna house) was big and had a well equipped modern kitchen, an open fire place, a sauna, bathroom and shower on the first floor and two bedrooms on the second floor. My dad, his wife and her grand-daughter (called Natalie) lived in one room and my family in the other. It was an old farm, but new expensive houses are built a couple of hundred metres away. One could pick blueberries, raspberries and wild strawberries in the forest and we were allowed to pick the redcurrants and gooseberries in the garden. The river was very close and if we wanted we could have swimmed there, but we went to Pärnu beach, which is a lovely beach, instead. The woman who lived there spoke very little english and since we don't speak either estonian or russian we got by mostly with sign language. She had four dogs, three of them very friendly and the other the guard dog which we were advised not to go near. There was also two beautiful cats and the female had kittens on the third day we were there so we got to see and hold five cute kittens. She also had three goats and let Vendela, Valeria and Natalie help her with them. She also brought the kids with her when she took the dogs for their evening walk. They LOVED this place and it really is a prefect place for kids, and very nice for the rest of us. Since the kitchen was so good we could cook dinner every night which is nicer and also saves a lot of money compared to eating at a restaurant every night.
Pärnu is a cute little town, filled with wood houses from c. 1900 and houses in the functionalist style (1930s), two of my favourite architectural periods.
The only medieval building is a tower from the 14th century where they sell crafts and also had an exhibition of textile art.
I bought two knitted berets, two pairs of knitted mittens, one red with embroidered flowers and one with fingers and knitted in a lace pattern from very thin natural white wool and a very fine knitted wool white lace shawl. I also got a new basket from my dad, which is good because my old one is beginning to fall apart.
I could write more, but I need to start sewing on my tent again.