peacetraveler22 | Entries tagged with estonia

I don't know about you, but I love sudden bursts of nostalgia at unexpected moments. Without our past, we're nothing. Everything about it shapes us into the person we are today, for both good and bad. It happened to me recently during the Mid-West journey, when I entered a shop that sold vintage games and toys from my childhood. For a brief second, I was transported back to age 10, when I used to sit with my younger sister and play with Transformers, Lite-Brite, Speak 'n' Spell, Mr. Potato Head and other treasures from the 1980's. Some of you probably don't even recognize these toys. :)

In the middle of rural Estonia last autumn, I stumbled upon a small village that houses old Soviet cars. A sort of refuge for abandoned cars in need of some care and company. While I'm fascinated with all things from the USSR, seeing these relics stirred no emotion within me but I could see it arising in my Russian travel companion. I don't know the feeling of boarding a bus in Soviet times, sitting on a hard chair, or being chased by a tiny police car. But today I'll show you some photos from this village, and perhaps for a brief moment your childhood memories will also be awakened...( Read more... )

What I remember most from almost every journey is the people I meet along the way. People who restore my faith in humanity and sometimes even ignite something within my soul. You can read about any place and learn its history from books or the Internet. You can look at pictures of beautiful scenery throughout the world, but you can't really understand a country or its people until you've actually walked the soil. Until you meet the common folk there and see the way they live. Before the trip I knew very little about Estonia, except that it was formerly under Soviet control. While I saw some similarities with Russia, what touched me the most was the stark contrast in human relations. I met these women at a market near the Estonian/Latvian border. The smiles on their faces reflective of all of the Baltic States we visited. Open and friendly people, welcoming foreign guests into their small corner of the world. So, let's take a quick peak inside Estonia...( Read more... )

The Eastern Euro journey is in full swing now, after a very long drive on Thursday from Moscow to Estonia. Yes, the same horrible roads but a different Russian "highway" this time than the one we drove to St. Petersburg. It doesn't matter the "M" number, M9 or M10, I will say the same thing I said before but in a more polite way. Russian roads and drivers are freaking scary! Panic for the entire day as we passed huge trucks in head on traffic. We entered Estonia at a tiny border crossing, only a short wait in line but then there were some problems when Sasha told them he had cigarettes. Too many under Estonian law, and thus a duty tax was to be imposed. But no one could figure out the amount!! So, after wasting a lot of time they eventually let him go with no fees. Great! We're on our way to Estonia and then I look in my passport. No stamp!! They somehow forgot so a quick turnaround back to the border and everything was fixed. Customs/border agents were all very friendly. The section of the road right before the border crossing at Pskov is in very good condition. Magnificent cloud filled sky as we entered Estonia!( Read more... )

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In the end only kindness matters...

Entries tagged with estonia

Soviet Nostalgia in Rural Estonia

Estonia and Life on the Border

Crossing the Border Into Another World!

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June 2017

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