Piste again

Cathal expounds on the finer points of chess
see all photos »

So we checked out of our hostel in Tallinn with the intention of going skiing in a resort we'd found on the internet.  Made our way to the main bus station in Tallinn and purchased our tickets. Some confusion on the bus as we hadn't realised there was designated seating.  I can vouch for the Estonian transport network though, loads of snow, people missing ski poles and asking the bus to wait, and the thing still left on time and arrived bang on time - take note Bus Eireann.

The world's smallest picnic. The restaurant closed early on Sunday so we had to fend for ourselves!
see all photos »

It was a scenic journey across a landscape completely covered with snow. Estonia has a lot of forests - about half the country is covered in trees and the landscape is dotted with pastel coloured wooden houses. Real Christmas card stuff.

It was a scenic journey across a landscape completely covered with snow

We arrived at Otepää without further incident and checked the timetable for our onward bus which Cathal had been assured would be in about 15 minutes. Hmm, it seemed that was the arrival time not departure time and we were pretty stranded in deepest, coldest Estonia. Not to worry, we asked around for other transport options and happened across an Estonian schoolboy who called us a cab.  Result, soon we were speeding our way towards our resort in the oldest Mercedes I've ever seen, and by a cabbie who audibly humphed when I put my seat belt on -think it was normally more of a decorative feature.

Cathal - piste again
see all photos »

Kuutsemae resort is lovely, though the mountain isn't very high.  We were definitely the only non-Estonians there.  We signed up for ski lessons that afternoon, but I had major problems with boots and gave up.  The following day I tried snowboarding and could move the thing but just could not get upright once I fell over, so after 2 very frustrating hours of sitting on my behind in the snow and getting very cold indeed (did I mention it was about -15C?) I gave up.  The next day though, the ski hire man took pity on me and adjusted the ski boots and I was off.  Cathal during this time was doing ok, cautiously using the lift and managing to stay upright most of the time. We had a good time, despite some spectacular falls - I win the prize for managing to ski down most of a slope whilst sitting on my skis, eventually ending up going down the ski lift and into the path of bemused snowboarders and eventually getting upright and various Estonians picking up my kit from further up the mountain and delivering it back to me.  I've got bruises on both knees and elbows and other parts I think you don't need to know about. Cathal fared much better. Fecker. Am grudingly proud of him.

Trying not to fall over
see all photos »

We checked out of our guest house, this time getting a lift into Otepää with one of the staff, thanks Carina. (There are buses, but just at weekends).  We wandered around there for a bit and then headed for Tartu.  More about that in the next entry.

Estonia is really lovely, much more developed than we thought. Surprisingly little advertising, which makes the whole place look scenic (oh how quickly I bite the hand that feeds me). The people are friendly but not overly - they'll help if asked but will also leave you alone and not give you any hassle.  It is very internet savvy with most town centres free wifi zones.  I love it here, even if it's about minus 20 at night. Who cares - they have the most efficient central heating ever!