Tallinn, Day 5

Tervist!

What a day this has been! Thankfully, the day didn't start too early. Dad and I ate a snack around noon and headed to one of the main roads in Tallinn. The Song and Dance Festival, called the laulupidu, officially starts in one hour with 3-4 hours of singing. 

Leading up to the festival, however, is a 5 kilometer processional consisting of over 35,000 song and dance participants marching from the center of town to the festival grounds. Even more spectators lined the entire route, and the parade was broadcasted live on television. 

The parade started today at 2. Dad and I got there about an hour and a half early because we wanted a good view. After a long period of waiting, it finally began! There were all types of folk costumes. Traditionally, Estonian dress consists of linen and pleats, often with vertical red, yellow, and blue stripes. Both men and women wear head coverings, and the women often wear broaches and jewelry. Here are some pics:

The official laulupidu Toyota. 

A cameraman on a Segway with no handles!

 The beginning of the parade.

Hirvo Surva, artistic director if the festival. 

A choir from California. 

The poor guy has no lyre...

Asian women watching the parade. 

There are many children's choirs here. 

Parading on a penny board! :)

I am currently waiting for the festival to start. I decided to go ahead and blog because I won't get back to the room until after midnight, and I have a press breakfast to attend in the morning. There are TONS of people here! Even more than Independence Day in Peachtree City. Here's what it looks like right now-- and not everyone is here yet!

Lady from Setu tribe. 

Many people eating at stand-up tables. 

Finding our seats. 

See all of those people on the hill? This pic was taken two and one half hours before the concert, and the hill (general admission and cheapest tickets) was not even full yet. We are in the fourth row. :) Here's our view:

Alright. I will catch you up later! Tomorrow is 7 hours of festival, so I might have to catch you up after the festivities are over. 

Until sometime soon!

Amy

Tallinn, Day 4

Happy Independence Day!

Though it's a little odd celebrating the 4 th of July while researching another culture, I am thankful for my roots in a nation free from political oppression. We are so blessed! While my calling will take me thousands of miles away from home, I will never forget my country. 

We began today by shopping for souvenirs-- again! Hey, don't give me that look; we want the best prices. It's amazing how much cheaper souvenirs are when you walk a few blocks off of the main street. We decided on some really nice embroidered silverware settings that have pockets for all 3 utensils and say Tallinn on the front. I also bought a linen dress and embroidered belt (an Estonian specialty). I plan on buying some CDs of folk music from the local music store. 

At this point, Dad and I split ways (we wanted to eat different food for lunch ;) ). I returned to Vegan Restoran and ate their famous chickpea burger and sweet potato fries. It was glorious and filling! The burger was smothered in a mayonnaise-esque sauce, but it was so much better than mayonnaise (I have never liked the taste of mayonnaise!). 

Sorry- the lighting is bad. 

I was supposed to meet Dad at the McDonalds, so I took a dessert to-go (or takeaway, as they say in Europe): a chocolate muffin with strawberry cream. In my travels to meet Dad, the poor muffin suffered some battle wounds to the pillow of cream:

It still tasted good, though! :)

Dad and I met up and used our Smartcard, a reloadable transportation card, to ride to Kalev Central Stadium for the dance festival. Here's how I describe the experience:

WOW!!

Multiple thousand folk dancers danced to live music, with even more thousands of spectators watching the celebration. I was thoroughly impressed: their lines were crisp, and they were very confident in their art, from the seven year-old all the way up to the man in his seventies. I know some marching bands that could take some lessons from them! Here are some pics:

After this, we chilled in the room and then returned to the song festival grounds for instrumental rehearsals. There was a huge wind band of international students and adults. I would guess that there were over 800 instrumentalists! They were playing arrangements of Estonian folk songs. 

Now that's a horn section!

Fun fact: Dad talked to this man about the piece he conducted, who directed him to the composer. The composer arranged the piece especially for the festival. Dad wants his band to play it, so the composer is connecting him with the Song Festival Foundation, who published the piece. Wow!

At this point, it was 10 o'clock pm, so we headed back to the hotel. 

Here are a few tidbits of info to share:

In Europe, most stores have revolving doors, and they are rather large!

Check out these "American" specialties found in grocery stores:

I opted for European dark chocolate with bits of orange instead...

Check out the parking stick at the Estonian Opera:

Love this!

We also found a memorial on the outskirts of town that is dedicated to the victims of a ferry accident:

Some pretty sights around town:

Giant concrete birds: the Estonian way of keeping cars off of pedestrian areas. 

The bus terminal.

Patriotic public transportation and drivers without uniforms. :)

And now, I have been waiting to show you pictures of our hotel room. Our hotel, the Gotthard Residence, is located in the heart of Old Town, and it was built in the 14th century and renovated in 2012. We are in the basement, but our window looks onto a neighbor's roof because of the slope of the city. The hotel throws you right into the middle of the Middle Ages. 

The climb to the basement. 

Doorway height in the basement! I guess I would fit in during the fourteenth century. :)

Our beds. 

Bathroom. 

Shower. 

Nook in the bathroom. 

The window in our bathroom. Hope there's not a fire!

Tomorrow, a processional starts off the official song festival, followed by 4 hours of singing. I hope to get a few more interviews and observations. It's going to be a long day! 

Until tomorrow!

Amy

Tallinn, Day 3

Tere!

What a day today has been! This morning, I reviewed some of the information provided in the press packet over a breakfast of bread and jam. After reading about important figures involved in the Estonian Song and Dance festival, I was able to formulate interview questions. This festival is getting more real as Saturday approaches!

On the agenda for today were many activities to aid my independent study. But first, we went hunting around for souvenirs! Beware: markets close down fairly early around here because vendors want to spend time with family! Yesterday, we made the mistake of arriving as everyone was packing up. 

I learned of a market outside of Old Town where the locals shop. Surprisingly, it resembled markets in other parts of the world with less expensive secondhand clothes and flea market-type selections. Dad found a Russian trumpet with rotor valves! He might go back and buy it. :) I mean, where else would you find things like that? 

Sorry. It's not a very good picture.

After this, we went to the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum. I got in for €2 with my student ID! (I have received multiple discounts with my ID. When traveling, always carry it with you!) 

Notice the horn!

Hanging from their exterior. 

In this museum, we learned about the history of music in Estonia. They also had a floor of instruments. Most of the pianos were from Germany because the rich people inhabiting Estonia used to be German nobles. However, I learned that there is an Estonian brand of concertpianos called Estonia that is very high quality. 

We saw several interesting folk instruments, including this cello-type instrument, called a bladder fiddle, that is made from an animal bladder:

Also, I heard recordings of very skilled musicians that could be considered somewhat... indiscreet. Many musicians played the leaf! Yes, the thing that falls from trees. I heard a lead concerto accompanied by piano, and I was dumbfounded that a leaf offers such a wide tessitura. Also, they "knocked on their cheeks". You, know, like they do on Barney. It's actually somewhat tuneful!

After this, we rode the bus to the song festival grounds to observe rehearsals. I sat myself on the front row and just soaked it all in. I have a had a dream for a couple of years to come to this festival. I never once dreamed that I would be able to walk as close as I wanted and could take pictures and video, all because of a press pass. This experience is unbelievable!

I wrote observations furiously in a notebook and even conducted three interviews with choir participants. I plan on compiling all of my findings and submitting to present at GMEA. 

Pictures:

Only a small portion of the choir and orchestra (the men's choir).

Long live Estonia!

The grounds (not even counting the grass areas without benches!). Over 150,000 people will be here for the festival. 

At this point, we were famished! We went back to Aed because it was so good! I had a salad with crispy tofu, avocado sauce, and pepita seeds, and Dad had steak with mixed vegetables. 

Dad ate cheesecake for dessert (apparently, one of the best he has ever tasted). I ate roasted pear with rhubarb, berries, and delectable ice cream. It really was an amazing combination of flavors that was obviously the creation of a mastermind. The dessert did not last long enough to pose for pictures. ;)

Then we walked back to the hotel. Some random things you might care about:

Punk bagpipers

Spray painted cockroaches. If they want them that badly, Columbus has enough for both cities!

Today was such a good day! Tomorrow, we get to watch a folk dance performance and the song dress rehearsal. 

Until tomorrow!

Amy