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