Everywhere in Estonia there are small locally-grown cucumbers for sale. The kids eat them like fruit, instead of apples or bananas.

We’re in Tartu. After a day of driving, grocery shopping and unpacking, I needed some fresh air in the evening. By turning the walk into a geocaching walk, I got Adrian to join me. It was a good thing I had him with me – one of the caches was so high up in a tree that I couldn’t have done it on my own, but with him on my shoulders we were able to reach it.

The second cache was hidden next to a decrepit old house. To my eyes it was picturesque decay; to Adrian it looked so old that he was afraid to go near it in case it fell down.

We’re staying in an apartment in Tigutorn, “the snail tower”. The convenient location is good, but even nicer is the parking spot that’s included in the deal! Last year I spent so much mental energy daily on finding a place for the car. It’s nice to not have to think about it at all.

Taking the ferry to Estonia for our annual two-week trip. Queueing at the harbour was boring. The kids got out their iPads, I got out my camera. (The photo shows the edge of the harbour quay, the boat, and the water in between.)

On our way back from the birthday party in Otepää.

Yesterday when we drove from Tallinn to Otepää, I ignored Google’s #1 suggestion of taking the obvious route via Tartu and chose a shorter and more scenic route. We had some time to kill and nothing better to do with it. In the end I don’t think that road even took any longer than the primary one – the roads were slightly smaller but much emptier.

Today for various reasons we took the Otepää-Tartu-Tallinn route after all. This drive was no longer but I enjoyed it much less. An empty road is so much more pleasant.

I don’t normally enjoy driving. It’s a chore. But I now realized that the thing I don’t enjoy is in fact not driving itself but traffic. When there is none, I can relax and actually enjoy driving. Just like with skiing: when we were in Idre, I noticed that I instantly became a much better skier when there were no other skiers sharing the slope with me.

At the end of our drive we had an hour of slack time in Tallinn and spent it in Kadriorg park. The spot in the photo is one that I remember from my childhood visits to the same park. At least I believe it is the same spot: the park has changed over the years. It’s a small brook, trickling along a picturesque arrangement of mossy stones, shaded by large trees. As a child I always thought there was a fairy tale kind of feeling to it.

On our way to Tartu to visit friends and family for a few days.

On the ferry, our way home.

After a week of mostly urban life, I needed to see some greenery around me. So this evening Adrian and I went to the botanical garden of Tartu University.

Vudila playland. Lots of activities for the kids; lots of waiting and hanging around for the parents (but I did get to go on a pedal boat ride). The day was a bit chilly, like the rest of the summer, so the park was less crowded. Despite the weather the kids spent a surprising amount of time in the pool.

Running out of things to keep the kids busy. Normally I’d just take them to a beach but the weather is still semi-crappy. Today we went to the trampoline centre. This is Ingrid diving into a pit of foam rubber.