My surname means 'flounder' in Estonian as in fish.
It's not everyday I get to see a poster like this. Only in Estonia!
Friday, 7 August 2015
Help Name Tallink's New Ship!
AS Tallinn Group have a new ship on their Tallinn to Helsinki route and need your help naming the vessel. The competition is now open and the winner will receive free tickets on its first official voyage.
To enter, please click here: http://www.tallinksilja.com/fi/web/fi/nimikilpailu
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
VIDEO: Town of Tartu and Its Surroundings (1912)
If you or your family are from Tartu then you will take great delight in watching this video.
This beautifully preserved film gives you a glimpse into a bygone era.
Tuesday, 4 August 2015
VIDEO: Estonian Memories
This stunning video was made by Norwegian filmmaker Erik Thomas Kirkman. Enjoy!
Monday, 3 August 2015
My Muhu Inspired Bench
When I returned home from my trip to Estonia I was very sad to discover that all my plants had died. I had a nice little garden coming along consisting of strawberries, mint, beans, spinach and dill. They were all growly well until I went away for two weeks. I have since replanted and hopefully my garden will spring to life again soon.
In the meanwhile I decided to finish another project I had been working on - my Muhu inspired bench. I was given this old bench some time ago and like many things in life I saw not only what it was but what it potentially could be.
I absolutely love the folk art from Muhu Island with all its colourful flowers set against a black background. I am no artist when it comes to painting but I do like to give things a shot! My bench is far from perfect but I am quite pleased with my first attempt in this area.
How the bench looked when it was first given to me.
It was a dusty / faded green colour.
I sanded it down then painted it with a glossy black outdoor paint.
Using some of the designs from my embrodiery books I created a stencil.
I first painted an undercoat layer then painted a colourful layer over the top.
It's not brilliant but it's always nice to create your own things!
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Estonia is 100 Square Kilometres Larger Than Thought
The Estonian Land Board discovered that the total area of Estonia's landmass is 45,339 square kilometres, rather than the previously calculated 45,227 square kilometres.
The Land Board said that if before they used calculations made on paper maps dating back almost 20 years, then now they use electronic data which give more accurate numbers.
On the old maps, the borders were marked with a pen or marker, which resulted i inaccuracy of as much as 50 meters.
Main corrections are related to land areas bordering the sea, lakes or rivers, including the Baltic Sea, Lake Peipus and Narva River. Therefore, the area of Narva and Tallinn were also found to be larger than previously determined.
The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and over 1,500 islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, covering 45,339 square kilometres, by which it is the 132nd largest country in the world, just slightly bigger than Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland.
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Magic Milestone! 100,000 Pageviews!
During my recent trip to Estonia I was thrilled to discover that Estonia - Paradise of the North had surpassed 100,000 pageviews. This is a new milestone!
Thank you so much to everyone who reads regularly and to all those who are visiting for the first time. I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who has written to me recently. Your feedback, stories and kind words are very much appreciated.
Over the years I have covered many different topics on this blog and I am never at a loss for ideas. There are always new things to explore, discover and rediscover in Estonia! I look forward to bringing you more interesting insights into this beautiful country in the months and years to come!
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