“First we have to cross the iceberg,” said guide Harling Meshi, pointing to a barely visible ridge above a flat expanse of frozen lake.
She was worried that the broken ice patches wouldn’t be able to support the weight of the truck with all the passengers on board, so we got out of the car, walked over the slushy chunks, and got back in. . Like many Soviet-era vehicles, the truck is a home-made mashup of all available parts. We welded the front of an old Volkswagen onto a trailer and attached giant bouncy wheels taken from a Russian bomber.
Lake Peipus, located on Estonia’s eastern border with Russia, is the fifth largest lake in Europe. On a clear night, you can see the lights of a Russian village about 32 miles away. The ice begins to melt in late March, but today it is covered in snow 50 centimeters deep. The sky is white and you feel like you are in a colorless world.
We have several anglers in our trailer. They had come from Saaremaa Island, more than 320 miles to the west, to try Peipes’ famous ice fishing. As she watches the fishermen cut holes in the ice, Harling’s husband prepares lunch, pouring water directly from the lake into a pot containing five unpeeled onions. Next, the whole perch goes in. “Simmer it for about an hour. It’s the best fish soup,” Harling says. I wasn’t completely disappointed when I found out I couldn’t make this sparse meal. Instead, Harling hands him a slice of warm onion tart.
The popularity of onion dishes is not surprising … After all, we onion rootIt is so called because it was once the main crop of this region. The name is not completely literal. “This is an onion route because there are layers of culture here,” Harling says.
The approximately 5,000 people who live on the Estonian side of Lake Peipus are descendants of the “Old Believers,” or Orthodox Christians who fled persecution in Russia in the 17th and 18th centuries by rejecting reforms to church rituals. They still speak Russian and perform old Orthodox rituals in their prayer houses. A museum exploring their history and culture has just reopened after his three-year renovation, recreating the insides of Old Believers’ homes and offering a glimpse into normally closed religious ceremonies through VR headsets. can.
Although Harling and her husband are Estonian, they embrace the culture of their neighboring countries. Their bright green guesthouse, Meshi Tare (Honey House), is a traditional wooden Old Believer house with dormitory rooms. We also offer accommodation on a small houseboat on the lake.
This unassuming but charming enclave in Eastern Europe is about to have its moment in the world’s spotlight. European cultural capital 2024. This year-long festival, which includes the city of Tartu and its surrounding areas, is themed around the art of survival, folklore and love of nature, resilience and entrepreneurship, its culture and history.
The exhibition “Washing Machines Made of Beetroot” (a term referring to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of people forced to make do with little under Soviet rule) will be held in three museums and will travel to three museums. A collaboration between repair shops and designed to inspire others. How to deal with today’s overconsumption. This seems to sum up Estonia as well as the festival. It means recognizing the past while looking toward the future and sustainable ways of living.
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The mass kissing event in Tartu’s town square is one of the most surprising events in a country known for its protected areas. The joke during the coronavirus pandemic was that Estonians were looking forward to returning to the usual 5-metre social distancing rule. The year that same-sex marriage was legalized will be a poignant moment, says Capital Culture Curator Jahn Wurst. “It’s about celebrating different ages, different genders, and sharing love.”
Home to one of the oldest universities and art schools in the Baltics, Tartu has a large student population and a youthful spirit.Thanks to the annual tradition stensibility festival The city is decorated with hundreds of murals. Like most street art, they are often political or satirical, but may also pay homage to local figures, such as shop owners. Mr. Leet, and celebrates our love for Estonian forests. The fact that “Estonian Banksy” is edward von longus (pseudonym) is based in Tartu, a testament to its reputation as an authentic street art destination. If you can’t find his work in Tartu, it’s on permanent display at the New Museum. Popco Museum In Tallinn.
Tartu’s urban art is one of its attractions.Elegant neoclassical old town, Emajogi river and historic wooden houses Supirin (Soup Town) and its parks make this city walkable, and you can even pick up one of the 500 electric bikes to ride. One of the latest additions is the Hotel Lydia, opened last year. Overlooking the salmon-pink City Hall, his 70-room hotel includes a spa and Holm restaurant. Here, as in almost every other restaurant we dined at, you can watch the chefs painstakingly garnish your food in the open kitchen, and the waiting staff give you a long explanation of what you are about to eat. will do the following for you. A bit overdone, but the food is definitely delicious. The duck main with foie gras and pistachio and the creamy yuzu mousse pudding with sour cream ice cream were highlights.
Back in Tallinn, we dined at Roa Bistro, a former submarine factory in the port of Noblesná, a former shipyard and now one of the city’s hipper districts. Sitting next to the fireplace, we sampled the €56 tasting menu. Feta cheese and yellow beets, beef tartare with sesame cream and hazelnuts. Main dish of sea bass with pumpkin, beef medallions and dauphinoise potatoes. His sixth-floor restaurant, Telliskivi, in the Fotografiska Gallery, in another former industrial area, was also memorable. Certified sustainable and awarded a Green Star, the company grows its own vegetables, collects honey from its own hives, and recycles and reuses wherever possible, including turning broken plates into centerpieces. .
Several people told me that I should come back to Estonia in the summer, when people spill out of the cafes and bars and music and food stalls fill the creative district. But winter has its own quiet beauty. The drive east from Tallinn has a cinematic feel. It’s a long, straight road that cuts across a flat, empty, white landscape.we will spend the day there little lapland, an activity hub run by Marilyn and her business partner Silli. The facility is based in an old farmhouse in a protected forest and is the only place in Estonia where you can ride a husky sled through the forest with a team of excitable and cuddly Alaskan Malamutes. We also donned snowshoes and walked across frozen bogs with delicate reeds poking out of the snow.
Nearby Egvidou, the ‘hiking capital’, is the intersection of all five of the country’s long-distance walking trails. Although it is popular among Estonians who spend time in nature on a daily basis, it is little known by international travelers.
That could change, thanks to the growing interest of vacationers seeking cooler weather and nature tourism, as well as new travel companies. sustainable journey, is keen to offer alternative destinations. Estonians are also keen to share their way of life. This summer, Small’s Lapland will offer walking and yoga tours, as well as “soul camps” to “ignite your spirit.”
Soon the ice will disappear and spring will bring not only green shoots but also the feeling that Estonia is emerging from the shadow of tourism and into the light.
The trip was provided by Visit Estonia. Hotel NunneTallinn, B&Bs with double beds from 125 euros. Hotel LydiaB&B, Tartu, double bed from 138 euros
