Map of our travel to Narva from Latvia (Towns we stopped at)
Forest near Preili, hazel source
Naujene, journey's starting point
Rezekne
Alūksne
Tõde ja õigus (Truth and Justice) Estinian film set
Elva bog lake
Elva
Arbi lake, Elva
Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus
Map of our travel to Narva from Latvia (Towns we stopped at)
Forest near Preili, hazel sourceHazel rods we prepared long before the trip, coppiced in my grandparents forest, dried and bark taken off. Forest lies deep inland closer to border with Belarus and Russian and capital Riga near cost. Region called Latgale, stereotyped as rural and maybe slightly backwards. It has it’s own dialect and most of Russian-Latvian population lives here.
Naujene, journey's starting pointI can’t drive there for I needed a driver, and so it happen I could get Estonian driver Holger Peelmann to drive me with all the tools and sticks for geodome to Estonia from my home village Naujene, near town called Daugavpils (later I discovered Narva in Estonia is a similar type of town: mostly Russian population with nostalgia for Soviet times and longing for belonging to Russian, living in slight conflict with locals Latvians or Estonians as of both nations has bitter memories WW2 and it’s aftermath)
RezekneConsidered to be capital of Latgale, Rezekne town is last largest town on the way to Russia and for us: to Estonia. With soviet times relics everywhere there is a new things appearing and also hope for better future.
AlūksneHolger, discovered book about Estonians in Latvia and tried to find old Estonian school buildings on the way in Alūksne, but they were long gone. As heat wave was near unbearable, it was pleasurable to experience small storm on the lake in Alūksne, as we baltic people love to spend time on our lakes.
Tõde ja õigus (Truth and Justice) Estinian film set Just after crossing border into Estonia we discovered famous Estonia novel later film set: a traditional wooden architecture of a farm house. I watched this film later that day to understand culture of Estonia rooted in hardship of rural life and farm work.
Elva bog lakeEstonia is famous for large number of swamps and nature walks on them. Because heat was not easing it was pleasure to dip into a cold natural lake formed on the bog land. These swamps hold the biodiversity so rare in the world now and they are very important for local climate change tackle: as wetlands sequester carbon from the atmosphere through plant photosynthesis and by acting as sediment traps for runoff. Carbon is held in the living vegetation as well as in litter, peats, organic soils, and sediments that have built up, in some instances, over thousands of years.
ElvaSame as in Latvia, in Estonia folklore and pagan believe system is very much alive. People still live in close connection to nature not just physically but also spiritually and old admiration and respect for it’s power is still appreciated through some remains of folk ritual and believe.
Arbi lake, ElvaEnjoying sun by the lakes is most popular in Latvia and Estonia. It is impossible to imagine life without water: lakes, swamps, sea, always sunbathing… and could not imagine life in here without sauna
We entered Estonia on roads leading up to Tartu also used for WRC Rally Estonia happening at the same time as we were there and got to hear a bit of racing car hum. Only in Estonian National Museum Tartu, was a tourist ‘low density’ and I got chance to learn about Estonian history in one of the most engaging and best curated expositions I have even attended.
Lake PeipusThere is a visible difference between Russian Old Believers culture and Estonian easily identified looking at architecture: near Peipus Russians has build their wooden houses close together allowing only for small yard spaces between houses, fenced almost as if whole village becomes one unit. Quite the opposite for Estonian rural dwellings, where homes are far apart, with large fields around, next neighbour could be far not visible over your fence.
Lake PeipusOnion trail at the largest lake in Estonia, Peipus, also famous among fishing enthusiasts in Baltic, separates Estonia from Russia. Now small fishing Russian Old Believers villages are tourist attraction, famous for locally grown onions and also area is the largest onion supplier for the capital Tallin, people manage to grow them in small allotments right next to their homes.
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