Rural Estonia
Trip Start
Aug 31, 2007
1
9
90
Trip End
Apr 19, 2008
Otepaa,
Estonia
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Instead, I was drawn by Otepaas description as "the Switzerland of Estonia," minus the Alps, of course. The highest point in the country and all of the Baltics is a paltry 318 m - about the elevation I lived at last summer. It is a beautiful part of the country, though, and I'm quite glad I put it on my itinerary.
I spent the majority of today hiking the 12 km loop around Lake Puhajarv, south of here. According to legend (one of several regarding the lake's creation) the lake was formed from the tears a mother cried over the burial mounds of her five sons, killed in an epic war. The five islands that can be seen in the lake today are the tops of those mounds. The lake is considered holy and in 1992, the Dalai Lama blessed it during his visit to Estonia. There is also an energy column near the lake, erected in accordance with local psychics' long-held beliefs that this are resounds with positive energy. I touched it and tried to meditate (after that hike, I needed energy!), but I'm not sure a Red Bull wouldn't have been as effective.
On the opposite side of town, I visited Otepaa's 17th century church where, in 1884, the Estonian Student's Society consecrated the blue, black, and white flag that in 1920 would become the national flag. The blue in the flag symbolized faithfulness and hope for the future. Black is for Estonia's rich soil and a reminder of its dark past, while white represents the attainment of enlightenment through education and also snow in winter, light nights in summer, and the Estonian birch tree.
I had a very interesting talk with the hostel owners last night about their lives and what it was like in Soviet times. They said they lived in a golden prison. "You had a home, a job, and bread, but it was still a prison." The man described how having relatives abroad could hurt your career. When he applied to university, he said he had no such relatives. The Soviets came back and said, we know you have relatives in Sweden, these are their names, here is where they live. "I do?" he replied, "I didn't know. My mother never told me." He says they used to get mail from his Swedish relatives, depicting life in the west, but "Soviet propaganda was very good, you never knew what to believe." "What did they teach you about the west?" I ask. "That you are all dirty capitalists, and we should stay away from you." He replies with a laugh. The woman talks about how families were split, everyone had relatives abroad, relatives in Estonia, and relatives in Siberia. The conversation turns to the present day. Estonia is doing well, they say, but much of their economy is still reliant on Russia. Additionally, in spite of their NATO and EU memberships, they worry that Russia will try to take them back and that as a result of Russia's large oil, gas, and natural resource reserves, the west will do little to interfere. "You don't know the Russians," they say, "You don't know how they think." It is an ominous end to our conversation, and reflective, I believe of Estonia's feelings towards Russia. As I continue to travel, I expect I will find Estonians have the greatest lingering hatred towards their former rulers.
I am staying at the Allik Hostel in Otepaa. Geared mainly towards summer travellers and winter skiiers, it operates seasonally and will be closed in another week until snow comes. The owners live part of the year in Tartu, half an hour north of here. It is the first place I've stayed that I've actually liked, the otheres have merely been acceptable. The room is very nice, as is the rest of the house, and the owners are exceedingly friendly. Additionally, the location can't be beat!
