The Island of Saaremaa

I bought three kilos of fruit from this lady without speaking a lick of English.

 Having reached Arabella Hotel in Kuressaare, I'm finally beginning to grasp the fact that I'm half a world away from the city I call home.

Our third-floor view is out a massive set of windows, the center of which opens to allow the breeze to drift through and the sounds of gulls to penetrate the otherwise comforting silence.

Getting here, though, has been quite the journey. When I last left off, I hadn't quite made it to my final destination. I sat on the floor of the ferry terminal in Helsinki, waiting for the boat to take me across the Baltic sea where Tallinn sat waiting expectantly.

The final few minutes in the Helsinki harbor were enchanting. One end was dominated by the massive form of a visiting cruse ship, while the rest was dotted with the stunning Helsinki and Uspenski cathedrals and an assortment of stately brick buildings. We passed a square rigger on the way out of the harbor, and another handful of sailing ships as we snaked our way through the maze of inhabited islands that block the way to the Baltic sea.

Buildings in Tallinn

Once we reached the open water, my exhaustion quickly overcame my want to remain on deck, and I slept until just before Tallinn came into view. The first images felt like a dream. I'd seen pictures of Tallinn, with it's elegant cathedral towers and picturesque skyline, but to catch a glimpse in person was nearly unsettling.

We disembarked, stepping out on to a strange terminal that looked more like Aztec ruins than something you'd find in Europe, and a few a short wait, I heard my name yelled from behind me.
A young Estonian man hung his head out of a black SUV, every corner of which was covered with Laulupidu decorations. He drew the eyes of the remaining passengers, and hopped out to help me get my bags stuffed into his back seat.

Throughout the drive through Tallinn to our hostel, it was difficult to make conversation. And not because the young man didn't speak good English, it's just that the city was too beautiful to form good sentences and work around the accent. A few minutes later, and we had arrived at Teko hostel, our home for the evening.

I had just enough time for a shower -- a bless'ed shower -- before Unistus got together for a short rehearsal and a few minutes more before the group headed for the pub around the corner. We made the little resuraunt our American home away from home for the next few hours, proudly displaying our colors as the national soccer team battled Germany.

And halfway through the first 45 minutes, we received a pleasant surprise. An Estonian man, tall and decked in a scarf stepped through the door and greeted a small group of singers gathered near the door. A few seconds later, Lonnie noticed the man and stood, shouting "HIRVO!" and hurrying to hug Hirvo Surva, the director of Laulupidu and an Estonian celebrity.

He sat with us and watched the rest of the game, and after the Americans wrapped up a 1-0 loss to the German side, listened to Nick, Joe, Richie and I sing one of the songs we had prepared. I was more nervous than normal. It was a big deal -- Hirvo is an important musical mind, but it went well and we got a picture together before everyone dispersed and headed for the hostel.

The thing is, it was equally as dark when we left the pub (around 9 p.m.) as it was when we decided to hit the hay around 11:30. It's not quite the land of the midnight sun, but it never really gets past dusk.

The view from inside a cellar on Muhu.

My sleep mask helped, but the added light and wacked sleep schedule made for an early wake up call. At around 6:30, the vendors at the little market outside our window began setting up their varied fruit stands and I could no longer resist. Nick, Josh and I wandered out to the market, coming home with three kilos of strawberries, raspberries and cherries for just over 11 euros. It was my first chance to really test my extremely limited Estonian, but I was able to do just enough to get the fruit I wanted and exchange money, thanking the lady as we left.


Fruit and porridge made for an excellent breakfast, after which Unistus sang for the manager of the hostel and boarded the bus for Saaremaa.




We stopped twice along the way not counting the ferry from the mainland to the Island of Muhu. Once we reached the island, we left the main road to visit a fascinating Estonian history museum that documented Estonian life in the first years of their culture. A few minutes later, we took a slight detour to see a giant crater, which was either evidence of alien activity or the result of a meteor, and continued on our way to Kuressare.

Now we have a few free minutes before walking down the road to the concert hall in town, where we will sing in our first Estonian concert this evening at 7 p.m. This concert, along with several others, have been advertized on national television and radio... so no pressure. If what I've been told is true, news of a good performance will spread like wildfire, ensuring a hearty crowd for the remainder of our tour.