We left Sigulda in the pouring rain this morning, but reunited with the sun as we reached the coast and turned northwards towards Estonia.
The sun was a faithful companion all the way to our destination, as if a meteorological metaphor for the fact that Lucas also remained sound asleep until we were in our hotel’s car-park.
The drive took about 2.25 hours and was very relaxing, carrying us through seemingly endless forests, a glimpse of the sea occasionally teasing us through the trees.
So, here we are in Pärnu. Estonia doesn’t immediately strike me as a lot different to either Latvia or Lithuania, with the obvious exception of the language. Latvian and Lithuanian have some commonalities, even if speakers of the two languages are not mutually intelligible, but Estonian is an entirely different kettle of fish.
Still, my first stab at the language today went well, as I enquired what time a laundrette would open on Saturday.
Pärnu is not really my kind of place. It’s quite pretty, but has given itself over entirely to tourism. The Finns and the Swedes are, indeed, here in droves, as are Estonians from all over this small country. I haven’t yet heard any German or Dutch voices, but it must surely only be a matter of time.
We looked around town today and ate at a local pizza place. The food, whilst delicious, carved a path through me like a luge along an Olympic ice chute, but took just long enough for us to have left the restaurant and no longer be in its vicinity. As we walked through town, I had to charge like greased lightning into a nearby restaurant to avert an unthinkable calamity. It was a close shave, I can tell you.
With the day’s excitement out of the way, we continued our walk around town. There’s not much going on here, apart from what you usually find in a coastal beach resort. It’s all got an Estonian twist, of course, but is otherwise unremarkable.
The beach, though, is still an unknown quantity at this point. We’re saving that for tomorrow.
Dinner was Estonian Tex-Mex at Mõnus Margarita. Well, you’ve got to give these things a go, haven’t you? The food was disappointingly (yes, a disappointment, which proves I’m an optimist) poor, but a terrific play corner, featuring a large pen filled with the kind of plastic balls that you can dive into and drift across, kept our two children out of our hair for at least some of the meal.
The weather was roasting hot today, or at least seemed it, with the awful humidity that accompanied the heat. I was hoping that evening thunderstorms would dispel the oppression, but they haven’t materialised.
Our hotel is nice, but overpriced. It does, however, boast an award-winning chef, at whose restaurant we have made a reservation for tomorrow evening. We should therefore be in for a good meal, at least. I wouldn’t be surprised if breakfast turns out to be something special, too.
Well, let’s hope tomorrow’s beach turns out to be something to write home about. There must be some reason all those people come here. Otherwise, it’s as good a place as any to do some laundry.