Simple Session 2015

We would have never known or gone to this even if our friend have not some stay with us and tell us all about it.  Kvintas Zepp is a 15 year old son of my best friends Ramune.  They drove from Lithuania to stay with us and visit BMX bike competition in Tallinn.  Kvintas is a big fan and an up and coming biker himself in Lithuania.  Twins and I got to go and spend big part of the day and see some cool tricks done on bikes.

US Fighter Jets F16

One of the advantages being in the embassy community is information and invitations they provide for all sorts of cool stuff, like tour of US fighter jets at the army base.  We took boys out of school for the day and went on a bus provided by the embassy to the army base to see them.  A Caplain greeted our group and gave us an awesome lecture and a tour of F16's.  Boys had all sorts of questions, this type of stuff that involved speed and missiles is right up their alley.  We also got to see and sit in the pilots seat of an Estonian antique fighter plane.  Boy were pretty giddy being in the cockpit of this historic plane.

Mallorca, Spain - 21cc triathlon camp

Our triathlon club 21cc does spring training camp in a warm weather country.  This year was Mallorca, Spain and Chris and I got to go and have some fun.  We packaged our bikes in two big cardboard boxes, stuffing every available space with bike shoes, clothes and nutrition.  Then dropped them of at a warehouse where a truck picked all the bikes from our club and drove them to Mallorca.

Chris went for two weeks, I only went for one week.  During that week my parents drove from Lithuania to watch the boys for one week: to feed them, do homework, bathe them, put them in a taxi at 7:20am every morning and to receive them at 3:30pm.  While in Mallorca, we stayed in all inclusive Ferrer hotel in Can Picafort on the East side of the island.  

View from our hotel window

Trainings were very intense starting at 8am morning exercise, then breakfast fallowed by 10am bike for 2-4 hours, lunch and evening workout entailing either swimming or running, dinner at last and 8:30pm group meeting.  Wednesday and Saturday were days off only with a morning swim.  

This is our daily running trail that goes along the Mediterranean sea and winds through a warm and quiet bush land in the back.  

What impressed us the most was how friendly the whole island is to biking community.  We went there in the of season and it turned out to be bikers paradise.   Roads are very clean and freshly pawed.  Drivers are friendly to bikers and almost every hotel caters to bikers as well.  They have bike garages where each wall space is taken by a hanging bike.  One funny thing about the Spanish culture is that they love their siestas and if you didn't get your bike in the morning then the garage is closed from 1-3pm.

My biking group mostly consisted of Dennis and 7 month pregnant Ursell - she is a beast! Other groups were for the fast and furious riders but we were sight seeing group:-)  

While biking my group would stop at every town we passed and sometimes at unique places like cemeteries.  I have never seen above ground cemeteries and with small space only available they also built walls and buried people in there as well.   I thought is was unique.

On one of our days of Chris and I rented a small car and when exploring the island.  First we took a tour of the Drach caves.  That was a very cool tour that takes around one house and follows a 1.2 km path in the caves.  The tour includes a classical music concert and a boat trip across Lake Martel (named after one of cave explorers).  We also got to see ocean life guard training.  I was already scared of the waves standing on the shore and these guys had to take turns saving each other and giving CPR's - impressive! 

Later in the day Chris wanted to take me up Cap Formantor mountain he climbed 18K on his bike the other day.  We were in a small car but I was still uneasy driving on narrow roads on the side of steep cliffs.  The views are worth the slow clime up very windy roads that made me car sick and on the way back we had to stop about 8 times for me to through up - that wasn't fun.  While at the top of the mountain with a lovely light house - we had an overcast and couldn't take good pictures but non the less and in between by barking episodes we had fun adventure. 

Family winter vacation - Otepää, Estonia

Last and our first winter in Estonia was unusually warm and snowless.  So when the second winter came around and we still had not much snow it Tallinn, we decided to rent a small log cabin in mid/southern Estonia in search for some lasting snow.  

We arrived to Otepää a bit earlier and while the house was being cleaned we decided to explore a local speed/high jump tower.  It was really neat to see it in person how high the top is and how steep the landing is.

Moments later we drove to the house and met up with our friends Erika, her husband Margus and son Joonas.  We invited them to stay for a weekend and show us how they do it the Estonian style.  So they did.  The first night Margus fired up the sauna.  We also had an owner come back and fill the hot tub (or wooden barrel) with frozen pond water so boys and we can use it later that night.  The hot tub took about 5 hours to heat up as the pond water temperature was about -3C.  While the hot tub was heating the boys were sitting in the sauna and then running into a "cool" hot tub.  Adults on the other hand did the real Estonian ice hold experience.  Erika and Margus told us how long we need to stay in the sauna and explained the heat level you should reach/feel in your limbs to be able to jump in the ice hole.  Chris and I were nervous but there was no way we would chicken out now:-)  So I went first and I couldn't believe how exhilarating it was to free your body from the heat while dunking your whole body and head under the freezing water in the pond.  Then it went Chris and I repeated the second time as my teachers instructed.  Chris was happy to have done it once and be over with it:-) Non the less it was a very cool experience one you can only find in the Northen European countries.

Next day we went to do some cross country skiing on Tartu ski marathon course also known as Song Festival of Winter because of it's proportions and international fame.  It brings approximately 10 000 participants.  Even we are not ready to cross country ski 63 kilometers yet, we had to go out and at least try miles and miles of perfectly manicured ski tracks.  After about 10km boys got tired and decided to go sledding and playing in the snow.

World Cup in Cross Country Skiing - January 17-18, Otepää, Estonia

We really wanted to attend a winter sport competition and Cross Country Skiing World Cup was in Otepää, Estonia (Southern Estonia) in January.  A friend of ours Raul Anderson is a big cross country skiing fan, invited us to watch Otepää competition.  We all dressed as warm and with as many layers as possible and when to sit in the stadium for hours to watch the race.  There were many countries participating, USA including.  It was fun to see how support team waxes and preps the skis and how relay teams exchange right in front of us. Unfortunately neither US nor Estonians win, but it was a fun race to see.

USA guy is getting helped into his skis 

Cheerleaders 

Add caption

Cameron and twins tried and loved down hill jump

New Years Celebration

When we finally confirmed Sarah's, Sophies and Andrews visit we also decided to host a New Years Eve party for the US embassy employs.  We also invited our special Estonian friends and the planning began. Invitations were sent, the furniture had to be rearrange, speaker and microphone system had to be purchased, menu made, decorations and fireworks purchased.

New Years party shopping receipt.  It took a few time to print it in fool beacause it was getting jammed in the 1980's printer.

Greeted our guests with spiked or virgin cosmopolitans 

Food table

DJ Andrew's station. Sophie and our boys worked very hard cutting 2015 out of cardboard and wrapping it in foil.

Photo booth

Our other neighbor Elvi (she grows Kale for me and give us produce in season)

Fireworks from the beach

Group photo

Our next door neighbors Andres and Katlin stopped by to say "Head uut aastat"  that's Happy New Year in Estonian

Our neighbors also performed Rumba dance.  Ballroom dancing is their hobby and they do it so gracefully.  

When guess's leave all children had their own dance party

The Halford Family Visit

January 28th we welcomed our great friends Sarah, Andrew and Sophia to spend a few days with us and celebrate Estonian New Years together.  Because we only had a few days we needed to get touring.   The first stop -Old Town.  Everything looks magical in town around Christmas.  From year round flower market that welcomes you at the Viru gates to town square with beautiful christmas three, reindeer zoo and winter wonderland market filled with local made wool sweaters, handmade iron decorations and plenty smoked meats and european sweet delicatessens.

We took a trip to Jägala Waterfalls  of Jägala River that is located about 4km before the river flows into the Gulf of Finland.  The water is approx. 8 meters in height and more than 50 meters in width.  It is the widest natural waterfall in Estonia.  In the winter when the water mass gets frozen it creates an ice wall with large icicles.  A tunnel may be formed in between the ice hanging down from the edge of the waterfall and the wall of waterfall.  Unfortunately the river was not 100% frozen and we didn't get that tunnel to walk under.   However this was a cool sight to see and visit.  

European Christmas Celebrations - 2014

Before we begin talking about our 2015 adventures we still need to share our European Christmas celebrations.  

Boys school had put together a very lovely Christmas show - everybody, including teachers participated.  The event was held in a facility that is located in the middle of old town square.  

Twins class had prepared a Wombat Divine play.  Tadas and his friend Réka from Hungary had shared a narrator roll.  There were many lines to remember but they did an amazing job.  Magnas was a kangaroo.  He had no lines but he needed to do some acting and to have a costume that Jurgita sowed for him by hand the night before the play because the one we ordered on line didn't come in on time.  

Camerons class had prepared a song: The Happiest Christmas Tree by Nat King Cole.  They also did "Silent Night" - Cameron played xylophone. 

Getting ready to sing "The Happiest Christmas Tree"

Cameron and his best friend Rio.

Cameron is playing xylophone in "Silent Night"

Teachers and administration sang a song "When a Child is Born".

Every year the American Embassy dose Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  They decorate two life trees that they cut from Estonian National forest, provide cookies and hot mulled wine called Glögi. The entertainment is American children singing christmas songs.  This year our boys committed to attend every Monday practice for few month and to learn three songs: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and of cause the "Jingle Bells". 

We had a nice Christmas party at American Ambassador's house.  Lot's of good food, wine, crafts for the kids to do and Santa came.  

Our travels continued to Lithuania for Christmas.  It's been over 20 years since Jurgita last celebrated Christmas with her family.  Chris and the boys have never experience this holiday till now.  So we packed out Volvo with presents and took  an 8.5 hr. ride from northern Estonia, all the way through Latvia into southern Lithuania.  I have to say that after Christmas Eve dinner our boys were left a bit hungry because they are not use to eating hearing, beet or mushroom dishes.  They did like a traditional cold "Kleckuciu" soup.  The easiest way to describe this soup is like American cereal with cold milk.  Except that small bread balls are made without eggs and the liquid is made out of soaked poppy seeds that have been grinded to extract milk from them to make liquid white color.  Sugar is added to make extra hummy:-) 

This is Lithuanian Christmas Eve dinner.  12 meatless or dairy-free dishes.  Dinner begins by sharing blessed communion wafers and a prayer or a wish/tost said by one or all family members.

Christmas day Jurgitas mom made traditional Lithuanian potato cakes called "Bandos".  The boys and Chris couldn't wait to see how they were made.  So a bunch of potatoes get's peeled and grated to a fine mesh.  Then the mesh is placed on a dried cabbage leave and it's placed in the wood burning oven to bake for about 1 hour.  We also had a Lithuanian Santa come visit in the morning.  That was the most energetic Santa that just wanted to dance with everyone:-)  

The boys gave Lithuanian grandparents a silver christmas tree to plant in the back yard.  They are excited to see how bigger it gets every time they visit them now. 

We couldn't leave Lithuanian without a big party.  Jurgitas uncle Pranas and his family had a house blessing party.  We met at the new house for the blessing ceremony by a priest.  Then went to a party hall to celebrate not only a new house but also an extended Christmas joy.  We have never been to a house worming party like this before. It more looked like a wedding, but Jurgitas uncle said he wanted everyone to be able to get together at Christmas time and spend time together as family.  We had entertainment by a "Christmas Ornament" character - who was dressed as Tele Tuby, Told jokes and make guests do silly things.  Then we had a Santa come and bring every single guest a present.  Not to mention that the party was MCed by a life band and for the finally there was life fire show outside and fire works.  Spectacular!!!!