We also visited the Pärnu New Art Museum, which had drawn my attention with an event described on the web - an annual international nude art exhibition. This year was the 18th such exhibition, titled "Man, Woman and Electricity." On display were works executed in various techniques - oil and acrylic paintings, photographs, sculptures, audio and visual performances.
The idea was to stay in a cottage on Estonia's western coast with a sea view, so that on waking in the morning the first thing to catch the eye would be the calm grey-blue of the sea. I found a place online called "Kosmonautika". In Soviet times it was known as the legendary holiday centre "Vzmorje", where distinguished scientists and cosmonauts came to rest, including the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Honestly speaking, the main reason we went to Tartu at all was to visit the AHHAA Science Centre. There is plenty to do, explore, and observe for adults and children alike. Adults try out all the installations with even greater enthusiasm and genuine joy of discovery.
Initially we had hoped to get onto the legendary "Darling", built in 1907 and purchased from ABBA, but no less lovely was a light wooden boat called "Maria" (four in total operate the route). A ticket, or boarding card, cost Ls 6 per person. The boats operate on the canal every day from 9:00 to 23:00, from the beginning of May to the end of October, stopping at the boarding point every 20 minutes.
Collecting penguins has been our hobby for many years now. All manner of penguins find their way into this collection, executed in various styles and techniques. Some are bought, some are gifted, and some we make ourselves.
Here you can view the mugs we have brought back from various countries. The collection grows with each trip and becomes ever more diverse. There are ceramic, glass, porcelain and wooden mugs here. In various sizes, volumes and shapes.
We discovered the Ulmale (Pinni) Sacrificial Stone, at which the ancestors once gathered. A place not easy to find, and not so much mystical itself as the stone with its bowl-shaped hollow of about 60 cm in diameter. The accumulated water looked a menacing black. Although there is a belief that it heals, instinctively there was no desire to dip one's hands in it.
It is often said that for a Turk, trading is one popular national sport - this summer we were convinced of it one hundred percent. We visited and shopped at two markets in Istanbul - the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar).
It all started with sitting down on the floor by the wall and the customary "What is your name? Where are you from?", after which two proper buckets of not particularly warm - rather cool - water came over the head. The attendant with a rough exfoliating mitt and quick, powerful movements scrubbed the arms, legs, back, and shoulders. A sort of peeling treatment, followed by a soap massage that differed considerably from what I had enjoyed at "Sokolovskije Bani" in Jūrmala.
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On the fourth day of the excursion we set off on a two-hour cruise on the Bosphorus Strait aboard a small two-storey boat. The strait connects two seas - the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Although the wind was blowing fairly strongly, it was pleasantly warm, and our shoulders and faces got quite thoroughly sunburned. At one point the backs of dolphins flashed in the water.