GOLD Estonia 2017

Day 10 Wednesday September 20th Wednesday morning saw our horizons temporarily dampened.  Drizzle had crept over Tallinn overnight and we awoke to a light rain. From checking the news, we appeared to have got off lightly; the UK being battered by a storm. The drizzle lasted briefly in the morning, and not wanting to waste the day, we headed out to look around the local markets and discover more about Estonian trade and local crafts around.  We found a market selling local woolen garments, a lot of the stall holders looking quite sorry for themselves in the constant rain.  As we were wandering around, Amy B was targeted by an old Estonian lady who took her opportunity as Amy was looking at hats to plop a red furry pom pom hat onto Amy's head! As fetching as Amy looked, she wasn't particularly interested in the damp woolly creation. The lady wasn't giving up that easily though, she persisted in jabbering away in cheery Estonian at Amy, obviously hoping that the more she ...

#DAY 7 This morning was met with a lot of optimism, and plans crammed back to back for a day of Tallinn tourism. We were up and out and back to the Old Town bright and early to make the most of the time we had to walk around. First up was St. Olav's church; the tower here was told to us by locals as having once been the tallest building in Europe... this had been struck by lightening and patched up several times, but proved a challenging walk to the top for views around the hill of Toompea and out to sea. There was a definite mist and cloud hanging over the tower due to the time of morning, however the views around us were not marred. The experience was complete with the precarious pathway around the tower itself; two planks of wood strapped to the copper, and a thin mesh barrier! We made it down from the tower with much crossing of paths on the stairs and close contact so as not to plummet down the steep staircase. Back out in the sunshine, we headed straight to the...

Day 5 Day 5, Friday 15th September.   Although we have been in Estonia for 5 days, today marked our first whole week spent together as a team. A landmark for us, but the project is whizzing by at a rate of knots! We had more travel plans ahead, the Eesti Gaidide Liit had planned a meeting for members of the board in Türi, an hour and a half south of Tallinn in a delightfully rural location.  In Baltic style, the board had arranged for the meeting to be held in a conference facility; complete with pool and sauna! As the forecast for Türi was drizzly and overcast, we were especially looking forward to the venue. We were met with another bright sunny morning in Tallinn, and headed off on an exploratory walk to the central station and through the central parks in the old town.  A weekend market was in place next to the station and we treated ourselves to freshly made burgers prepared at a gourmet burger bar with vintage coffee. Amy B demonstrated further life hacks in ...

#DAY3 Wednesday 13th September. Day three started with more sunshine in Haapsalu. The apartment was 26 degrees and very warm to wake up to! Vicky, Roxy, and Amy B disappeared off early for a run before everyone got together to head down to the beachfront, looking out towards the many islands for which Estonia is renowned. Together we found a tiny patch of sand and quickly claimed it as our own for GOLD, sunshine, and selfies. We had the beach to ourselves as Haapsalu is a summer holiday town, and made the most of the empty streets and waterfront. After our breakfast stroll, it was down to serious business and planning for our school recruitment events over the coming days. The first of these was at the main High School in Haapsalu, aiming to raise awareness of Eesti Gaidide Liit as well as recruiting potential new members. The High School itself was a beautiful period building, and inside we experienced the calm and serenity of a museum, accompanied by beautiful art, and wide,...

TEAM ESTONIA HAVE LANDED! #DAY0 Sunday 10th September. After a 4am wake up call somewhere near Stansted, Team Estonia safely manoeuvred the perils of the airport to land at Ulemiste Airport in Tallinn. After spotting a pilot taking time out to relax in the children's play area, and shameless selfies with flags, we had achieved spending an inordinate time in one of the worlds tiniest commercial airports and decided to head to the brand new tram system and into Tallinn centre. Our plans were thwarted by what we later established was 'Monday' (EVERYTHING is closed) The tram was off, and a short bus ride followed, finally landing us to the boundaries of the old town.  The fun of the journey was not yet over.  Carrying our full kit for nearly a mile was interrupted mid route by nothing short of the annual Estonian marathon.  Shouted out of the road, by an angry marshall, we beat a hasty path uphill on the cobbles and made it in one piece through the beautiful stre...