12.7: Onwards to Tartu!

Today's objective was to get myself to Tartu, where I will be doing a four-week language course. Yesterday I had sussed out the train route and decided the 8:12 train was the one for me. After having breakfast I wandered over to the station, which is directly beside the hotel. I purchased a discount ticket which cost €7 and boarded. It was a most pleasant, smooth journey with nice views of forests and farmland along the way. It also had free wifi which was useful. Arriving at Tartu about two hours later, I followed the masses onto a bus, hoping for the best. I ended up in the right general area and wandered over to the Raekoja plats, where my hostel is located. As it happened, the 20^th Hanseatic festival was in full swing today. Stalls filled the main square, sprawling out into the surrounding streets. The festival has a medieval feel, with various concerts, traditional wares and food. After I dropped my bags off I was out amongst it. I had a very nice barbecued pork skewer with potatoes, sour cream and salad – yum! 

Raekoja plats abuzz

Lunch

University of Tartu

In the late afternoon it started raining heavily so I retreated to a café to finish writing this. It stopped raining and was about dinner time so I ended up at an interesting pub, Püssirohukelder, which is in an old gunpowder cellar, built into the fide of a hill c. 1768. It’s a very impressive space, almost cathedral like. I had an all Estonian meal with Saku (a popular Estonian beer) and something called Mulgipuder kuklis, apparently a traditional dish of barley mashed potato and bacon served in a bread bowl. It was very nice but also very big.

Mulgipuder kuklis

Outside Püssirohukelder

Inside Püssirohukelder

After that, I went for a walk around town, through some of the leafy parks. As I neared the Emajõgi (lit. Mother River), the river which runs through the centre of town, I could hear music so went to investigate. As it happened, a concert was about to take place, with a large barge with a stage on top moored on the river and stands set up on the bank. I arrived at just the right time, as I was able to get a prime seat, before the crowds arrived. This was the final concert of the festival, which had been running over three days. It was opened by a man wearing traditional Hanseatic attire (I was later told that he was the principal organiser) and soon the concert was underway. A range of folk singers performed with a full orchestra backing. It was fantastic. I know I’m biased, but I think the Estonian language sounds so beautiful when sung.

Concert (the dude on the left with the cap was the organiser)