9 July: Tallinn-Risipere-Oidrema, Estonia (55 miles; 610)

Faced with riding out of Tallinn in Monday morning traffic or taking a train, John and Stuart favored the train. We took the train 20 miles southwest of Tallinn to Risti, about an hour on the train, then began biking south into a strong headwind, our first headwind of the trip. 10-12 mph was a good speed, and gusts occasionally dropped our speed to 7 mph. 

Risipere Train Station

Remains of Collective Farm. In general, any large set of abandoned farm buildings are the remains of a collective farm, Stalin's work.

Collective farms tend to feature a lot of concrete.

John Ordering Lunch. Actually, quite good.

Wood Shed. Nearly every home features a large, net wood pile. Most of the forest is birch and pine, so the BTU content is likely low. Nearly all wood is split and stacked out of the weather.

Power Pole. We routinely see stone poles with wood poles banded to the stone. 

The Soviets liked concrete.

 Kasari Bridge

Kasari Bridge from below.

We were fortunate to get a lodging recommendation for a guest house in Oidrema, formerly the village sauna, 15 euros each. Quite a find except for the lack of food. We purchased groceries, stowed them in the trailer, then biked 10 miles into the same headwind to the house in a small village (perhaps 10 homes) 2 km off the highway. A great find, we had facilities to wash clothes and prepare a pasta dinner.

The only other guests were two Russians, working in the area.

To Stuart’s wife—our sympathies. After an exhausting headwind and then walking into our accommodation, Stuart’s first question after walking in the door was: When will dinner be ready? He tossed out several items to be laundered, took a nap, and then thanked the wrong person the next day for doing his laundry. So, not a cook, doesn’t do laundry! But wait, John and I thought socialists shared everything equally.

Abandoned? Many of these buildings are in use. Likely more than 100 years old, most buildings with poor exteriors are renovated inside.

Street in Small Rural Town

Blend of old and new, multiple eras.

Fixer Upper?

Former Church

Dog of the Day. Very mellow.

Scarecrow with dead crow. I wonder if the dead crow is an effective deterrent. Ripe strawberry patch.

Our Lodging in Oidrema. The former village sauna.