Last weekend, we were invinted to go to Parnu, in the South Eastern part of Estonia. We went with some Estonian friends which we had met quite some time ago when we went kayaking… It was a very fine day and we were lucky to be able to have some sun after weeks of grey snowy weather. We were invited to different places which they wanted to show us, from a typical estonian hamburger place, which reminded nostalgicaly the times when they were students, to a luxurious villa, which has become one of Parnu’s most fancy hotel. Villa Amende, was built by a rich man, which had made his fortune in the commercial navy. He wanted a nice setting for his daughter’s wedding and had this villa decorated in the most refined Art Nouveau style which was the fashion of the time. The family lived there ten years before going back to germany, where they were originally from. The villa later became a hospital and a casino, but it always managed to keep the decorations and even some furniture which make it today one of the best and rare examples of Art Nouveau in Estonia. We only had a hot chocolate and a few pastries there, but it was enough to see how nice it was inside.
We stayed at our friends parents house, an old farm which has been refixed as a house, with a nice garden and a sauna house at the back. We spent most of the evening there, eating hearing and estonian cheese,accompanied with a cool beer, as most estonians do on a saturday night. It felt so good to relax and discuss in this friendly atmosphere, that we almost forgot the meal which we had after. As you can start gessing, yes, we ate most of the time. We tested different coffee places, especially a place where they did heavenly doghnuts. However, we did go for walks, on Parnu beach, at sunset, a really pretty sight, and to some very high dunes, close to the boarder with latvia, with a great view on the sea and immense marshland.
It was a magic weekend, as if our friends wanted to convice us to come back one day. We might, at least we hope we will. They gave us home made apple juice (6 litres!) pickles (3litres!) and estonian hats from the island of Kihnu, to keep us warm this winter. As ususal, we are always treated as kings and are very touched by the warm welcome we receive here in Estonia.
