Day Ten - Tallinn
Thursday July 3
We woke up reasonably early but no one seemed to complain because we were all so excited to get to Tallinn! The kids said goodbye to their host families, but knew it wasn't a final goodbye because we would be seeing them at the festival.
Our hour long bus ride gave the kids a bit of a chance to catch up on some rest that many of them really needed. The kids received their official festival shirts, programs, and festival bracelet which is basically their ticket to enter the grounds for the remainder of the festival. It even allows them to use the bathroom without having to pay 2 Euro!
Before we knew it, we were in Tallinn, the hustling capital of Estonia. This city is so modern compared to where we just were, yet at the same time, had this feeling of such deep culture and history.
Carmen mentioned how excited she is to be in a country and place with so much history and deep meaning. She feels like the Estonian songs can be used to relate to many different situations. She feels extremely grateful to even be a part of the Laulupidu and that it will truly be a life-changing experience.
We were dropped off at ETV where we left our luggage and then caught the public transportation and went to "Old Town" where the kids had some time to shop and explore. This very quaint town square had lots to offer with lots of visitors from all the docked cruise ships and other tourests.
After our free time in town, we decided to take a walk down to the Museum of Occupation, which was quite fascinating. http://www.okupatsioon.ee The Museum of Occupations provides an overview of Estonian society during three periods of occupation. The neat thing about this was that much of what was shown in the documentary "To Breathe as One," is what was on exhibit in the museum. The kids were able to have a hands on experience of what was really going on in Estonia back then.
Overall, everyone was just quite excited to be in Tallinn and couldn't believe that this year long preparation for the festival has finally arrived.
Upon arrival, Elsa said how much more real it felt and how she was more excited than ever for Laulupidu. We walked around the city and went shopping. She loved looking around and seeing all the history. We went inside of churches and old buildings. Her favorite was this walkway above the city. Tallinn is one of the most beautiful European countries because of its rich culture. Now being here, she feels so lucky to be part of this amazing Estonian festival and celebration.
Emi stated that walking through old Tallinn felt like a tour straight to the past. It's bumpy cobblestone streets winding up a hill, walls and towers from 1475, all reminded her of just how new the United States really is. She can only imagine what it feels like to have a national history reaching back hundreds of generations. Estonia truly is a beautiful country.
Mariah is enjoying eating chocolate ice cream in the Museum of Occupation and loving Europe. She doesn't want to go home.
We arrived back at the ETV station where our kids met their Tallinn home stays and then left for the evening. The chaperones went to a park, north of the city along the coast to the passing of the torch ceremony, that signifies the start of the festival. While we were there, we saw Delphina and Ko, who seemed to be enjoying themselves. You could sense the excitement and sense of pride from all the Estonian people as the torch was passed through the crowd, groups of dancers performed, musicians as well as a choir performed as well. What a beautiful way to end the day, and start the festival.
Click through the sideshow below to view highlights from today:
