Weekend Getaway: Tallinn, Estonia

After getting situated my first weekend in Kangasala, I was excited to spend my second weekend exploring a new city. Before I came across the water I promised myself I would take full advantage of being in Europe. Choosing to explore whatever cities were nearest to me when I had the weekend off. As mentioned in earlier posts, a friend of mine recently moved to Tallinn with her husband and two and a half month old son. It was nice to see a familiar face and hear English without the European accent.

Once I got to the train station I hoped onto the tram located outside to head to the West Harbor where my next mode of transportation was located on my route to Tallinn. When I first asked for directions to the harbor I was under the impression that West Harbor was located in the same area as Senate Square and the market; boy was I wrong. After about a 5 minute ride on tram 9 I soon learned that the West Harbor was actually located in old Helsinki, the same area I had trekked across during my day long biking excursion in July. At the moment I saw the tram pull away from the main city, I was thankful I decided to hop on. When we pulled up to the last stop at the harbor, I was a few minutes early to boarding so I grabbed my ticket and found some food. There was a cafe in the lobby already filled with energized weekenders fresh off out of work ready for two hours of laughs and cheap booze. I had heard about this alleged "booze cruise" that many people took to Tallinn and Stockholm due to the expensive prices of liquor and beer in Finland. At the final ding for boarding the boat, I made my way along with the already tipsy others to the ship. For some reason I expected more of a ferry to travel two hours, but the boat was actually a cruise ship equipped with cabins for overnight travel. Initially I followed the crowd to the top deck to see the boat leave port and head into clear water and sunny skies. After failing to find a good seat accidentally in the smoking section and then on the windy deck, I stumbled across a stadium-seating lounge area and stalked the crowed for a spot. Once situated, I kicked back, relaxed and enjoyed the full open view of our voyage to Estonia.

Two hours later we arrived. Everyone seemed to be very anxious to leave the ship, a lot of pushing and shoving occurred as we exited. I found my friend waiting for me with the baby at the exit and our weekend journey began. As we walked to the town center in Old Estonia we caught up on her travel and different events that had occurred since the last time we had seen each other. Old Estonia is a typical European city; lots of cobble stone and historic buildings. Simply breathtaking. Her husband met up with us after practice and the search for dinner began. Unfortunately our hunger got the best of as we fell into the tourist trap of eating in the town square, amateur move. The food was ok and the prices were outrages. We made sure not to make that mistake the next two days. As we headed out to the parking garage to go back to their apartment, I fell in love all over again. There's something about European cities that makes you appreciate history. It's the same feeling I get whenever I go to Chicago. Maybe it's the tall building and hustle and bustle of people, I'm sure it will be a reoccurring sensation as I continue my travels.

Saturday morning began with a tour of Old Estonia. A young man no older than me led our group around the city, providing very detailed historical facts about the areas we stopped. In the section following are pictures of Old Estonia, along with some historical information.

Enjoy!

View from the top deck

Town center

Did you know: Estonia is home to the first public Christmas tree? 

View from the "park" built but the government

St. Nicholas Church. Currently being used as a museum. Estonia is 70% atheist. It's not that they don't believe in God, most Estonians just don't have a specific preference.

Monument in Freedom Square. The iron clad on the top of the tower is not a cross. Estonia has had independence from other countries for only 22 years. 

Oldest standing medical wall in Tallinn

Parliament. Learned here that the Estonia flag stands for the blue skies (blue), soil and dark past of the country (black), and purity (white).

Did you know: The first programmers for Skype were Estonians? Estonia is a completely wifi-friendly city. It's accessible in the majority of the restaurants. 

Orthodox Church built by Russians during their reign over Tallinn.

My friend Krysta, the baby and I above Tallinn.

Tallinn's infamous Red Roofs

The following photos are from Patarei Prison, which recently housed inmates until 2004.

*One of my favorite photos taken*

View of the Baltic Sea from the prison yard.

As you can tell, it was amazing. We couldn't have asked for a better day to explore! Since we made the mistake of eating at the European version of an overpriced Ruby Tuesday's Friday night, we made sure to ask the guide for lunch suggestions. He provided us with a brochure, LikeaLocalGuide that gave various eating, lodging, events, and museum suggestions. Once her husband met up with us after his practice we decided to eat at a cozy restaurant named Reval. It was tucked away in the midst of the city with low lighting for an intimate setting and a cheap, diverse menu. In comparison to the meal before, this meal was everything I had hoped at a GREAT price. I ordered the tomato and mozzarella soup and spinach sauce pasta with chicken, delicious! Throughout our meal we were already discussing dessert but decided to pick up chocolate on the way back to the apartment. Apparently the team her husband plays for, Kavel, is known for great chocolate. Being the skeptic that I am I didn't think it could be better than Finland's, but I was proved wrong ONCE again. Two for two on this weekend! The chocolate melted in my mouth like butter and left me wanting more. Sadly however I only purchased a small milk chocolate and dark chocolate bar. I will be asking my friend to send me more ASAP! After lunch we made a trip over to an "old" prison that had recently shut down in 2005. Talk about an eerie experience! Rust, and I'm sure tetanus, covered the iron doors and metal bars. The barbed wire still curled around the walking yard. It made me realize I could never be in jail, especially in Finland. Having freedom so close but constantly being reminded by the bitter cold and neighboring Baltic sea of how trapped you are would drive me insane. Saturday night was another relaxing evening; I believe I am STILL recovering from my 10-day farewell tour back in the States. We walked around Old Tallinn again, attempting to navigate the map for a restaurant while giving her husband a brief summary of the historical facts we could recall from the tour he had missed. After hours of irritation from the Saturday night crowd and being turned away from a few restaurants that discriminated against baby strolled, we all agreed to stop a newly found favorite sushi restaurant. Who doesn't love sushi? I had been having an itch from some since I left the U.S. so I was perfectly fine with going for something a little more "traditional". Exhaustion seemed to hit everyone like a brick wall, including the baby, about an hour into our meal and we headed home to relax. Another peaceful night in LaLa Land.

To have the opportunity to explore the world and make myself vulnerable to unknown surroundings is still a surreal to me. I'm constantly reminded how blessed I am to have friends all over the world who invite me to share their experience with them and have been lucky to have crossed paths with some amazing individuals and establish new relationships. Never would I have thought that a hobby I joined through the influence of my older sister and the words of encouragement of my athletic ability would have landed me in Finland playing internationally, professionally, 10 years later. Without a clear goal in mind I know that right now in this moment, this is my purpose. To purse the talents God has given me and develop them to my fullest potential while still loving the game. He spoke to me a December night after attending my younger sisters JO practice, after I had already decided to end my volleyball career after a dramatic, draining season and I thank him every day for opening my eyes to pursue a professional career. Without him, none of this would have been possible. 

Back to the grind.

The first week of practice is always rough no matter how much training you do beforehand. Your legs are use to moving at your speed and its probably been a few months since you've seriously pursued a ball to the floor. My first week of practice went just as expected: leaving me unable to walk by Wednesday. Surprisingly however most of my soreness didn't come from playing, in comparison to my training stateside this was my worse nightmare. Low weight, high reps...Olympic lifts. I'd always been a fan of Olympic lifts but after five years of traditional lifting my body wasn't accustomed to the technique I had once learned in my high school years. Monday was a lift day, an hour and a half lift day with a 14-time female Olympic lifting champion. It's fair to say after years of owning the weight room I had finally met my match. She wasn't very tall or jacked but could drop into a clean with a deep squat faster than I could blink. Myself, my roommate and a girl who had missed the week prior due to the flu where with her for our workout while the others cycled through with our assistant coach. Frustration is the only word to explain the lift for me. For a while I couldn't conceptualize the move, especially the "kick" that helps move the weight more effectively than improperly using your arms for assistance. Once I was able to grasp the technique and easily progress the motion into a squat we did overhead presses as well, my bread and butter. Overall, Monday was a good experience for me. It was the first time I had been challenged physically in a long time and the perfect opportunity for me to use different mental techniques to make it through the workout.

Tuesday. Holy. Sugar Honey Iced Tea. Did I forget to mention we did my all time favorite overhead kick hanging abs after our countless reps of cleans, snatches and overhead press? I thought I wouldn't be able to straighten my legs Tuesday morning let alone make it through two practices. Somehow I managed to peel myself out without ripping my hip muscles from their resting position. Tuesday practice was normal. Passing reps and movement in the morning then another high-intensity practice at night ran by our assistant in preparation for our first scrimmage Wednesday. Tuesday's evening practice would be the first and only time all of the team would be in the gym together taking reps before our game Wednesday. Volleyball is a game of adaptation. Your opponent makes a play X amount of times, you reply with the counter move. The same works for playing with new people. You stretch your limits and see how they react then discuss what moves feel most comfortable to them and how they can help you. Practice was good, I began hitting from that back-row that day, something I didn't do in college, but thankful my summer training had more than prepared me to execute successfully. After practice a man and woman in match plaid summer grass green shirts came to speak with us as we stretched. The translation: We're here for dope testing. Of course I had nothing to worry about but just like when the police pull you over, you always feel as though you've committed some major felony. Individuals chosen for drug tests were at random and it only occurred once a year. I was not called but I made sure to pay attention to the instructions they were giving those selected. 

Once back at home it was the usual routine: change, shower, make dinner, Netflix and FaceTime. Cooking in my kitchen is very simple, the only thing I had to lookup was the conversion of Celsius to Fahrenheit so I didn't burn my chicken. All my free time allows me to do a lot of food prep in the beginning of the week, which lets me keep my diet very healthy and clean. So does the fact that I can't read Finnish menus and everything closes around 5 except the grocery store.

Wednesday was another lifting morning. Cleans, tricep press and yup you guessed it, overhead kick hanging abs. Just like anything you try for the first time, the second time was much easier. I had practiced my clean form at home, I'm a perfectionist so judge me, and the abs are just a matter of repetition and strengthening that tiny muscle. Since today was our first scrimmage we left earlier to drive two hours away to our opponents home gym. The bus was small; four seats across the back with a table and three across, then a row of two, a row of three with an aisle heading back, table between, another row of three and the driver. At least we were in a Benzy? Even though the ride was tight it gave us time to bond. I was asked questions about recruitment and opportunities for college and after college in the US. I continued to just ask more about the culture and language. It was funny to see the girls reactions to things I told them about the U.S. It seems as though someone has painted a cozy picture of America and it's lands of endless equality and opportunity. These same expressions of complete disbelief would reoccur as I explained our healthcare system to everyone at dinner. Talk about a deterrent. Prior to the scrimmage, I experienced no feelings of nervousness. I was excited and really had no idea what to expect so I focused on my game. Our first match was against the best team in the league, they had won the league for five years in a row. Naturally I expected a team of 6'2+ girls with a dynamic setter and sick libero, that's not what I saw once on the floor precisely. Although the team lacked size they made it up in scrappiness and the well-known European shot game. As I walked onto the floor I instantly felt dozens of pairs of eyes staring at me. I don't know if it was because I may have been the only person of color they'd seen in months or because I was American but the stares continued the entire match. The match was great, a good opportunity to work with my teammates and get myself into six-rotation mode. It's an indescribable feeling to be locked in. I can hear nothing but my teammates and coach. The crowd disappears and it's as though there is light only on the court and darkness all around. It's a feeling I hadn't felt in months. Our coaches were very laid back during the entire match, he kept stressing that we have fun. I was very perplexed by this request. In moments where I would express frustration I was greeted by smiles and reminded that at the end of the day it's just a game, an idea I always used to calm myself after poor performance but ignored for two hours during the match. Viesti is a good team. Their key play makers are older than ours and their knowledge of the game put us at a disadvantage at times but our response was eye opening. In sets we would be down by a large deficit we'd fight back relentlessly, we even took a set off of them. To see the level we can play at after only two practices of all being together is electric. It makes every day in the gym worthwhile. Overall, my first match as a professional player rocking number nine in black and red, two colors I've been DYING to wear for years, was amazing. The trip back was tiresome, especially after a hearty meal of salad, mashed potatoes and meatballs at a common post-game meal stop. We got back to our meeting spot around 11 and just as I thought exhaustion was about to set it, texts started to pour in and conversations were budding. It was 4 pm back in the states. 

Thankfully Thursday morning was off. Yet again I peeled myself from my bed around 10:30 and relaxed some before lunch. Practice focused on attacking and defense, mostly block defense. I wasn't use to jumping after a match so I had to mentally prepare myself to make it through. After practice we lifted, again. Cleans and abs. I'm curious to know our coaches strength training philosophy but I'm unsure if it's my place to ask. With everything else that goes on in my life that I don't understand, I decide to give my best effort until I'm told to do otherwise. This morning, Friday, was similar to Thursday, but my coach justifies our jumps by saying we have the weekend off. This morning we did a lot more passing and work with our setter, which I appreciated. No lifting today! 

Today I am headed to Estonia to see a friend I had played with many years ago and actually stayed with during my layover in Detroit last month. It was so good to reconnect with her and see where she is in life. It was a little bit of a bia trying to coordinate my train ride from Tampere to Helsinki and boat trip from Helsinki to Tallinn but it's my last Friday evening off before normal practice begins so I made sure everything worked out. Catching the bus from Kangasala to Tampere is very straight forward, as is the train station in Tampere. I have about and hour until the boat leaves from Helsinki so I'm just going to roam around until I have to locate the harbor from which I am leaving. 

Whenever I speak with someone from back home, people always ask me the same thing: "How is Finland". So far my experience has been amazing. Great food, great people, and a beautiful country. I couldn't have asked for a better place to start my professional career and I thank God every day for this memorable experience. 

Moi moi. 

Side Note: High-top Converses, really high-top anything, are EXTREMELY popular in Finland. Looks like I have some shopping to do...

#SuomiLife

FINALLY IN MY NEW HOME! The travel to Finland isn’t hard and I'm glad I didn't have to connect anywhere in Europe. After making a friend on the plane, being interrogated by some rude European man at the Visa check-point, waiting what seemed like FOREVER to get my luggage and change out of the winter clothes that would have put my bags over weight, and an hour and a half drive to my new abode in the middle of nowhere, I made it to my new apartment. My first time to Finland I experienced no jet-lag, probably due to the fact my flight had left at night and arrived in Amsterdam at 1 pm so I got some sleep, but this time I got ZERO sleep. The car ride up hypnotized my body and exhaustion set in; my cardiac rhythm was still on U.S. Eastern time and in my mind it was 1 a.m. At the point of arrival all I wanted to do was sleep. From the outside it was pretty uninviting. Dark wood with no curb appeal, HGTV would have a FEILD day with it but once inside it was very cozy! I have a spacious living room with a connecting dining area and a traditional, narrow European kitchen well equipped with a stove, small oven, refrigerator and TONS of storage space. Right off the entry is the kitchen to the left, the bathroom, my room and my teammates room on the right. As soon as I located my room I plopped by bags down and hit the bed, but not before noticing I had NO closets in my room, which to my surprise meant they were outside my room...made no sense. I checked out my roommates’ room and she had plenty of closet space and room for that matter. Naturally a small bit of jealousy set it but I figured I was the American, the foreigner and I arrived second so that's what happens. On the ride up my coach had inquired if I would be joining evening practice that day, around the time I settled in and the team manager arrived it was 4 a.m. Eastern time, there was no way I would be able to function at a full practice. 
 
After my nap I was able to unpack the three bags of mine that were bursting at the seams. Naturally I over packed, I've always been one to bring too much. Eight months is a LONG time to be missing my favorite socks or something! During this time my teammate arrived, all six feet six Dutch inches of her. She's 22, which was nice to hear given the others girls baby ages. I am the second oldest on the team...imagine my excitement. She is a very nice girl, comes from a family of four girls including her and loves volleyball. We conversed for a little then took our respective spots, hers on the couch watching "How I Met Your Mother” and mine in my room FaceTiming everyone back home. A long day of travel called for some rest so I decided to hit the hay around midnight to catch some zzzz's.
 


4 A.M. Hello Sunshine. I seemed to have made the amateur mistake of leaving my blinds open knowing the sheet I exchanged to make a "longer curtain" didn't cover the bottom five inches of my window. That same five inches welcomed the sun at 4 a.m. Needless to say my wakeup call was very early for my first practice at 8 a.m. I proceed to toss and turn for a few hours, sleep was finally achieved about 30-mintues before my alarm was set to go off. We left for practice at 7:25; it was a 20-minute drive to our gym in the neighboring city of Tampere. My first practice wasn't too bad, just what I needed to get back in the groove of things. The girls welcomed me with hugs and smiles; it was nice to see all of them again. Practice only lasted an hour and a half, during which we did a cooperative ball control and blocking warm-up, various serve receive drills, offense versus defense, and ended with a core workout. After practice we went to pick up SIM cards for our phones to open communication in Finland. Of course I had heard my phone didn't need to be "fixed" before heading overseas but I should have double-checked, my SIM card currently does not work and I may have to get a cheap phone. My roommate, Nicole, and I grabbed lunch at the restaurant I had mentioned in my earlier blogs before heading out for our team bonding on the lake. At 1:25 we left for the lake, a 30-minute drive to another place in the middle of nowhere. I have come to conclusion that that's simply what Finland is: lakes, trees, and a whole lot of wondering where you are. We were greeted by a very hospitable Finnish couple that handed out refreshments to toast the day, alcohol free of course, and instructed us on the proper way to enter and exit the canoe as well as rowing technique. After everyone had entered safely and no water was detected in the boats we paddled out for what felt like 30 minutes to a cute island that had shelter, a fire pit and a makeshift bathroom. The couple began making dinner ON THE ISLAND as the girls and myself explored. Canoeing had worked up an appetite for everyone so once dinner was announced we all eagerly waited in line to be served our first helping of a Finnish favorite: Fish soup. If you read my blog you will notice earlier pictures of the soup from lunch one day and as expected, nothing beats the homemade version. Three cups of soup, a shared slice of homemade blueberry pie and raspberry cake, a problem-solving game, a dip in the lake AND a Finnish hot dog that was forced upon all of us later (a.k.a. three hours), we packed up the island and headed back to our starting point. The way back was a lot faster, as it always it, but Nicole and I were tired and full so we fell behind just like we had on the way there. Once back at the dock, everyone made sure to get out carefully...except my coach. He made a heroic move to get off the canoe on land versus the dock, which gave him and his partner, our guide, an unexpected dip in the lake. Naturally I burst into laughter, completely American of me to laugh at someone else's misery. Oh well, haha. Thank-you’s and goodbyes were exchanged and everyone parted their ways for the weekend. 
 
My first weekend in Kangasala was extremely uneventful, just as I planned. Saturday's call for a 60-90 minute cardio workout, which I saw as an opportunity to explore the new town. I took off in the direction of the hotel-house I had stayed in a month ago and pushed past the familiar area. Kangasala is really beautiful, even under rainy gray skies. I'm excited to see what winter LOOKS like, probably like a snow-globe but I'm sure it will feel like a meat locker. Saturday was also deemed media day. Our club set up a table at the busiest grocery store in Kangasala. Nicole and I handed out our playing schedule and greeted customers/potential and current fans. After three hours of standing we both crashed on the couch, made dinner, watched our shows and had a very relaxing Saturday night. 

Today, Sunday, has been the quintessential, boring pro-life day I've heard many of my friends describe. Today consisted of grocery shopping (I have successfully mastered buying loose fruits and veggies, personal victory), FaceTiming U.S. friends stumbling home in the wee hours of the morning, watching my new show obsession: Orange is the New Black, and cooking dinner from yesterday lemon chicken left overs. I also started looking into possible travel destinations for Christmas and post-season. I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and see as much as I can while I have the opportunity. Although it was a slow day it was great preparation for my first week at practice. I'm hoping I can get on a more regular sleeping schedule this week. Waking up at 4 a.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. today feels unusual but I think it will get better.

No practice until 5 pm tomorrow so the morning will probably be slow, I plan on waking up and doing a light workout but we'll see if my body has the same thing in mind. 

Until next time....