Why didn't I bring my Renaissance gown?

I've finally got a couple of free minutes, so I should take a minute and digest exactly what's been going on for the last five days.

I stopped over in London for two days, which was lovely, but somewhat of a whirlwind. Traveling alone is certainly different than traveling with a companion, though not necessarily inferior. You can do what you want, travel at your own pace, and no one cares when you get lost except yourself. It also forces you to talk to people, since it's easy to slip into a world of your own, and listen only to your own thoughts. I enjoyed my first solo meal in London at a nice Moroccan restaurant, talked to a farmers market manager about London markets, and slept in a hostel bunk that resembled a small and comfortable cave.

The real adventure began in Estonia. I feel as if I've been here for a week, though it's only been two days. This is probably because I've only slept about 7 hours in the past 48+. There's so much going on, all of it rather bizarre compared to, say, the day before I left.

I'm currently in a town called Kuressaare, on the island of Saaremaa, closish to Finland if you'd like a reference. It felt a bit as if I were going to the ends of the earth, as I boarded first a bus, then a ferry, then another bus to get from the capital, Tallinn, to Kuressarre. It turns out that it's a quaint little town where people leave their keys in their unlocked cars, and leave their doors to their houses wide open. There is a nice little downtown, a 700 year old castle, and a harbor.

I was under the impression that I was going to work on a farm that provided food for a restaurant. Once I met my hosts, Karen and Alar, it was soon clear that the restaurant was closed, the garden out of comission. Instead, I am helping them with their several "projects," which are a little vague, but mostly involve encouraging organic food production and local eating. So far, I have used my anthropology skills to interview people about their food choices. Too bad I never learned how to conduct interviews in Estonian. Or at an Estonian festival, complete with dancing and smoked fish with heads. I managed to find a few people who spoke at least broken English, and learned some interesting things.

And then last night, my first night in Kurresaare, I accompanied my hosts to a birthday party: a medieval themed birthday party. We showed up, and there were various Estonians wearing medieval garb, with clay mugs, and gathering around a roasting pig. The entertainment for the night included a magician, fire breathers, and lute players. Ummmm, not what I was expecting for my first night here, or really ever, but a fantastic experience. Many Estonians speak a little English, and there are various North American expats around (my hosts are both Canadian- Estonian) so the awkwardness of being the only one who didn't speak Estonian was kept to a minimum.

I have no idea what I'm doing the rest of the week, but I expect it will be great fun. When I'm done with my time here, I'll post something extensive about the agriculture and food- I've already learned a lot, but there's a lot more to figure out.

So, I'm alive, having a lot of fun, and being productive. I'll keep up with this when I can!