June 10, 2005

  • It's almost the end of a very long but enjoyable day for us and close to midnight as I write this entry. Our day was filled with unexpected sunshine and that in itself was a true blessing.


    We headed out this morning (Friday) with Pille and Siki, on an excursion to investigate a tiny portion of Estonia. We picked up Riina, who was visiting her aunt in a town called Jõgeva (pronounced Yoog-e-va), along the way to Lake Peipsi. Lake Peipsi is one of the largest lakes in Eastern Europe and it was a beautiful sight today. Our weather was incredibly pleasant at about 65 degrees. We enjoyed a simple sandwich picnic up on a cliff overlooking the lake and then explored some sandstone caves that were tucked in along the water's edge. The breeze made it a bit chilly for most of us to get in the water but that didn't stop Siki and Kayli from enjoying a little wading along the beach. Apparently, Kayli also had to sacrifice herself and wade deeper into the water to rescue one of Pille's floating flip-flops. Hmmm, sounds suspicious to us.


    On our way to the lake, we stopped at what was a burough (community) and a castle from the 14th century ... The Laiuse Castle. There are only a few ruins left but we enjoyed romping through the fields, climbing on the rocks, and imagining what it had been like in the medieval days of knights and ladies.




    By the time we got back to Tartu, it seemed that there was still too much sunshine to waste, so we treated everyone to our Estonian version of grilled hamburgers and enjoyed a movie marathon together.


    We are tuckered out from our day of fun and frolic but are feeling so blessed by the pink on our cheeks and the time we had in sweet fellowship with a few that we've come to love so dearly. Hope you had a great day too.


    God Bless!