Spring is coming....the ice is melting, melting, melting

The hints of spring are emerging throughout town. The 3 inch sheets of gravel encrusted ice that has been covering most of the stone-paved sidewalks are melting, helped by workers who seem to spend their days chipping away at the softening layers of ice. Don't get me wrong, there is still alot of snow on the ground...and this means that on warm days, the streets become slick and fluid like a bumpy ice rinks with small hills and valleys.  However, the days are definitely getting longer.  I wake each morning and notice that I dont have to turn on the corner lamp to see where I am going. The sun, when it DOES appears, blazes through my office window at an earlier and earlier time.  And students are going slightly winter-batty. In several of my classes the primary movement group themes have been about sunlight, energy and warmth.. We reach for the sun, grabbing for its energy and we fall on the floor to let it fill our bodies.  In Vabaduse Valjak (Freedom Square) the Ice Sculptures are GONE....replaced by a large geodesic dome filled with real live flowers, trees and a person lounging in summer wear and sandals. Sometimes, late at night, when I return home from classes or rehearsals, I see people, wearing heavy coats, fur-lined hats and gloves standing and staring at the lone person in this 'dream place'.  (I think it is an art instillation being videotaped - 'some sort of conceptual-person doing summer things" although I have not yet seen it on the news.) At other times, the central square is filled with mist or lightly falling snow, and couples in dark fur coats and hats meander arm in arm, after a meal at one of the many 'fancy' restaurants that surround the huge empty cobbled area. We will be going on a guided tour of the old town hall tomorrow, arranged through the embassy (with other embassy folks) and I am interested in learning more about the building and its stories. 

We continue to watch world events as they unfold, even thought they seem far away from this corner of the world. We worry about friends in the Middle East and also are inspired by the many ways that freedom is emerging and energizing citizens of those countries (and are a bit surprised to see palms trees, dry sand and green ferny tree fronds in the background of the news.)  Here the primary focus is on the upcoming election.  Now that we have our identity cards, we have heard that we can vote if we want, but  but since I have no idea what the issues are or what the candidates are saying, I probably wont avail myself of that particular temporary residency privilege.  Watching the election ads, it is interesting to see how normal - almost dowdy and plain- the candidates look and how issue oriented they seem to be. 

Ice and Furs

Candy seller at the market

Street in Kalamaja

Explorations continue, filled with adventures and meeting with interesting people. Sunday it was sunny and we walked to an area called Kalamaja, an older 'artsy' area north of the old town.  We descended a subterranean passageway, under a main street to emerge at the somewhat seedy Balti Jaan/train station.  Directly behind the station, was an old flea market filled with Russian speakers and booths where you could probably buy anything for a price.  We wandered down snowy, icy pathways, trying to ignore the cries of 'hello', 'gutten tag', and 'bonjour' as vendors tried to figure out what language we spoke and what country we were from (it felt a bit like being in Cairo). We bought honey from an older Russian 'babushka' and poked into indoor stalls selling shoes, clothing, coats, war medals, fruits, vegetables, dried fish, sausage, coffee and bins of tiny Russian candies and sweets (my best guess is that Russian sweets are NOT chocolate, Estonian sweets ARE chocolate).  We didnt see guns for sale, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out they were being sold there, in some dark corner. Most of the people at the market appeared older and it was a mix of women dressed in elegant fur coats and poor students looking for bargains. 


Beyond the market, is the older more 'bohemian' area of town. It is close to the harbor and has recently been growing as an inexpensive area for artists to live and work.  We carefully and slid and inched our way down streets of brightly painted wooden houses, decorated with delicate wooden carvings on the eaves and windows.  

More houses

We made our way to a very popular and crowded restaurant called 'Boheem'.  I entered and forlornly looked around the several small rooms of the cafe for a free table. The cafe was filled with a changing stream of  young professionals and couples with small babies was a welcome change from the somewhat touristy Vannalin/Old Town. I noticed a young man motioning for me to join him and my first thought was 'I am way too old for him to be trying to pick me up...what gives???' So I held up two fingers, to let him know I was 'taken'. He smiled and moved over to make room for both Bruce and I.  We joined him and had a delightful conversation about his views on the world, his work, gender rules for how men should behave and dance (same as in the US in many ways...he said he wished he could dance with abandon like Orthodox Jewish men did !!!!) his relationships and how life has changed for him as an Estonian. As we talked, the  cafe emptied out, the sun got lower, until we finally decided it was time to leave.  By the way the food was delicious and beautiful as well. Caesar salad and fruit-filled pancakes with crushed strawberries and delicious thick coffee. 

Today we also got bus tickets for Vilnius...and we are going at the end of March. (yes, I will be on the bus, returning to Tallinn on my actual birthday the big six oh!!..). As I search the web for places to stay, I am overwhelmed by familiar street names as well as memories of streets, statues, churches and sights that were so familiar to us 14 years ago.  I am curious how Vilnius has changed in the years since we were there. More later. I will end with a photo of a dance movement therapy department meeting, so these are some of my colleagues. 

DMT department meeting...(I am taking the photo)