Today we met our tour group to go to the Lahemaa National Park in Estonia.  There were 6 of us.  Two ladies from Austria and a young woman from Tokyo.  And our guide, a darling 22 year old ‘wealth of knowledge’!  First, we went to the largest waterfall in Estonia.  It was lovely, but I’ve seen bigger waterfalls at private swimming pools.  The water is low this time of year and it would be more spectacular of the width were larger as it will be later…and in the winter when it freezes I imagine it is beautiful.  We then went to a Manor House.  A HUGE house in terrible state of disrepair.  It was built by the Teutonic (German) Knights during the 1500’s.  When Hitler called all Germans back to Germany, this family left and now a private family has bought the Manor and wants to restore it and make it a hotel.  Don’t think this will happen in my lifetime…but it will be spectacular when and if it is finished.  We then went to a Russian submarine de-magnetization station from the Cold War.  The submarines would get magnetized going thru the water…something to do with physics…so they would wrap wires around the submarine to de-magnetize it so it wouldn’t show up on radar.  I never could get a real grasp on how this was accomplished, as the place is pretty much in ruins…but it is in a beautiful cove off the Baltic Sea.  As a side note: Estonia has 1500 islands and some are for sale.  Finland has only two islands.  They are NOT for sale. On our drive today we saw a Moose Crossing sign.  Saw no moose!  I would have loved that.  The. We went to a little fishing village to a home and museum to have lunch.  The owner of the museum has collected boating antiques and memorabilia for years.  He and his brother hold the worlds record for underwater swimming!  Quite a character.  He is also an artist.  He smoked salmon steaks for our lunch in a big metal smoker and they were the best I’ve ever eaten.  We sat outside in a little covered patio area, looking at the sea.  Huge bowls of boiled potatoes with dill were passed and a cucumber/sour cream sauce.  Had black bread and butter, honey, coffee, tea, strawberry water and blueberry cheesecake for dessert.  A fabulous meal!  After lunch we went to another little fishing village that had old style typical houses with a reed roof.  Done properly and maintained they last 50-60 years.  In a park, there is a swing.  Estonians hold an Olympic record for swinging.  This is a big wooden thing with platforms and handrails.  Six people get on the swing facing each other – three on each side standing up. And they start swinging, and this thing can go 360 degrees over the top bar!  How they hang on is beyond me…must be another physics thing!  The girls tried it and I took pictures.  I may be a lot of things…crazy perhaps, but I’m not stupid!  One of these house we saw in this village had a bid moose head carved on the side of the house…protection from evil spirits.  Then we drove to another Manor House…this one completely restored.  The out building consist of a museum, a hotel and restaurant and several cottages, perhaps part of the hotel.  This is a popular place for weddings and a beautiful setting.  Once a year, there is a costume ball and people rent 18th century ball gowns for the event.  This place was built by another Teutonic Knight family…and left when Hitler called.  Our last stop was The Bogs.  During the Ice Age, this part of the Baltic Sea was a frozen mass.  As it warmed, water was trapped and became a bog.  The water is acidic and no bacteria can live in it, but they have found perfectly preserved bodies in the bog.  It is a beautiful area…first a forest with pine and spruce and lots of small blueberry bushes as undergrowth.  We picked and ate the tiny wild blueberries.  Going further in towards the bog, the terrain changes to stunted pines, lots of heather and some funny flowers at the end of a stark bare stalk.  These white flowers are poisonous and dangerous.  If there are too many in a bog area, just smelling them can make a person dizzy and disoriented.  They can be used in small, proper amounts for medicinal purposes and are part of the rhododendron family.  Walking thru the bog, there is a wooden bridge the entire way so you don’t get bogged down!  We came back to Tallinn and went to dinner.  I had cucumbers…tiny ones sliced with a sour cream and honey sauce and a fish soup.  Clear vegetable broth, dill, carrots, tiny onions and chives, potatoes and pieces of salmon and cod.  Delicious.  Home. Hot Shower. Bed.  A great day with our 9 hour tour!