Clare Gilmour and I went to Estonia together in June 2009. For me it was a last minute decision as Jayne Foley planned to go but had to cancel. (I must remember to thank her because I had such a great time!) Getting there was a bit tricky. We flew from Dublin to Stockholm and on to Talon on a very scary small plane. We got a bus to Tartu, arriving at 3am. The hotel, in the town centre was very comfortable. Everything was within walking distance. We got lost a few times and found interesting places we would not have seen otherwise. We loved the old wood cladded houses. .

We met at the Craft School at 10am, having had a scenic walk in the sunshine, along the river and through the town square, to get there. Laura and her team were very welcoming. The coffee and traditional biscuits were great. We had a tour of the building and met some of the staff. They were wearing colourful handmade woolen capes which, Mira explained, are given to all the staff to keep them warm during the cold winters. We think Carmel, our boss, could introduce a similar scheme in Limerick!!

Unfortunately the other members of the party were late, so Laura and Mira had to defer their very-well organized presentation until later. We went for an Estonian lunch at the Shakespeare theatre, which is a magnificent building overlooking the town. Clare had beetroot soup which was very pink and tasty. While we were in the restaurant the Turkish group arrived. Eight men in total, some of whom had never been outside of Turkey before. We walked from there to the craft department which is housed in aretail premises, converted to suit their needs. We had a tour of the building including the looms, painting room, flower arranging workshop and ceramic area in the basement. Afterwards we had a fantastic fabric printing workshop using traditional wooden stamps. Everyone really got stuck in and enjoyed themselves. It was a great way to break the ice and helped the group to get to know each other.  That evening most of the group went for Turkish food. Clare and I decided to go with the local cuisine. Next time we’ll stick with the group! Afterwards we met in the town square and went for drinks at a Pub in a beautiful old ammunition warehouse. It was Karaoke night and everyone had great fun. Laura introduced me to Estonian beer. Thank you Laura!

The next morning it was a little bit more difficult to get up. We met at the school and went from there to the Museum which was fascinating. We were both amazed at how similar Estonian and Irish cultures are. I loved the section at the end where they showed Estonian Interiors through the ages, demonstrating the effects that communism had on every aspect of the people’s lives. Back at the school Mira, Laura and their team had prepared a magnificent selection of Estonian food for lunch and presented us with some beautiful gifts. Ava made a great dessert and sent Clare home with ingredients and instructions.  Unfortunately we were unable to stay as we had to get to the airport.  Thank God there were no small planes on the way back!  Although our visit was short I will never forget our trip to Estonia and hope to visit again soon.