So on Monday I went and picked up my car from the dealership. She'd been nicely cleaned up, and all set for my pick-up. Signed some paper work, looked a few things over, handed over a wad of cash and off I went. I was actually really surprised how easy it is to buy a car here. When I went to the ARK office (Ministry of Transportation) to officially sign the car over to my name it went incredibly easily. Took less than ten minutes, and strangely enough nobody asked to see my driver's licence once. I've gone for a couple drives so far, but nothing too long. Really haven't had the need to. Just about everything from my apartment is within walking distance. I have to admit though, that I do laugh just about every time I look at my car. Sure, it's 18 years old, but what business do I have owning a BMW?!
Anyways, the weather this past week has been fantastic so most days I'll go for a walk about town or through Kadriorg for an hour or two. Tuesday evening I went to my mom's relatives place for dinner out in Merivälja. These were the relatives that I stayed with the majority of my time here two years ago and it was great seeing them again. We had a great meal, sat around chatting for a couple hours, and got to see my little cousin Oliver again. And let me tell you, that kid has grown up quite a bit. After that I dropped the car off at home and swung by the Vironia maja for a few drinks and to see some of the guys I hadn't yet seen. T'was an enjoyable, although slightly late evening.
On Wednesday I met up with my good friend Tuuli for lunch who was in Tallinn visiting her parents from Brussels. Hadn't seen her in nearly two years and it was great getting to sit down and chat with her over lunch. We went to a fantastic restaurant at the top of the Solaris plaza. Not a place I'm going to go on a regular basis because the prices are a little on the steep side, but the food and the view was unbelievable.
Thursday was spent doing some stuff around apartment (believe it or not Ema, I'm actually able to keep the place quite clean), and then met up with Hillar Lauri for lunch. We went to a fantastic, new restaurant in Kalamaja called F-Hoone. Amazing food, and REALLY cool restaurant. If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was eating somewhere in the Distillery District. Hillar's been a great source of information for me here with regards of where to look for certain things to buy, concerts to go to, and various other things. In the evening I met up with Tuuli and one of her friends Priit for dinner. We ended up going to a lovely restaurant called F-Hoone.....Wait, I'd already eaten there that day. No matter, I took a seat one over from the one I ate lunch at, and the waitress hardly batted an eyelash when she saw me again. After dinner we went to Priit's place for a few drinks then shut'er down sometime just before 2am.
Friday back at home I'm sure the family did the usual church and big family get-together, but haven't heard much about that. Still waiting to hear who ruined Easter guys. Really hoping someone stepped up to the plate. I didn't really do all that much during the day, and in the evening we went to a friend's place for drinks before going out on the town. The one thing I'm still adjusting to is here people don't go until well after mid-night. Back in Canada if you're going to a bar or club, normally you'll head there for 11pm or so because they have to shut their doors sometime after 2am. Well we left Martin's place sometime after midnight, went to a bar for a few hours, then headed to a club around 3am. I made my way in to the club only to remember that I'm not a club-goer. Just not a fan of the music, too crowded, and the fact that I'm not much of a dancer doesn't help.....or maybe I'm just getting old. I stuck around for maybe 20-30mins then decided it'd be best I hit the road.
Woke up on Saturday morning with a tiny bit of a headache so I watched a movie, went for a short walk and got ready for the evening. I had been invited to Tuuli's place for the first BBQ of the season. For a little while I thought about driving over to her place, but the weather was just too nice not to have a couple of drinks in the sun. Sat down with her family for a great meal, and fantastic conversation. Her grandfather has to be one of the funniest guys I've ever met. 80 years young, and sharp as anything. Just a wicked sense of humour and had the table in stitches for the entire evening.
Today I had a nice leisurely morning (those are really the only kinds I've had thus far) and in the afternoon I drove over to Onu Mati's place to drop some stuff off, and pick up a few other various things I needed for the apartment. And as luck would have it, I showed up in time for lunch! Ate with Onu Mati and Tädi Eha, and since it was such a nice day, Onu Mati and I drove out to the golf course just so I could get a feel for the drive out there before I go meet up with my bosses on Tuesday. From my place I'm guessing the drive will take 20-30mins. Unfortunately the Peterburi mnt right now is under construction, but once that gets cleared up I'll be flying to work in no time.
Spent maybe 10-15mins walking around the grounds, and took a look inside the clubhouse. And let me tell you what, I cannot WAIT to start working. It is an absolutely GORGEOUS piece of property!! The course still seems to be in pretty rough shape, but in a couple weeks things should start looking better. I'll borrow a friends camera at some point and try to post some pictures sometime soon.
Don't really have too much planned for the next couple of days. Probably go out for a coffee with Tuuli tomorrow before she heads off to Brussels again, Tuesday I'm driving back out to the golf course to meet up with my bosses and sign my contract, then on Wednesday the first folks from Canada and Sweden are showing up for Volber.....Ok, maybe I do have quite a bit planned for the next couple of days. Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, and then heading down to Tartu for the weekend.
Hope you're all well.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
First House Guest and Birthday
So Mikey arrived back in Tallinn with the hockey team on Thursday evening. Worked out really nicely because they dropped him off at the hockey federation building which was like a 10 min walk from my place. He said his farewells to the boys on the hockey team, and wished them luck in the Ukraine.
We came back to my place, got him settled in, made some dinner then went for a walk through town. Mike hasn't had the opportunity to see much of Eesti other than hockey rinks and the gym so we took a quick evening stroll through vana linn. Next day we woke up early and took off to see the sites of vana linn. A beautiful spring day greeted us so our first stop was Oleviste kirik to climb up the tower and get a look of the city. Mike says he's a little claustrophobic and scared of heights....still made it up the tower and he was blown away by the views. After that it was off to grab a quick bite to eat, then to the Occupation Museum for a little bit of history. Finished off our tour going through Viru keskus so Mike could get his parents some souvenirs.
As Friday was my birthday as well, it was necessary to have a bit of a party to celebrate and christen the new crib. Had about 15 people over at the apartment for some drinks and catching up before we hit the town. Ended up going to a couple of bars and clubs, having a great time and getting home at some early hour.
Slept most of Saturday away, but upon waking up Mike and I went for another walk towards vana linn, grabbed a bite to eat then swung by Raoul Langvee's apartment for a drink, and so Mike could see the nice views from his place. Finished the day by watching a little bit of hockey on the computer and getting a good night's sleep.
Today's Mike's last day, so we got an early start to the day. Once again we took a nice long walk along the seaside towards Lauluväljak because Mike had not seen that yet. It was pretty cool because there was a choir practicing there. Even with just twenty people singing the acoustics there are AMAZING!! Walked back to the apartment through Kadriorg with a brief stop at the Presidential palace.
Picking up my car tomorrow afternoon, then probably on Tuesday or Wednesday I'll swing by the golf course for a bit of a tour. Really looking forward to finally seeing the course. It's at that point I'll also beg to start work a little early.
We also heard that we won the Baltic Cup on Friday night. Mike and I were pretty stoked to say the least when we got the news around 3:30 or 4 am in the morning! Well done boys!!
We came back to my place, got him settled in, made some dinner then went for a walk through town. Mike hasn't had the opportunity to see much of Eesti other than hockey rinks and the gym so we took a quick evening stroll through vana linn. Next day we woke up early and took off to see the sites of vana linn. A beautiful spring day greeted us so our first stop was Oleviste kirik to climb up the tower and get a look of the city. Mike says he's a little claustrophobic and scared of heights....still made it up the tower and he was blown away by the views. After that it was off to grab a quick bite to eat, then to the Occupation Museum for a little bit of history. Finished off our tour going through Viru keskus so Mike could get his parents some souvenirs.
As Friday was my birthday as well, it was necessary to have a bit of a party to celebrate and christen the new crib. Had about 15 people over at the apartment for some drinks and catching up before we hit the town. Ended up going to a couple of bars and clubs, having a great time and getting home at some early hour.
Slept most of Saturday away, but upon waking up Mike and I went for another walk towards vana linn, grabbed a bite to eat then swung by Raoul Langvee's apartment for a drink, and so Mike could see the nice views from his place. Finished the day by watching a little bit of hockey on the computer and getting a good night's sleep.
Today's Mike's last day, so we got an early start to the day. Once again we took a nice long walk along the seaside towards Lauluväljak because Mike had not seen that yet. It was pretty cool because there was a choir practicing there. Even with just twenty people singing the acoustics there are AMAZING!! Walked back to the apartment through Kadriorg with a brief stop at the Presidential palace.
Picking up my car tomorrow afternoon, then probably on Tuesday or Wednesday I'll swing by the golf course for a bit of a tour. Really looking forward to finally seeing the course. It's at that point I'll also beg to start work a little early.
We also heard that we won the Baltic Cup on Friday night. Mike and I were pretty stoked to say the least when we got the news around 3:30 or 4 am in the morning! Well done boys!!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Getting Settled
For the first few days after arriving it was spent more or less trying to get stuff set up so I could get my own place. Opened up a bank, and did some searching for a car and apartment. I had my eyes on one apartment out in Pirita. Looked like a really nice place, in a quiet neighbourhood, with a sweet roof top patio. Unfortunately (or fortunately, in retrospect), it had already been rented/bought by the time the real estate agent got back to me. After that Onu Mati and I went by a few car dealerships to look at cars.
It's kind of hard finding a car here in the price range I was willing to pay since most people either buy brand new or serious beaters that need constant up-keep. I actually ended up getting lucky and finding a 93 BMW 3 series coupe in my price range that ran like a dream. Took the car out for a test drive and the previous owner had done a great job of keeping the car in amazing condition. I consulted The Boy about the vehicle, and he said if I can get it at the right price it's a great, reliable automobile. I low balled an offer, the owner countered, and after some back and forth we had a deal. Paid a little bit more than I probably should have, but I think the owner and I were both happy with the deal we came to. I still don't have the car because the owner had to drive back to Tartu to pick up the summer tires and do a couple other things for the sale to go through, but I get it on Monday.
Next on the agenda was finding a place of my own. Staying with my relatives out in Viimsi was great, but after spending five or six nights there I was ready to get out on my own. Spent some time on-line searching. Some places looked really nice, others were serious dumps. I went and looked at a few places in various areas of Tallinn. One apartment I looked at didn't really seem that appealing from the pictures posted online, but I figured it was in a nice part of town (Kadriorg), so I'm looking anyway, might as well pop by. The pictures really didn't do the place any justice. It's a little two room apartment, with a pretty spacious living room (with fireplace), and a good sized bedroom. What really sold me was the cool looking original doors and antique cabinets. Fell in love with the place, and got the agent to organize the rental.
Yesterday (Tuesday, April 12), I signed the rental agreement and moved in. Before I could actually get settled in, the owner of the apartment asked that I head out for a couple hours so he can get the rest of his stuff out of the place. This suited me just fine since I had promised Mike that I'd go watch the National hockey team play the Finns. I figured since going to a hockey game by yourself isn't much fun, I gave my good friend Eva here a call to see if she'd care to join me. As she had never been to a game before, who better to go with than a big-dumb Canadian? We had a great time watching the game even though Eesti ended up loosing 6-3 (I think). After that Eva and I went for a quick bite to eat, and swung by a Prisma so I could get some stuff for the apartment. I tell ya, it's useful knowing locals who know where to shop.
So after getting dropped off at the old homestead I spent the remainder of the evening getting settled in. It was like christmas in April! I had shipped over 7 boxes of various stuff a month or so ago, and it was nice seeing everything coming out of boxes in one piece (thankfully the big bottle of Frank's Red Hot I brought didn't break). I did however learn that suits and dress shirts don't particularly enjoy being shipped in boxes. After having unpacked I watched ManU beat Chelsea in the Champions League with a wee nip of scotch to christen the new crib.
Unfortunately for Mike his dream of playing for the National hockey team has come to an end. He's officially been told he's ineligible for the World Championships in Ukraine. Really sucks for him, but (this is going to sound strange) I couldn't be happier for him. He came over here following his dream, gave it his all, and things didn't work out for him because of IIHF rules. So because he's not travelling to the Ukraine he's going to be my first house guest. All he's been able to see of Eesti until this point is the airport, the rink in Tartu and Tallinn, the residence he's been staying, and some stores close by. It'll be nice getting to show him around Tallinn for a couple of days before he heads back to Canada.
Nothing terribly exciting on the horizon. Mike's going to give me a hand cruising around town to help me get stuff for the apartment, we'll go out and see some of the sites, and on Friday night I'm having some friends over for a house warming/birthday party. I get the car on Monday then sometime next week I'll go visit the golf course and beg to start work early.
It's kind of hard finding a car here in the price range I was willing to pay since most people either buy brand new or serious beaters that need constant up-keep. I actually ended up getting lucky and finding a 93 BMW 3 series coupe in my price range that ran like a dream. Took the car out for a test drive and the previous owner had done a great job of keeping the car in amazing condition. I consulted The Boy about the vehicle, and he said if I can get it at the right price it's a great, reliable automobile. I low balled an offer, the owner countered, and after some back and forth we had a deal. Paid a little bit more than I probably should have, but I think the owner and I were both happy with the deal we came to. I still don't have the car because the owner had to drive back to Tartu to pick up the summer tires and do a couple other things for the sale to go through, but I get it on Monday.
Next on the agenda was finding a place of my own. Staying with my relatives out in Viimsi was great, but after spending five or six nights there I was ready to get out on my own. Spent some time on-line searching. Some places looked really nice, others were serious dumps. I went and looked at a few places in various areas of Tallinn. One apartment I looked at didn't really seem that appealing from the pictures posted online, but I figured it was in a nice part of town (Kadriorg), so I'm looking anyway, might as well pop by. The pictures really didn't do the place any justice. It's a little two room apartment, with a pretty spacious living room (with fireplace), and a good sized bedroom. What really sold me was the cool looking original doors and antique cabinets. Fell in love with the place, and got the agent to organize the rental.
Yesterday (Tuesday, April 12), I signed the rental agreement and moved in. Before I could actually get settled in, the owner of the apartment asked that I head out for a couple hours so he can get the rest of his stuff out of the place. This suited me just fine since I had promised Mike that I'd go watch the National hockey team play the Finns. I figured since going to a hockey game by yourself isn't much fun, I gave my good friend Eva here a call to see if she'd care to join me. As she had never been to a game before, who better to go with than a big-dumb Canadian? We had a great time watching the game even though Eesti ended up loosing 6-3 (I think). After that Eva and I went for a quick bite to eat, and swung by a Prisma so I could get some stuff for the apartment. I tell ya, it's useful knowing locals who know where to shop.
So after getting dropped off at the old homestead I spent the remainder of the evening getting settled in. It was like christmas in April! I had shipped over 7 boxes of various stuff a month or so ago, and it was nice seeing everything coming out of boxes in one piece (thankfully the big bottle of Frank's Red Hot I brought didn't break). I did however learn that suits and dress shirts don't particularly enjoy being shipped in boxes. After having unpacked I watched ManU beat Chelsea in the Champions League with a wee nip of scotch to christen the new crib.
Unfortunately for Mike his dream of playing for the National hockey team has come to an end. He's officially been told he's ineligible for the World Championships in Ukraine. Really sucks for him, but (this is going to sound strange) I couldn't be happier for him. He came over here following his dream, gave it his all, and things didn't work out for him because of IIHF rules. So because he's not travelling to the Ukraine he's going to be my first house guest. All he's been able to see of Eesti until this point is the airport, the rink in Tartu and Tallinn, the residence he's been staying, and some stores close by. It'll be nice getting to show him around Tallinn for a couple of days before he heads back to Canada.
Nothing terribly exciting on the horizon. Mike's going to give me a hand cruising around town to help me get stuff for the apartment, we'll go out and see some of the sites, and on Friday night I'm having some friends over for a house warming/birthday party. I get the car on Monday then sometime next week I'll go visit the golf course and beg to start work early.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Flights and Arrival
So my last week or so in Toronto was pretty hectic to say the least. Whether it was hanging out with friends, or helping mom get the house ready for sale, I had plenty of stuff to keep me busy. I couldn't have asked for a better last week in TO. Whether it was getting together for a pint in the evening with close friends, going to the Jays game with Linds and a quick pint afterwards with Pat, it was just what I needed.
Departure day you could imagine was quite hectic. Did I have everything packed? What am I still missing? Can I fit anything more into my bag? Is my flight still on time?
Mom, the Boy and I went out for a quick bite to eat before heading off to the airport. The was the thing I was not looking forward to at all. Saying by to grandma. I'm super close with her, and since she doesn't use the internet and hates it when I call her ("why are you wasting your time calling me? Just send me a post card once a month to let me know you're alive"), so staying in touch with her will be difficult.
So Ema drove me to the airport where she started crying again probably for the fourth time that day. The last thing she said to me before walking into the terminal was "You know, whatever good qualities you have, I'd like to think I had something to do with them." And me true to form replied, "That's true, but whatever is screwed up with me is probably your fault as well!"
So I get into the airport and check in. I had the good fortune that a buddy of mine Mike Auksi was on the same flight as well. He's over here living out his dream as well. He's over here hoping to play for the National Estonian hockey team. He may not qualify to play in the world championships, but at the very least he'll make great contacts as far as coaching and training go. Really hope it works out for him.
The flight from Toronto to Warsaw was alright. It seems that on any trans-Atlantic flight I have I'm surrounded by atleast one or two crying babies. And let me tell you, one of these babies had a set of lungs! Just wailing away for the first hour of the flight. Mike and I also had the pleasure of setting next to this cute 6 year old girl who kept asking us questions. When Mike asked us what we would add to an airplane to make flying more fun, I said a swimming pool, Mike said a skating rink, and this little six year old said a SMOKING SECTION! Sorry kiddo, I think those days are long gone. The flight from Warsaw to Tallinn I think Mike and I were pretty well comatose for that flight.
We arrived in Tallinn to a beautiful Estonian spring. About 4 C, rainy and every shade of grey you could imagine. I'M HOME!! My Onu Mati picked me up at the airport, we helped Mike get in touch with the Estonian Ice Hockey Federation and we parted ways. Mike had another 2hr bus trip down to Tartu for his first practice at 8pm. How he got through that practice I will never know.
I got to Onu Mati's place, had a couple beers, a few heats in the saun, a great dinner, then passed right out for a couple hours. Woke up again at 9pm because ManU was playing Chelsea in the Champions League. A solid 1-0 win for ManU then it was back to bed. A solid 13hrs sleep pretty well got me over the jetlag.
Today I've been busy doing errands. Opened up a bank account, and off to look at cars this afternoon with Onu Mati. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get my hands on an apartment which I've had my eyes on for a few days now. Nice two room apartment just east of downtown, with a nice rooftop patio in a quiet neighbourhood. Keep your fingers crossed.
That's pretty much all for now. I'm going try and update this blog regularly, but as I get into work and the day to day grind, odds are posts will slowly start to dwindle. Anyhoo, hope all is well.
ps. I checked TSN.ca today to find out that the Leafs had been eliminated from the playoffs. I guess that .3% chance of making the playoffs weren't enough to get us in.
Departure day you could imagine was quite hectic. Did I have everything packed? What am I still missing? Can I fit anything more into my bag? Is my flight still on time?
Mom, the Boy and I went out for a quick bite to eat before heading off to the airport. The was the thing I was not looking forward to at all. Saying by to grandma. I'm super close with her, and since she doesn't use the internet and hates it when I call her ("why are you wasting your time calling me? Just send me a post card once a month to let me know you're alive"), so staying in touch with her will be difficult.
So Ema drove me to the airport where she started crying again probably for the fourth time that day. The last thing she said to me before walking into the terminal was "You know, whatever good qualities you have, I'd like to think I had something to do with them." And me true to form replied, "That's true, but whatever is screwed up with me is probably your fault as well!"
So I get into the airport and check in. I had the good fortune that a buddy of mine Mike Auksi was on the same flight as well. He's over here living out his dream as well. He's over here hoping to play for the National Estonian hockey team. He may not qualify to play in the world championships, but at the very least he'll make great contacts as far as coaching and training go. Really hope it works out for him.
The flight from Toronto to Warsaw was alright. It seems that on any trans-Atlantic flight I have I'm surrounded by atleast one or two crying babies. And let me tell you, one of these babies had a set of lungs! Just wailing away for the first hour of the flight. Mike and I also had the pleasure of setting next to this cute 6 year old girl who kept asking us questions. When Mike asked us what we would add to an airplane to make flying more fun, I said a swimming pool, Mike said a skating rink, and this little six year old said a SMOKING SECTION! Sorry kiddo, I think those days are long gone. The flight from Warsaw to Tallinn I think Mike and I were pretty well comatose for that flight.
We arrived in Tallinn to a beautiful Estonian spring. About 4 C, rainy and every shade of grey you could imagine. I'M HOME!! My Onu Mati picked me up at the airport, we helped Mike get in touch with the Estonian Ice Hockey Federation and we parted ways. Mike had another 2hr bus trip down to Tartu for his first practice at 8pm. How he got through that practice I will never know.
I got to Onu Mati's place, had a couple beers, a few heats in the saun, a great dinner, then passed right out for a couple hours. Woke up again at 9pm because ManU was playing Chelsea in the Champions League. A solid 1-0 win for ManU then it was back to bed. A solid 13hrs sleep pretty well got me over the jetlag.
Today I've been busy doing errands. Opened up a bank account, and off to look at cars this afternoon with Onu Mati. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get my hands on an apartment which I've had my eyes on for a few days now. Nice two room apartment just east of downtown, with a nice rooftop patio in a quiet neighbourhood. Keep your fingers crossed.
That's pretty much all for now. I'm going try and update this blog regularly, but as I get into work and the day to day grind, odds are posts will slowly start to dwindle. Anyhoo, hope all is well.
ps. I checked TSN.ca today to find out that the Leafs had been eliminated from the playoffs. I guess that .3% chance of making the playoffs weren't enough to get us in.
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