So its been about 18months now since I changed flats, changed bikes, changedjobs, changed culture, changed career and changed language by moving to the Estonian capital. Needless to say it's been a rollercoaster of a ride with as many downs and ups.

One almost up was that I now had academic holidays having ditched my office career to become a language teacher. Another almost up realised last year that Estonia has in abundance what England did not: wild untouched open spaces where people are not packed in like sardines.

Why "almost ups"? Well, teaching is not a well paid, albeit rewarding, profession and in my school, if you don't teach you don't earn so 3 months off still means 3 months living off my savings. As for discovery Estonia: I worked out what Estonia had to offer me last year, but regretably did bugger all about it. Not so this year: I decided I would not while away my Summer hols in front of the Xbox, or under a Ural with a spanner. I was going to travel and visit. So the first weekend of my Holidays I pulled out my camping gear, and on Sunday midday I was off, eager to make the most before needing to be back on Tuesday for the arrival of friends for dinner!

Being a small country its pretty easy to get from one side to the other and this is a good thing when you have a bike that will only let you cruise at 45-50mph comfortably (mine simply wont reach 60 on anything other than a flat, 3-mile, straight or a cliff: perhaps due to the new filters... nice bottom end torque, but a bit wheezy in top).

So I packed out the Ural, stuck the dog in the chair, complete with new de riguer Doggles and started bouncing our way South-west. After 60 miles and an hour and a half later I was topping up in a petrol station just outside the resort town of Haapsalu. 20 mins later I was in the ferry terminal queuing to board a boat in order to make my first trip to one of the Estonian Islands. A short time after that I was on the deck with calm waters: all the better for Pretzel as her first experience of a ship was sullied by another first....proximity to a truck load of pissed of cows!!!

Still she decided to seek shleter in the folds of her sheepskin and dozed in the tub for the rest of the 45 min crossing until we docked: Vormsi Island!

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)