Sleepy and Cultural Times

Last night we set the clocks one hour back, which meant one sacret hour more of sleep for me. That was also very nicely timed, because I seem to be coming down with something that I am trying to fight off by sleeping. I hope what I am fighting with is not the flu that is running around, even though the symptoms might bear a hint of that. But - optimistic thoughts - I think the sleep has cured it. After sleeping for almost 12 hours last night, I was exhausted after 4 hours at the art museum, and fell asleep for another 5 hours when I got home, I now feel slightly better.

My trip to the art museum nicely fit into my otherwise very cultural week. All cultural things like concerts, opera, ballett etc. are so cheap here, and some we are invited to for free through the embassy, so it is a nice chance to experience some things that I normally wouldn't. The last week and a half, we have had something called Norwegian Week here in Tallinn, that ended with a piano-Grieg-concert Wednesday, which was really nice. Then I went to my first ever opera on Thursday, to see Tosca. Opera was really different from what I had imagined - and in a good way.

But now I have been awake for almost two hours, and my eyes don't want to stay open anymore. It is time to get some much needed sleep ;)

Central Heating System

If anyone has anything favorable to say about having a central heating system in appartment buildings, please speak up. Because personally, I am quite puzzled! I can list several cons to this system, but not think of a single pro... And the cons are quite important ones; like it's environmentally unfriendly, it's unhealthy, and it's annoying.

About a week ago they turned on the central heating system in my building. Now I have a massive cold, recovering from a headace, and I "fyrer for kråka" (Norwegian expression that is hard to translate - like "heating for the crows"). I cannot use heating very much because that tends to give me headaces. Which makes is quite unfortunate that I cannot turn the radiator off. So I have to regulate by opening the window to get some fresh airduring the nights. Hence the massive cold. And the warm, happy crows. Trying to come up with a better plan for the next two months..

Otherwise, everything good - but quite hectic - in Tallinn!

Vilnius-Weekend

Last weekend, Stine, Morten, Michael and I, went to explore the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. It was a great trip, and Vilnius is a very nice city - which after careful consideration ranks second on the list of "most-beautiful-Baltic-capitals" - after a very close fight with Tallinn about the first place, I have to admit. Vilnius should also consider being renamed "the city of weddings", because during the one Saturday we were there, we saw almost 30 weddings! Apart from that, we also had time for sightseeing, hanging out with the trainees in Vilnius, spend a few hours in the Sky Bar - testing out the drink menu while overlooking the city, and to try an unknown number of cafes and chocolate cakes and teas...

Since I have not yet learnt that taking lots of pictures of buildings only seems like a good idea in the very moment of taking them; I owe a big thanks to Morten who has understood the trick that pictures with people on them are a lot more fun when you look at them later...