Sunday, March 22, 2009

Walk to Rivendell - Week 12 Report


The Weather Report

Temperatures are slowly rising, up to +4 TWICE!!! this week and the snow is mostly gone. I’m beginning to believe I might survive. This weeks 'Big Picture' is across what is in summer a marshy bog. That sliver of silver in the far distance is the sea.



I promised a better look at the Ladies. .. and, in as much as Friday was the Equinox or Ostara, and today in Europe is Mother’s Day this seemed like a good week to make good on the promise.


First the sign and a little translation.


Murueide Tütred











Old Estonian folk tales have many stories about Forest Faeries and their kin. The old crone with her daughters normally chose a place near the edges or in clearings within the forest for their dances. These days, however there are no longer places in Estonia set aside for their forest games. Which is why we have created here the first dancing courtyard for the Faerie Mother and her girls.

















Just so you don't feel too sorry for me tromping around in the snow, I stopped for a 'refresher' in the airport bar before returning home.


Weekly STATS

Days walked: 4

Miles: 16.9

Kms.: 27.3

Avg. per day: 4.3 / 6.8

Total to date: 172 / 277

Total to go: 286 / 460


Location in Relation to Frodo & C.

Ground becoming damp, nearing the marshes


11 comments:

sonia said...

great pictures. particularly like the reclining woman.

Rachel Green said...

Oh! I love the ladies!

martha said...

I'm glad you liked them. I had to squelch down a gully and through melting snow to get close enough to get the photos, but it's so Saaremaa to make place for them. The carvings are even more beautiful in the flesh - as it were.

One of these weeks I am going to do a whole post about Islanders and tenacity of the Nature Religion here.

spacedlaw said...

Nice statues. Thanks for the close-ups.

martha said...

Your welcome. They are quite lovely in their wooded glade.

Adam said...

How cool is it to stop in an airport bar before returning home! Did you actually get to see any planes landing or taking off?

martha said...

Hi Adam,
Despite being the 2nd busiest airport in Estonia, ours is a pretty small place. There are about 20 scheduled flights a week plus an assortment of other activities. Just as I arrived a supply helicopter was leaving for an off shore island, and the regular Thursday flight also for Ruhnu Island was boarding. I hope to do a longer post on the airport later when I have more and better photographs.

Unknown said...

The ladies are lovely, and I hope you didn't mind going into the bog to get them. I really appreciated the pictures.

I hope it continues to warm for you!

martha said...

Thanks Steph. I exaggerate my discomfort - doin' a Ron - I was.
The weather service is predicting +5 over the weekend. That would be nice.

Maria Verivaki said...

meeting ladies like this on a walk through a forest is really quite a surprise!

martha said...

Local lore has it that Christianity on Saaremaa, is barely skin-deep. After forcible conversion in 1227, the Islanders never relinquished their connection to the spirits of the forests, fields and sea.