Dear non French speakers, I have decided to dedicate this page to you. I have indeed met so many amazing people on the way and wish to share part of this adventure with you both to thank and inspire you.
I also sorry for the translation as i admit to have googled translated the french version ! I might later on write things directly in english but ... you'll have to wait
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So .... I’ll translate this section later as most of the concerned people speak French. I’ll focus on the rest of the trip and you can always check the photos out as well as the French part of the website 😉
GERMANY
Here I am, headed for Berlin! And especially towards Solitude! I finally really start my journey.5 am, Berlin Hausbahnhof. How early is it! We're an hour early and I haven't closed an eye. Here it does not laugh. No question of staying on the bus for another hour, the driver is in a hurry to get rid of his cargo. So I enter the station and find a place to sleep a little (clodolife here I come!). 6:30 am, I'm being patted on the shoulder. I fell asleep. I open my eyes to the big face of a German controller who gesticulates and speaks way too loud to tell me to leave this children's playground. Okay, no more naps for me. So I go in search of a locker to leave my huge bag, not wanting to visit the city with it, it's way too heavy!Fortunately, the stations are well done. And here I am at dawn to visit this huge city. Well unfortunately the weather is not very nice but that's okay at least it's not raining and it's not too cold. I wander the streets. Passing through the Bundestage or Reichstag, the… Platz, the Liessenstrasse, the opera, the G.markt, the history museum etc… until I find myself at the famous Point Charlie, a crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin . After a short lunch break, we left for a walk to Alexander Platz to attend a free walking tour. Hop there, a guide to tell us a bit of history and show us the alternative districts of Berlin. It's crazy all these tags! Street art is really developed here. I find it magnificent, it brings a lot of color and life. We are entitled to the whole history of the development of Rave Pary, and yes! This is where it all started! Crazy reunification parties that last several weeks, with LSD and other drugs at will! Here The custom is not to smoke or to beer as in Munich (well, everything is relative…. We are in Germany anyway!). After this little tour it is already 6.30 p.m. I'm on the other side of town, but I still have to get my bag. Oh yeah ... I still don't have a place to sleep. I use a metro ticket (I only have 2, it's 3 € so it's precious! I book a hostel not too far from the station and continue my trudge. Once my bag is collected, I have left 30min walk to the hostel One last little effort! Day 2 in Berlin:7:30 am wake up, a short jog in the Tiergarten. One of the biggest parks in Berlin, a must see I was told. What could be better than a morning run to find out? In fact, it's more of a forest in the middle of the city! Finally, it’s very nice!After a good cold shower (I'm trying to gradually get used to the Nordic countries 😉), a coffee and a tea (because why not drink 1L in the morning and need to go to the bathroom all morning (thank you Hélène for your great ideas) !), here I am again on my feet to go to a new walking tour on the "classic" history of Berlin. We walk around the city with our guide, who really has a good tongue, it's super interesting! But what the Germans suffered! (We even go to Hitler's Bunker - and Hitlers garten (where his ashes would be buried)) I meet a Jordanian Super who also traveled alone for several months! How reassuring! She encourages me and finds approval of my project.After that I go to the Jüdisch Museum. And there I am amazed. This museum traces the history of Jews in Germany, but not only. He also explains Judaism and its traditions through the ages through testimonies, films, games ... Finally, he highlights all their know-how with painting exhibitions, music, reminders of Jewish
HAMBOURG
A gentleman with a white beard, with a beret and a small colored scarf and velvet pants is waiting for me when I get off the bus. He looks adorable. We go to his car and start the introductions. He speaks great English! Me who expected to struggle with gestures and my little German! In fact, he has traveled the world. Frankly, it's incongruous, I'm in Germany, with an 80-year-old man thanks to a room mate I met the day before over a beer and he takes me out in perfect English that he took the Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok in 1962, that he hitchhiked the world and most recently (when he was 65) he left for South America with his backpack to fulfill his dream of visiting the Pentagonia.We take a little touristic tour by car to get a first glimpse of the city and then we arrive in Eppendorf at his place. His partner is Croatian and she does not speak a word of English. I will indeed have to start in German but hey it makes me laugh and finally we manage to understand each other.I think it touches her that I'm trying to speak her language. Anyway, the three of us get along really well. Ulrich or Ouli tells me stories of travel, medicine (he is a psychiatrist) and war. It’s a bit of science, but above all it’s very touching to discover what he went through as a young German after the war and the guilt he feels. There is no pride in being German here. He would never sing the national anthem or hang a Schwartz Rot Geld flag. Germany must remain humble and never forget the crimes committed. All of this touches me very much and saddens me. He also talks about how rejected he felt during his travels by other European countries. So he was passing himself off as an American. He never revealed his true nationality for fear of getting lunch. It's another world. During these two days I wander around Hamboug. What a beautiful city once again! In Eppendorf, the Victorian houses have not been destroyed. The rest of the city was bombarded and destroyed by fire at the end of the 19th century, but many brick houses have survived.It is a city on the water. Between the canals, the lake and the Elbe which I tour), we are served! It gives so much charm. I am especially impressed with Hafencity. Old brick houses mix with modern constructions, but it has all been done in perfect harmony. You can admire this tasteful modern architecture, which does not encroach on the charm of the small canals and old houses. Well done to you Hamburgers!On the port side, we can see many cranes on the horizon, it is quite hectic and industrial, finally, we would expect no less from such a large European port! I take a water bus to get a better view of the Harbourg, it's so beautiful, from here I have a magnificent view of the famous Elbephilarmonie, to the top of which I never fail to climb! The view over Hamburg is splendid from here too! Mara, Ouli's partner takes me on a tour of the (many) churches in Hamburg, and I end my second day in Schanzenviertel, a somewhat hippy neighborhood, with lots of tags on old houses and vintage shops.
SWEDEN - BORÅS
This morning, wake up at 5 am to take the train to… Sweden and the first woofing!13 hours of travel, 5 trains and a car are waiting for me. At the border with Denmark a little police break, it's no fun here, the same for Sweden, we stop trains for passport control. To my surprise, no more masks, the Swedes don't even check my vaccine ... but it doesn't take long to get used to it 😉. Swedish impression: They are way too nice and all speak perfect English. It is so nice. We arrive and we are immediately helped if we have a problem with a big smile and no judgment.
Arrived safely at the farm.I am now in the Swedish countryside (20min from the first bus stop), in a family of 4: Jenny, Wiktor, Katen and Zoey. Jenny picked me up from the station. She is 26 years old, since she was little she has lived on this shetland farm which she took over when she was 18. I am amazed by his smile, his joie de vivre and especially his laughter! She laughs all the time it's super nice. No hassle and a busy life (between work, children, horses, house), she does not waste a minute but all that goes quite serenely. She does what she loves in the end, no room for stress and it shows!Wiktor is also super funny even if I don't know him yet. He likes to make fun of us.
As soon as I arrived I met 2 other German volunteers (they have already spent 1 month here, they will show me how the farm works). The next day 2 English women arrive. We are now a small team of 5 girls to run the farm.
Arrived safely at the farm.I am now in the Swedish countryside (20min from the first bus stop), in a family of 4: Jenny, Wiktor, Katen and Zoey. Jenny picked me up from the station. She is 26 years old, since she was little she has lived on this shetland farm which she took over when she was 18. I am amazed by his smile, his joie de vivre and especially his laughter! She laughs all the time it's super nice. No hassle and a busy life (between work, children, horses, house), she does not waste a minute but all that goes quite serenely. She does what she loves in the end, no room for stress and it shows!Wiktor is also super funny even if I don't know him yet. He likes to make fun of us.
As soon as I arrived I met 2 other German volunteers (they have already spent 1 month here, they will show me how the farm works). The next day 2 English women arrive. We are now a small team of 5 girls to run the farm.
As soon as I arrived, I was put to work. It is 7:30 p.m., just done with 13 hours of train and off we go, let's go get the horses;) I am very happy to be immersed directly in the atmosphere. It looks good. Small quiet evening meeting with the girls.
Routine :Up 7am: filling with hay and water for the horses. Collecting eggs laid during the night (there are a lot of them!) It is also necessary to feed the dogs, cats and chickens. Then we take out the horses then "mucking out" of the boxes. Once all of this is done free time! We are going for a walk;) Nature is so beautiful between fields, forests and lakes what is soothing!After the lunch break it leaves for the afternoon work. Chopping wood, collecting hay, tidying up the attic, moving lots of things, finally sweeping ... all the little tasks you don't think about. If there is time, a little walk with the ponies or "on our own" then return at 6pm for dinner (yes yes, we eat early here!)7:30 p.m. time to bring in the horses. We leave well covered in the night with our torches in search of the horses.And now, sleep :) It's disturbing at first that they go to bed so early but eventually, it gets dark early and the days are busy so you get used to it quickly.
Wake up at 7am, short jog through the countryside to get started. We continue with the rest of the day and then forward for a walk to the lake and ... a swim. IF I had been told that I would swim in the Swedish lakes one day ... But it feels so good afterwards!We continue with a brunch and card games before resuming wood cutting. At the end of the afternoon we take the shetlands for a walk, the 4 dogs of the house follow us. it is paradise. It's cold but "the sun is shining"! I am just in a dream. To end this magnificent day, we go up to sunset with Jenny. That's wonderful. The walk ends at night under a huge moon. It's just splendid.
Every day is the same and at the same time everyone is different. There is always a special little joy. The last two days were quite difficult because it was raining but a horseback ride or a swim in the lake or even games and more and more games illuminated them.Today fatigue is making itself felt. Not a mental fatigue as we are used to but the body which has less strength. It's a strange feeling. However, we still get up in the morning and work like every other day. In fact the hardest part is to start, a bit like in cold water, you have to go in and then everything flows easily.Today a little joy comes to help us start the day: the sun.It left to feed the hens, collect the eggs, take the hay to the fields, take the horses out, wash the boxes, fill the water and the hay and ... dismantle the "hay dryer" from the old attic. We have metal tools that we use as leverage to lift wooden bars. The structure is about 2 meters long and dates from about 50 years ago (it is falling apart a bit). Our job is to dismantle it and remove all the hay from the attic in order to redo the stable roof which is too low. We therefore climb the somewhat rickety structure and equipped with our tools we tear off the slats one by one. In truth, it is quite satisfying but it is a long term job, we have it for several days.The day continues in joy and good humor with a little horse riding. We take our horses to do some exercise! How good it is to gallop! The speed is so exhilarating, the wind in your ears and hair, nature as far as the eye can see and the autumn sunlight that makes the landscape soothing.
After brushing our mounts, head for the lake for a swim (I can almost cross it now and it's getting easier and easier to get back in! It's crazy how the human body adapts quickly ...)To end our day in style, we watch a movie together. Jenny, Wiktor, Siena and Emma (from the uk), Hanna and Lina (aus Deutschland) and me. Do we almost form a small family or a group of friends? Relationships are strange but we have a good time;)
It's been a few days since I wrote. Here we are always very busy and I do not always have the courage to continue the blog in the evening. But I still need to keep you updated on what's going on. Last week at Jenny's before leaving for the far north in Norway.
Halloween is coming. We cut pumpkins (Pumpa in Swedish - it's too cute!) To make soup but especially lanterns. It's harder than it looks but the result is great!After this little creative workshop on October 30, head for Halloween evening!We arrive at the other Jenny's (40) at 9 - Jenny (26) has invited Wiktor (her boyfriend) and us 5 (the workawayers) as well as Bella (her best friend) and her boyfriend - as much to say as the room fills up ...We are all in disguise and the house is perfectly in the theme! Jenny (40) even broke her arm while decorating! In short, we spend a nice evening, quite strange due to the age differences but the music is good;) (and we are watered at will).
On Sunday we drive Wiktor's tractor and go to his farm.
Monday, here I am embarked with Jenny to shoe horses. I accompany her to work because she needs help with a somewhat difficult horse ... it is not easy to be a farrier!
More swimming in the lake, always work in the attic - we have finally finished the hay dryer! and ... many horse rides!Wednesday we decide to leave despite the rain (you have to get used to the bad weather;)) and off we go for a walk that will last 3 hours thanks to our wonderful sense of direction! But so much galloping - it's awesome.
Another notable stroll Thursday night at night. Here, it is dark at 4 o'clock ... We leave around 6 o'clock we would think it is 10 o'clock but we do not have a flashlight ... It's quite strange feeling. We see absolutely nothing at the beginning then the eyes get used to it a little but the darkness is still very present. We must therefore let ourselves be guided by the horses who know the surroundings very well. A rather impressive experience of surrender and letting go! It is also very exhilarating because all the senses are alert and much sharper than everyday.
During the week I also do Baseball, the horse that I ride most of the time (well I only do one foot - it's too physical!).
To continue my momentum I'm going to tell you about the day Monday but above all ... about the work of "farrier"
In Sweden, we study for 3 years in a specialized school with internships. Everyone finds their way to practice outside of class. For Jenny, nothing could be easier. Her parents have a farm of 80 shetlands that she can shoeize at will.It's funny as a job, on the one hand it's very meticulous, it involves filing the hooves (hoof) and making sure that everything is flat so that the horse does not have back problems. On the other hand, it's downright nag! It takes a lot of strength to lift the hooves, lift the irons, drive the nails ... a good mix between handyman and beautician. What you should also know is that the irons are changed every 2 months and that they can come off quite easily. It is therefore necessary to have a regular follow-up of the horses. However, not all horses need "shoes". We only do those who train regularly. It protects their hooves and prevents them from breaking.Fun fact: in Sweden we use spade irons in winter so that the horses do not slip on the snow, a bit like chains on tires! Horses' feet are also very important because of the fork in the middle, you know that triangular part in the middle of the hoof. It is a rather sensitive part which, when the horse is walking, allows the blood to circulate in its legs (if the horse does not exercise, its blood does not rise and this can cause retention problems!)
Question: Is it good to ride horses? Shouldn't they be left free?
Jenny: Just like humans, horses don't like inactivity and they like to work. The key is not to over-train it and to use gentle methods to ride it while paying close attention to its well-being.(she is quite upset against jumping competitions which damaged the muscles of the horses).
Small conclusion - Jenny has several clients around Ingeshult, she goes up to 1h30 drive to shoe the different horses. Self-entrepreneur, she chooses the number of appointments per day and thus has a fairly flexible schedule that allows her to take care of her children.Monday we go to a dairy cow farm to shoe 4 huge horses. They were beautiful but so big - at least two meters tall, I felt very small! And there, the height of bad luck, Jenny asks me to hold the new horse - very young he is too fiery for her to do it alone. I then find myself having to proclaim this immense beast. I hold him at his head level, he struggles a lot, it's quite impressive but I hold on until he bites me! I must admit that this discourages me a bit, luckily the torture is over soon! And this little incident is nothing compared to what a farrier can endure.Jenny has already received several very purple blows in the stomach. We must not be cold in the eyes!
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SWEDEN - HITCHHIKING
Hej Hej as we say here!
So ... some news ... Monday big departure for the next workaway in Tromso in the far north of Norway (I hadn't realized how far it was or how long Sweden and Norway were country).
Not having planned my trip too much, I couldn't find a train to take me to the North Pole. But ... against bad luck, good heart! I'm hitchhiking!Surrender, trust, providence. Guess that's what I came for. But I must admit that at the beginning was a bit scary. Like any novelty, you have to get started, the first dive is cold and then it's nice.
So I waited more than 2 hours at the exit of Boras before finding a car. That day I managed to reach Stockholm - 6 hours drive in 10 hours. I couldn't go to Sweden without visiting the capital!Short night at the hostel with 14 other people in the room including a tractor-type snorer.After a little morning glimpse of the city I decide to leave. However ... It's raining and that for the hitchhiking is really not cool! After 40 minutes of walking to get out of the city I find myself at the entrance to the highway freezing under the rain. Fortunately a car stops quickly.around noon I spend the 3 worst hours of the year. It's snowing / raining. Nobody stops, it's -2 ° C. Really not a lot of fun but I persevere, somebody's gonna stop eventually! Patience and length of time are more than strength or rage. Indeed a Serbian ended up stopping. He only goes to the next town but offers to take me to my destination for an additional 2h30 by road for him. I am really touched and I accept too happy not to have to go out again in the night and the cold.
That evening I stop at Sundsvall. I try couchsurfing and really, I am not disappointed. My host is a history teacher in his thirties. He cooks me a Moose that he hunted himself, serves me wine and tells me about the history of Scandinavian countries amoung other things. The next morning I wake up with a very pink sky and a very ready breakfast!I visit the city and walk in the mountains under a beautiful sun. Everything is snowy, it's very magical and the buildings are very beautiful; large, colorful 19th century villas.
After my little frolics I take a train to Umea where a host is waiting for me.
UMEA
Here I am again with the rest of the adventures;)
Wednesday evening, arrived in Umea, a small university town of 9000 inhabitants - the largest city in the world from this latitude.
I am welcomed there by Fay and Rasmus, met on couchsurfing. They will host me until Friday. Fay comes from Greece and studies psychology at the university and Rasmus is Swedish, he is an English and history teacher here and he is a great runner (trails, marathons etc ...)
Fay for his part hitchhiked Europe. They are adorable and the feeling goes really well. We spend several hours chatting.
Thursday I visit the small town which reminds me of a giant campus. It's full of students, bicycles, alleys and cycle paths between the "copper red" houses. I also spend a lot of time at the largest university sports center in Europe doing aqua gym (more sporty than you think) and yoga. In the evening Rasmus takes me running around the lake, it feels too good to stretch your legs like that!
Oh yeah, too, they lend me a bike and that - that's precious to me! I feel so good with the air caressing my face, I missed it.
Finally ... I greatly appreciate this little stay in this insignificant little town.
Friday morning is the separation for Kiruna or Tromso, depending on my ability to stop cars and my luck.
BETWEEN SWEDEN AND NORWAY
Today the weather is nice! I wouldn't say the sun is shining because it doesn't come up but ... that's the idea, the sky is blue (pale). I am lucky to go fishing with the neighbor! However… you have to cover yourself. So I stack the layers and off we go. I've never fished before! Can't wait to find out! I am so grateful to have this chance! Age, is adorable, he has laughing eyes and a very sweet gaze. We feel good with him. We arrive at his cabin on the beach. He takes out his little fishing boat, which we embark on a few minutes later. After 15 min of engine you are in the middle of the fjord, surrounded by mountains. The sky is barely colored with blue, pinkish shades appear over the hours, a luminous halo, as if the sun is trying to point its nose, drawing the white mountains, not a sound, not a movement. We are launching our lines. We spend 3 hours and 30 minutes on the water, but I don't see the time passing. It’s a very strange feeling. We bring back 10 large fish including one of eight kg, caught by me. (Well actually I fished 3 and age 7!).
Back at the cabin, we bring the boat in and ... take care of the fish.
It’s not the best experience of my life because it’s really cold! We chop their heads, empty their intestines and make fillets out of them. We have a good 2 hours of all this work. Patience! On the bright side, it's a wonderful time with Age and we manage to communicate a bit.
Friday, big departure.
The sun is with me this time! It feels so good!
I was quickly picked up by a first car, then a second.
It is an 85-year-old man (who seems 70), on the road to Bodö, to sign his recently published autobiography. Perfect ! I have a topic of conversation ready! And indeed, he has a passionate life between army, politics, travel organization and politics.
But what touches me is his kindness, he explains to me the places we go through, nature here, Sweden! And shows me several cities (which I would call more villages;)). Thanks to him I have a good overview of the country.
I especially notice these little red houses that I have already told you about. They are everywhere, spread out in the middle of the countryside - surrounded by ... nothing. It's a little home playmobile, it looks like we can move them at will.
Finally, I have a new explanation for the color. In fact, they are covered with wood to insulate from the cold but also with copper paint (there are mines in the center of the country) because it is also a very good insulator.
We spend several hours together in the car along the E4, the road that points north along the coast. The landscapes are absolutely splendid! I am touched. I think this is the first time that I have been touched so much by nature.
We alternate between countryside, forests, sea and lakes with a sky which gradually pink and the lakes which freeze up in the north. More words to describe.
After Pelle (that's his name), I was picked up by three Swedes. Two do not speak English at all (first time I meet some;)) And the third is a travel and car feru. He has 52! He also wants to visit 100 countries before he turns 60 - the counter is now 50. He makes me laugh.
Finally, they drop me off at a truck station at 4.30 p.m. As much to tell you that it is pitch black and that I am starting to wonder if I will arrive at my destination that evening.
The trouble is, I'm at this station in the middle of nowhere. My alternatives are less. Either I sleep in the gas station, or I find a car that will have to take me directly to my destination because there are no more cities after this station! (there are more than 4 hours until Kiruna).
Not really wanting to sleep there, I take my courage in both hands and knock on the doors of the trucks. I spotted two with a Norwegian sign, this may be my luck!
Indeed, I am rewarded. The drivers are driving to Tromso tonight! That is the demand of the people? Providence is with me!
After a good shower (at the truck drivers station) we start our journey which will last 9 hours. I'm so happy. It's hard to describe this feeling but the smile really does not leave my lips.
I am proud to have succeeded! From Boras it is more than 2000 km. I hitchhiked them, in the middle of winter, under the sun as well as in the rain, snow, wind and above all ... the cold!
During the whole journey I am like in a dream. We are on a snow-covered road surrounded by fir trees. (Sweden is one of the biggest producers of paper.) There is not a car and we meet several wild animals: Mooses, reindeer, foxes, I am overwhelmed.
The snow falls thickly and hits the huge windshield of the truck, the impression
NORWAY
Here I am in Sostraumen, north of Tromso. It is very difficult to go further north!
After my famous night at the airport I take a bus to meet Louise, my host. We are then left for 4 hours of road to the north!
Louise is a Danish 40-year-old who decided to come to the North Pole to create a special meditation center. Occupational therapist by profession she trained in tourism and is now writing a thesis on the different senses - according to her we don't have 5 but 8! (Including our internal senses). So this is the idea of its center: to welcome different guests (professional or not) and offer them seminars around these senses, with different activities highlighting them. It includes, for example, the harvest of herbs or berries, the making of jams, syrups or oils / soaps, the making of baskets, fishing, sledding or meditation. The goal is to become aware of the impact of each of our senses. We can indeed say that this is the ideal place! Lost above the Arctic Circle in a Norwegian fjord, the first town is 30 minutes by car (and it's a village!).
Here everything is absence. In winter the landscape is bichromatic. It’s quite impressive. You can almost see it in black and white. No smell, no sound, no movement. Everything is frozen. Nothing. Only the cold, biting every limb, every inch of skin!
This hostile nature then makes it possible to notice each sensation. The smell of iodine rising from the sea, the log fire in the fireplace. The food, the heat on the skin when entering the house, the moonlight, the pale pink of the sky or the sunlight that tries to rise in vain. The sound of a bird or the wind ... Everything is increased tenfold.
On the workaway side, not much to do. I maintain the fire (we are heated by the stove, no radiator) and take care of the wood, I cook and take the Brutus for a walk. The rest of the time is free. It’s a bit of an ordeal, but at the same time it’s calming. I run, the cold wind whips my face but ultimately it's super pleasant to run in the cold (BE CAREFUL of ice and skating!), I will swim on the black beach (no sand but black pebbles), the water freezes me to the bone, next challenge: swim! Walks as far as the eye can see and ... a little after dark (total darkness at 3pm), I paint, or at least, I try!).
Today the weather is nice! I wouldn't say the sun is shining because it doesn't come up but ... that's the idea, the sky is blue (pale). I am lucky to go fishing with the neighbor! However… you have to cover yourself. So I stack the layers and off we go. I've never fished before! Can't wait to find out! I am so grateful to have this chance! Age, is adorable, he has laughing eyes and a very sweet gaze. We feel good with him. We arrive at his cabin on the beach. He takes out his little fishing boat, which we embark on a few minutes later. After 15 min of engine you are in the middle of the fjord, surrounded by mountains. The sky is barely colored with blue, pinkish shades appear over the hours, a luminous halo, as if the sun is trying to point its nose, drawing the white mountains, not a sound, not a movement. We are launching our lines. We spend 3 hours and 30 minutes on the water, but I don't see the time passing. It’s a very strange feeling. We bring back 10 large fish including one of eight kg, caught by me. (Well actually I fished 3 and age 7!).
Back at the cabin, we bring the boat in and ... take care of the fish.
It’s not the best experience of my life because it’s really cold! We chop their heads, empty their intestines and make fillets out of them. We have a good 2 hours of all this work. Patience! On the bright side, it's a wonderful time with Age and we manage to communicate a bit.
After the cut back home finally ... Äge invites me to have lunch at his place. It is so good when entering! His wife makes us toast, coffee and a good lunch and we spend the afternoon chatting. It's complicated at first because she doesn't speak a word of English and I don't speak a word of Norwegian! But with the few words of age, gestures, songs, cards we manage to communicate and we talk like this for 2 hours. It is a very precious moment. They are really too nice.
Experience loneliness and independence. Today I am going for a walk. My destination is about ten km from the house in the woods. It's a small cabin where I can spend the night isolated from everything! I walk in the snow, the landscapes are magnificent. I'm lucky the sky is clear, it's pastel with purple and pink undertones. I walk among the trees. At the beginning it is quite practicable, no choice but to follow the path but after a few km it gets complicated! There must be blue dots but half of it is covered with snow and it's not very systematic! I notice the footprints and decide to try to follow them: they will lead me somewhere ... I zigzag between the trees, pass icy rivers (be careful not to set foot in ice camouflaged by the snow!) And ended up coming to a suspension bridge. Phew! I'm on the right track! Once the bridge is crossed (I do not lead wide anyway, at any time I slip and fall into the river 20m below!) But the test has passed - it's a bit like a video game this level is validated, although 'it happens after I will not go back to square one but to this point. I tell myself that if the footprints have led me to the bridge, they will lead me to the cabin. And ... bet verified, I arrive at a little wooden house by the river. Okay ... so this is where I will spend the night. Step 1: light a fire in the stove, chop wood, fetch water from the river ... Anyway, camping what. I have a hard time lighting the fire at first because my hands are too cold, I can't seem to light the match. Fortunately after a few attempts it works!
Night falls and I spend the end of the afternoon reading and writing in the cabin. The only problem is that it does heat up a bit, but not too much. I keep my puffer jacket on and I barely take off my hat! I keep the fire going all the time but nothing to do it doesn't heat up fast enough. I'm going to take a little bath in the river, when I come back I'm hot for a few minutes and then… the cold comes back! I end up going to bed and there, miraculously, it heats the room! Better late than never shall we say ...
So I managed to sleep rather peacefully but the next day it was back home! I need too much company! Well ... I'm still proud to have had this experience. And then, at night the moon was magnificent, it lit the river almost as in broad daylight! Good surprise in the morning, it's snowing! It is too beautiful ! The trees are all white! I walk in very fresh snow, not a noise around and… it is still warmer when it snows!
Finally I get home, what does that feel good. The weather is good here, there is light and people to talk to.
FINLAND
Monday, we leave with Ben. I find 2 other volunteers (a Dutch and a German) who help him throughout the year with the dogs. We leave for 9 hours of road towards Finland. Arrival at the border Ben has to show the passports of his 34 dogs, we wait more than an hour before the doinnier reluctantly lets us pass – finally – we finally pass. 8am, arrival in Rovaniemi on the polar circle. We unload the dogs and hang them in their kennels. Only problem, the chains are not the right length! So here we are at -24°C cutting the chains and holding the hammers to adjust everything. I have to admit that the timing is a little hard! The cold and the fatigue of the trip do not mix well. I can't feel my feet or my hands and my face burns intensely. Luckily all sorrow comes to an end and we find ourselves in a small cabin (where Ben and the girls will be spending the month) with Micky and Valentina the Aupair girl. They ordered food. How good does it feel to warm up! (Well of course last test! go to the dry toilets outside (no question of running water here!). After this great moment, I still have no place to sleep. I'm going home with Valentina, she's a 19-year-old German who took a gap year before starting her studies. We get along really well and I'm very happy to find some young company after these weeks of isolation. We stop at the edge of a frozen lake to try to walk on it, but our efforts are quickly discouraged by the first creak we hear. The sky is magnificent, the stars shine brightly, we stay there on the lake with their heads in the air. It's extremely cold, the moment is magical. And there, a white veil appears in the sky - the Northern Lights have not finished their surprises! There they are again like ghosts among the stars They advance in the sky, so thin and light. They caress the stars. The Finns say claim that it is the spirits of the dead trying to contact Earth.
We end up getting into the car, the reality of the cold catching up with us! luckily there are heated seats :p in real life it's super nice - very good gadget! Short. While talking I learn that I am in the famous "town of Santa Claus". Valentina offers to show me around Santa's Village the next day. I happily accept.
I spend the night on the sofa (we continue couchsurfing 😉). The next day breakfast with Micky. It's awesome. He is a German who came to Finland for the beautiful eyes of Katty with whom they have two children. He converted to "dog mushing" - He has over 60 sled dogs (Alaskan huskies). He proudly explains to me that he bridles them himself. It is an art. The goal is to have very efficient dogs for the races. They must be able to eat anything (you can't find much in the middle of glaciers 😉), they must be enduring, social and powerful and robust. Finally, we don't care about their appearance! He has a grudge against the mushers of Siberian Huskies (the purebreds that look like Disney dogs – Blue Eyed Wolf Dogs). According to him, the clamping is only done on the appearance of the dog, without taking into account his health, which makes these dogs less and less efficient. Finally, he makes me laugh a lot, he is really passionate about his dogs and the races. But I'm very interested in discovering a bit of this universe which I don't know anything about (already I feel a little ashamed because I thought that a husky was indeed the Disney dog, I was completely unaware that he there were two races!).
After our endless discussions, we leave with Valentina for Santa’s village. Frankly, nothing exceptional, little red houses, snow, campfires, teepees and igloos, elves and… the possibility of taking a picture with Santa. Here is where… Oh yes and of course… endless shop souvenirs! But … we are in the forest above the city, the road is snowy and the sky is pale pink. I have never seen it so pink before. No gradient, no shades, just an endless pastel pink. I am glued, with the white of the snow and the frosted trees, it looks like a fairy tale. Valentina then takes me to her Finnish class and then we take Micky's youngest to German class. So here I am in Finland playing soccer and maze with 6-year-olds, in German. Frankly, the situation is Caucasian. We then go back to Micky's and we start preparing dinner. We're supposed to cook freshly killed sheep. I see myself being given a leg that I have to cut off – back to dissection class in biology. In real life it's funny but it takes forever when you don't know how to do it! Finally, the hour of mo
So I arrive in Turku at 7:30 am. Only two more buses to take before arriving in Livonsaari. No problem getting into the first one. I don't have a bus ticket or an app to download one. When I report the problem to the driver he takes pity on me and gives me a 'free ride' - I'm 'bus-hitchhiking' now! Here I am finally arrived in a small village to take my second bus. Unfortunately it only comes twice a day and the next one is at 12:40 p.m. I walk a little blindly in the village and come across a rare adorable passer-by who shows me a little cafe with a big smile. So I wait there for a few hours. It's funny, all the little grandmothers come to meet there, there is a good atmosphere. Three of them are very intrigued by my backpack and we start a discussion. They are really adorable! So far so good! When I come out, the sun is shining. And I stay planted there with its rays on my face (unfortunately it does not heat up in this season). I'm so happy to find him! I had missed it - without really realizing it.
I get on the bus to Livonsaari. The only problem is that my host has not responded for 3 days. So I don't have its exact address but only the name of a bus stop. She doesn't necessarily know that I'm coming today...
The bus drops me off in the middle of the countryside by the side of the road. Luckily for me a little grandmother gets off at the same stop. She asks me where I'm going. I don't even remember the name of my host. And I have no address other than the name of the stop. I mumble a few syllables of the first name I remember and Ody says to me: AH but Sini, Sinikka? She lives there, we're going to the same place, follow me!
Frankly, I'm flabbergasted. If that isn't providence I don't know what is!
So I arrive in front of a large yellow house and knock on the door. Sini comes to let me in, surprised. Indeed, she had not received my messages, she still opens her door wide for me. I also meet Eetu, her boyfriend. They welcome me so well I am impressed. I arrive in the middle of an afternoon, without warning, and there they are, welcoming me like a queen. They are 31 and 33 years old. I discuss with Sini. She explains the concept of living here to me. It is a community, founded to allow those who wish to come and live in an alternative way. Everyone buys a piece of land and can then build their house and grow their plants, etc. Everyone brings their stone to the building, some cultivate - permaculture, others are carpenters, beekeepers, or work for the store. Events are organized regularly to which everyone is invited. Most members do not have running water or heating. Here we heat everything with wood and we fetch water from the source!
We talk for long hours with Eetu and Sini, I finally find the convivial meals that I had missed so much! In addition, we cook everything local and healthy, most come from the garden or surrounding farms.
Every day is different. It's starting to get really cold. I thought it was warmer here but in fact it's -18°C so nothing changes. But it's still pleasant and invigorating to go out for a walk or run. Often when I run my eyelashes freeze and my cheeks burn. No question of standing still for more than 10min! You have to walk or move at all times. And... stack the layers of clothes!
Saturday is Sauna Day! My first experience! Each family has its Sauna. There are even "Sauna boats" in the summer! Sini and Eetu's is a wood-fired sauna, now some are electric and inside the houses but theirs is a small wooden hut outside. We prepare it 1 hour before going there so that it is very hot. It's a very friendly moment. Diffuse a few essential oils and douse yourself with cold water at first. About every 30 minutes we go out to breathe. Unfortunately, despite the cold, there is no snow yet. So we look at the stars for long minutes, letting the icy wind blow on our naked bodies. (The tradition being not to have clothes). The feeling is magical. I don't know exactly how many hours we stay talking in the sauna, probably between 2 and 3 hours. At the end, spray with cold water and wash thoroughly. I feel so good.
Sunday, time for massage. Eetu is trained in a kind of traditional Finnish osteopathy. He therefore needs a guinea pig and I am the perfect target. I therefore have the right to a full session of massages for 1h30. We should take care of ourselves so much more often. If it were up to me, I would establish this Sauna tradition in France - for the good of the body but also for conviviality.
Monday is Finnish Independence Day. National day and therefore public holiday. Eetu and I are going to a party in Turku. We dance for hours before attending a concert of traditional music to end up singing a Finnish song all together. We are given sheets with the lyrics. So I sing with others but I have no idea what I'm saying and the words are so long! Too many consonants side by side! It's a bit of a hippy environment. And everyone does what they feel like doing. It's so nice not to feel judged and to have no social barriers on how to act, how will the other person see me? Am I going to hurt him by doing this? What can I say ? No manners here! Only listening to the body. It's liberating. (I see it especially in dancing – no one is afraid to let go – but also in songs and music during which some fall asleep others close their eyes or sing).
Tuesday is "windows day", we spend several hours sanding sanding sanding the paint to obtain a flat and clean surface. We still have work to do, it will be a long-term task. We have fun at the end of the afternoon by sorting the coriander seeds. Harvested this summer and dried in the fall. Here you have to be meticulous, it's a fairly repetitive task but with a little music and discussions it goes by rather quickly. I've given up trying to find my way in time anyway! It gets dark around 4 a.m. and then whether it's 5 a.m. or midnight...it's the same thing! Either way, it's convenient because the days never end. I often go for walks late without feeling like it or we can have dinner at 5am without it being a problem. In general, we also get up quite late. We don't start anything before 9:30 a.m., the time of sunrise.
All life is slowed down. It is the time of rest and the Nordic countries are particularly pushed for it because the sun sets very early and the cold does not encourage anyone to spend time outdoors. IN a way I find it beautiful to be able to follow the rhythm of nature. More hyperactivity. No guilt about being more tired, sleeping more, having less energy. Just as nature stops, as animals hibernate, we too need a time of recuperation, more interior so that we can then hatch and bloom in the spring. Find all our energy and make our entourage benefit from it.
Sini is a singer and Eetu a musician. Everyone made it their business for a while before retracting, stopping the concerts, because their passion was turning into an obligation. However, they continue to love the music and I have the right to a small private concert. It's so beautiful. I'm not really used to music but it's really something that touches me. Finally they show me some notes on the piano and we end the evening by playing all three. This moment out of time will remain in my memory.
They also set up a band in the community, one evening during a rehearsal I participate (very very summarily with percussion) but hey... it's always funny but above all the atmosphere is warm and we play music. Everyone at their own level but the whole is really harmonious and everyone enjoys the moment.
Sunday we go to one of Sini's friends for a brunch. She is also a singer and plays a traditional Finnish instrument resembling a zither. She has a magnificent voice. She also plays some songs for us. It's so melodious. She has a slightly deep and powerful voice. And a smile crossing her face as she plays. In the afternoon we go for a walk. It's super beautiful but so cold! Eetu and Sini take me to a watchtower from which we have a 360° view. It's absolutely sublime, especially with this weather. We see forests as far as the eye can see and the sea. Not a house in sight! We stay a few minutes in silence to admire. I feel the cold on my face. Every inch of skin burns, my eyelashes are frozen but the view is so beautiful! We end up going home.
The gang invites us to a pizza party. Arshad, Azerbaijani worked in an Italian restaurant in Siberia. He teaches us the art of rolling out the dough, it's quite comical and our pizzas look a little too much like Swiss cheese! We then go out to take a dip in the jaccuzi. A wood-fired hot tub! They built a wooden basin in which there is a stove with a long chimney. So we take a very hot (or too hot) bath under the stars. It takes strength to get out! After braving the cold to get home, I teach them Pogo and we finish the evening playing card games.
Sunday I have a sudden desire to see people. Need to socialize. Finally, I go for a walk and eventually find the volunteers. They take me to a Lativio-Polish couple in the community. So we spend the afternoon chatting in their wooden house before organizing a birthday dinner for a friend from Arshad. He is also from Azerbaijan. They cook him a specialty from there, a kind of traditional pancakes with vegetables. It's super good and... we move on to another card game night.
Back to the windows Monday morning, Tuesday we visit Turku except that… Sini and Eetu are health antipass. Out of the question to be vaccinated (Eetu is a bit conspiratorial on the edges) We spend the day walking and shopping. When evening comes, we find one of their friends (Sergiok) with the intention of going to a café but… it is after 6 p.m., everyone is asking us for a health pass…. We end up calling a friend of Sergiok's who has a Pizzeria in the Outskirts, he won't check! It’s still funny these pass stories… In Finland it is compulsory in places serving alcohol after 6 p.m. Wednesday, windows again and in the evening… Sauna! Thursday, the ground finally thawed! So we can plant garlic, weed, plant flowers. The day is devoted to gardening. And the end of the afternoon in the kitchen. We're having friends tonight. Sini prepares traditional Christmas dishes for us. I participate by messing up a mayonnaise, recovering it and whipping egg whites by hand to make a chocolate mousse. My last evening is grandiose. After all this good food, philosophical discussions and a stroll under the stars, the songs go on until the end of the evening.
Now is the time for me to go to Estonia. After a quick jump to Helsinki, I boarded the Ferry towards Tallinn and… a new place.
ESTONIA
After a few hours on the boat, here I am finally in Estonia, in Tallinn, capital of the askip country! It's 10 p.m. Only problem, there are no more buses to get me to Uuri, my next workaway. Of course I'm still not familiar with the organization! Too bad, it's time to improvise, at worst I'll sleep at the port terminal. After a few messages on coachsurfing here I am with three proposals to spend the night! It's unexpected! So I find myself in the center of Tallinn with Dina, a 23-year-old Estonian and her boyfriend ... a Frenchman! We spend a great evening / night, she loves to travel and especially she loves Southeast Asia. She also tells me about Venice beach in California - the hippie beach. What she describes excites me so much! but at the same time I still have this image of the "fake" American. I tell myself that it's time to get rid of the clichés after 3 months of travel! But hey... it seems like it takes time to get rid of received and constructed ideas...
The next day, after a vegan brunch (with a chickpea omelette) I left for the farm.
Saturday afternoon, arrival in Kolga. I wait at the bus stop, in front of a kind of mansion, surrounded by some ruins, a forest and the countryside. No other houses in sight. I watch the cars. Mairi has to come get me. After a few minutes I see a mother accompanied by three toddlers. They move very slowly, the smallest barely walking. They are so cute rolled up in their jumpsuits. The mother shouts to me in the distance, "we are coming for you!" I collect my huge bag (the coats and suits pile up on top, thanks to multiple donations from my various hosts!
The children have spent the day at the school Christmas party and they are tired on the way home. After a few minutes by car we arrived at the house. It's night. I will have a better overview the next day! We go back to get warm. I get to know my new hosts over a cup of tea and fruit. Kristo makes me laugh, he's a housewife. Mairi, she goes to Tallinn everyday to work while her husband stays to manage the farm. They have sheep, (wool) goats and chickens. Suffice to say that it takes time to take care of all these people! And... the youngest, Erik doesn't go to school yet, so he has to be managed at the same time as the rest of the farm.
Kristo has a slightly sarcastic sense of humor that I appreciate with a taste for details that is a little destabilizing. Mairi, she has a reassuring and welcoming smile and laugh. The three children are also adorable. Three little blonds with whom we start making origami. Luckily the children don't need to talk a lot and they prefer to do so because I don't speak a lot of Estonian and they... not a word of English!
The next day we get to work. Kristo shows me the farm, how to feed the chickens, how to feed the goats, how to thaw the water so that the animals can drink despite the cold! (I admit that I had never thought of this problem!). He also shows me the whole woman. There was a front mill. Some old buildings from another time are still standing, magnificent wooden houses, typical of the region. Ruins too, Kristo knows the history of the place well. In fact most of the buildings fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance and lack of money during the Soviet era. It is therefore very recent - the houses were still standing in the 1960s - they are nothing more than stones!
After this little tour of the property, he also shows me his workshop. He collects wood to make dishes, spinning tops, plates and even bracelets. Overall he likes things that require "curving" I love it!
In the evening Mairi shows me the wool they collect. We start by smoothing it by hand. This is the third step. First we shave the sheep, then we wash the wool (we can also dye it at this stage), then comes this first pass by hand. Once the wool has been disentangled, we pass it through a kind of roller to smooth it, we then obtain a kind of woolen cotton that can be spun.
I find it absolutely crazy to have this time during the day to take care of animals, outdoor work and in the evening or afternoon a time for "arts and crafts". It's so balanced!
One day it snows! and not just a little! it's magic, we will have snow for Christmas! We spend the day having snowball fights and sledding, we also have to clear the driveway and remove the snow from the greenhouse (otherwise it collapses under the accumulating weight). We start piling up the excess snow to make an igloo. We will have to wait a bit to dig it because the snow is too fine and powdery (it is too cold so it is not yet compact).
Every day it continues to snow, every day we clear and ... We go cross-country skiing! It's great but what am I laughing at the beginning! I am unable to stand. As soon as I put on my skis, I lose my balance because I lean on my heels. Here I am with my buttocks on the ground. I get up with a little difficulty, it slips! and I leave convinced that it will not happen again. Nay, barely a slide further I'm back on the ground. This story was harder than expected, I who thought I knew how to ski... Well, the rest of the adventures are all the same more interesting and I end up finding a kind of balance after a while. I also really like the sensations even if it has nothing to do with downhill skiing. ²Especially since there are no mountains here. On the other hand, we are in the heart of the Lahema natural park. The nature is therefore magnificent and it is worth exploring the trails on skis!
Since that famous December 23, it snows almost every day. It's quite impressive and how nice it is to walk in the powder! In fact, as it is very cold (temperatures are below -5°C), the snow is very fine and does not soak up water. This gives a very light powder snow in which it is very very good to lie down or let yourself fall!
New Year's Eve:
As Kristo and Mairi tell me, Christmas is not really a tradition in Estonia. The regime of the USSR forbade this Christian and "Western" celebration and offered to celebrate the New Year instead.
However, after the 90s, Santa Claus finally found his way to this country and brings many presents here too.
On the evening of the 24th, after having gone to feed the animals in the forest as well as the goats and the sheep (which are entitled to raspberry branches as candy), we return with the children and ... a bag of gifts has been deposited in front of the entrance. What a pity ! They missed PakaPik again!
Finally, they recover quickly and begin to unpack their presents. It's lovely to see their excitement. Kristo and Mairi also thought of me, I admit that I am touched. I receive a wooden plate made by kristo from "Estonia" laces and a reflector (compulsory for any night outing) - joking aside, it says here that every driver must have a pair of scissors on him in order to cut the "reflector "if he knocks down a pedestrian - so there's no need to pay, the passer-by is at fault.
Short. After the gifts, it's time to sit down to eat. On the menu, a roast pork marinated in orange, vinegar cabbage, a beetroot salad with cream, potatoes, black pudding and "picked pumpkin". For dessert, I prepared them a log with chestnuts and chocolate. Boin.. actually, I have to admit that I miss our turkey but... you have to taste the traditional dishes of the different cultures. In winter nothing grows so ... we stock up summer vegetables - hence pickled cabbage or pickled pumpkins. We end the evening by playing different games received by the children.
Christmas day :
I had asked Kristo to take me to mass (a matter of providence once again!) They are not Christians at all - Mairi explains to me that going to Church has become a fashion after the fall of the In the USSR, people went there because it was a western custom that showed a sign of civilization and development, in addition it allowed them to break any belonging to the communist regime. Finally, always being that she decides to take me (with the children, to show them what a religious ceremony looks like). So we meet on the morning of the 25th in a small Estonian church surrounded by 2 priests and 5 little old people. I don't know if I'm in a catholic or protestant church. The ceremony begins, I don't understand a word. After a few minutes the children are fed up and Mairi takes them outside. The problem is that it's really cold... After half an hour of homily in Estonian, I give up and go out as well. At least I prayed a little and spent some time with Jesus.
In the afternoon, we go to visit the grandparents. The menu is very similar to the day before. Carrot-filled buns and jelly pâté (don't try it if offered!) are added to the table. We end up getting a little bored with Andrés - the 7-year-old boy and we're going to have a snowball fight. After a few exchanges we lie down in the snow except that .. bam, he throws his head back on a stone, the blood flows ... at least we are in the Christmas theme in terms of colors ... Fortunately this doesn't really matter!
The new Year :
I much prefer this Estonian tradition. That day Mairi prepares goat and lamb (their own animals), it's delicious! It is also the great return of the pickled pumpkin! We eat salted herring toast on slightly sweet black bread (it's really very traditional in northern countries). After this first game we will play Yatzy Then it's time for the second round. We eat the dessert prepared by Miri, a kind of pavlova finally.. meringues with whipped cream and fruit. this is delicious. We accompany everything with champagne - Champomy for the children. return to board games before the 3rd round. This time chips and cookies. A friend of Mairi also arrives and we make cocktails. Back to the games then dessert N°2. This time it's a kind of charlotte but completely homemade. It's so good ! Accompanied of course by cocktails. Then Andrés offers us a short tour of the barefoot house. Here we go running in sweater and leggings with just a hat on the head in the powder. It's about running fast enough to n
So now that I've told you about parties, I need to tell you about life in Estonia.
I don't quite know where to start. I would say that it is the country to which I have attached myself the most since the beginning. And of which I retained the most words!
Honestly, if you're struggling to learn a language, take care of children who only speak that language, it's staggeringly effective! I managed to teach them the Corsican battle, we play dobble or yatzi!
So I can count in Estonian not that it's very useful to me but well... By the way it's a Finno-Ugric language (like Finnish and not Cyrillic (like Russian) or Sanskrit / Indo-European like Lithuanian or the Latvian finally .. it was the culture moment.
Let's go back to our emotions
I really appreciated the family, they all put a lot of heart into welcoming me and showing me their culture. The details of the discussions thanks to Kristo are remarkable! Did you know that a sheep has a gestation time of 156 days and a goat 152?
He and Mairi talk to me about another time, about their childhood when you had to queue with ration tickets to get bread, when everyone had a job, unemployment didn't exist but... at the price of freedom. During which there was no religion, no Christmas. During which it was necessary to obtain the authorization of the authorities to buy a car, during which the property did not exist (nor the bananas because the Russians did not have colonies in Africa;)). A distant era, the 80s!
Everywhere in the country communism has left traces, especially in terms of architecture, we see in all the countryside the ruins of old mansions, castles or farms which have not been maintained for lack of money. Culturally too, it is one of the most atheist countries in the world!
But the Estonians are proud of their country and there is reason. That's wonderful ! There are more than 2000 islands, forests as far as the eye can see, natural and semi-natural parks, waterfalls and rivers are not left out!
Their social system is also quite interesting, it employs disabled people to do public works so that they feel valued and useful to society.
Fun fact, at school we also learn to knit and cook!
LATVIA
It is now high time for me to tell you about Latvia, where I arrived on January 8!
First stop: Riga
Capital of this Baltic country, it is a very pretty city with magnificent buildings. It is listed as a UNESCO heritage site, in particular for its art nouveau district - one of the most important in Europe! )
Latvia has often been under foreign domination and is currently going through its longest period of freedom! Russians and Germans have coveted this Land offering access to the Baltic Sea for centuries.
In 1201, the Pope decided to found Riga on the Daugava River. Indeed, the Baltic countries are pagan and he hopes to begin their Christianization. Moreover, it is a strategic place for trade between Europe and Russia. From that time it was the Germans who had the political monopoly; In 1710 the Russian Empire conquered the country and settled there until the end of the 19th century. The powers are however shared with the German nobility which has a certain autonomy and reigns over the peasants. It was thanks to the First World War and the dissolution of the Russian Empire that Latvia obtained its independence in 1920. Unfortunately for them, ten years later they were again under Russian domination following the treaties signed between L Germany and Russia until the fall of the USSR in 1991! So here is a free country for only 30 years! Finally... This takes nothing away from the beauty of the place!
I stay 1 night in a hostel in the center of the city in which I walk the next day. Meeting in the morning with a guide for a short historical tour of the city. He explains to us the origin of the buildings, of the city, the history of the country and tells us that the Latvians are at the origin of the Christmas trees. News discussed because the Estonians also claim to be the creator of this tradition.
Finally, these people revere nature in general and are globally Agnostic. They have a very strong bond and see the divine in every element, with a tradition around "healers" and plants.
In the afternoon I visit the Art Nouveau district with this same guide. These buildings are absolutely gigantic and impressive. They are really works of art, with statues, sculptures, moldings on the facades, disparate windows, bright colors or strangely shaped balconies. The guide tells us that there are three forms of Art Nouveau: Vertical Art Nouveau,
national and decorative romanticism. Finally we go from building to building trying to differentiate the styles. The Russians are also trying this style but it is a failure like all the architecture of the Soviet era!
In the evening I go to Liva, a coachsurfer and spend the evening with her. I don't really know what to think of her, our vision of the world really diverges but she is welcoming and I spend a very good night.
The next morning I walk from her house to the city center. This is surely one of my favorite walks because I see the "real" Riga, less renovated by UNESCO funds but just as beautiful! Here too there are many art nouveau buildings!
I finally find myself in the Church of St. Gertrude (patron saint of passing travellers) at the right time for mass (in Latvian), which I attend this time until the end (cf Christmas in Estonia). It's great to receive communion after more than three months!
Back on foot to Liva, passing through a somewhat hippy neighborhood (always fan of this kind of atmosphere!), where my Aupair family comes to pick me up.
They come straight from France where they spent their ski holidays (in the Deux Alpes), a little twinge in the heart at the memory of the French slopes!
Kasper - head of the family, 36 years old, buisness man at the head of a cow auction business (the first in Latvia!).
Kristine - the mom, 32, mostly a chemist and analyst, writing a thesis and developing a program to analyze livestock quality
Karlis, 5 years old and Krisjanis, 3 and a half years old. When I ask them their names I wonder at first how I'm going to remember them, too many "k"s!
the parents speak English but the children speak... Latvian and... German! What a nightmare ! I'm going to have to call on my German-speaking talents again....
We arrive 1 hour and a half later at their farm, in the middle of nowhere (as usual!).
The family is adorable! I have a direct bond with the parents and start playing with the children the same evening.
The next day I stay to play with Krisjanis (Karlis goes to kindergarden) it's about having imagination because I become his play partner, we take bbysitting to another level because I would have to spend several hours inventing stories of cows, trucks, trains or tractors with destructive monsters at all costs. The second difficulty turns out to be authority because Sir has a certain temper, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to say no to him or to make him do something he does not want. Cries and anger are very frequent because to this iron temper is added the language barrier, frustrating for both of them but which he has trouble managing. In the afternoon Karlis comes back from the kindergarden (Krisjanis was also supposed to start this year but... the repeated seizures got him kicked out of his class...). The big brother has a very different temperament from the youngest but just as authoritarian. He achieves his end thanks to negotiations and compromises, a real little politician! It's absolutely adorable to see them both playing and to have Karlis finding solutions, each one more ingenious than the other, to put an end to the cadet's crises. When the three of us are together, the games revolve around cops and robbers, we chase each other around the house until we run out. It's impressive how much children never get tired! Often I manage to take them outside to play, so we play monsters and we skate at all costs on the pond or the smallest stretch of ice. It's great to see them looking for ice under the snow in the ditches!
Always in the same place ;)
The days are alike and at the same time... We never get bored! It takes energy and imagination to take care of children! But it doesn't bother me all the time either. I manage to take time to run right now, it's so liberating! I have taken up yoga again and I notice the confidence it gives me. It reinforces my idea of cultivating the lack ;) It allows to appreciate the return / to have it.
Other than that, we spend several evenings with Kasper because Kristine has meetings or takes Karlis to Taikwendo. I really like his very simple, global and at the same time very fair vision of the world. He has this entrepreneurial and creative spirit, creating, inventing, doing to help or fill a need. He has this energy and this taste for business, for adventure, for risk, which allow him to always create new projects. Finally, what inspires me in his vision and his way of doing is this self-sacrifice, this service to others and to his creativity and not to profit.
Kristine is also very interesting, I find myself a little in her way of thinking and acting. We look like. I don't really know how to describe her yet, but I'm starting to get an overall impression of her personality, but I still lay down my ways of thinking on her a little too much and interpret her actions according to my spectrum. I'll come back to you for more details;) In any case, we do our little sports session together every evening and that... it's so nice. She also likes drawing, art, biology and chemistry. And analyze people, emotions, I also think that she is much better than me in this art.
Ah yes, one more fact, interesting I'm starting to learn Russian
So... I'm going to Riga to see a ballet. The Three Musketeers. It's absolutely beautiful. I had missed going out so much. On the way back we also pick up Vittoria, an Italian who comes to replace me to take care of the children. The new au pair. Courage to her! For my part, I will stay here for another month and a half. Indeed, visa procedures to Russia are long and complicated... But that's not a problem, I'm starting to work on the farm.
Monday morning here I am propelled into the bauvin work. It's auction week. Farmers in Latvia bring the cattle to Kasper who will resell them to international buyers. Our job is to vaccinate the animals, weigh them and distribute them according to their characteristics to form batches of about 10 cows. I find myself running from stall to stall on the farm to get each cow into the right place. It's physical to do this for 10 hours in a row, but I'm having fun. I am surrounded by a team of Latvian boys who do their best to teach me the job. The atmosphere is very good and everyone is willing (despite the language) to communicate with me. It really touches me.
Three days in a row, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. cattle. Thursday morning everything is ready for the auction. We clean everything for customers. (The straw is really heavy!). At 11 a.m. everything is in order. The customers are there, some have made the trip, others attend the sale by zoom (each worker has a customer on the phone). The sale begins. Kasper moves from stall to stall, describing the quality of the cattle and then giving a starting price. Then it goes up according to the buyers. The process is repeated for several hours (3h30 in total). The price per kilo of cows is between 1 euro 80 and 3 euros. My job is to note the final purchase price as well as the customer who bought the lot. It requires a lot of attention because everyone makes a very small, barely perceptible nod of the head to signify that they are buying at this price and I have to find my way around the crowd, but in reality I am very happy to have had this task. because it allows me to follow the entire sale and not lose track (and frankly it's repetitive and it's cold! so we pick up quickly). Finally, after the sale back to work. This time we're sending the cows the other way. It is export. We open the different boxes to load the trucks. Here I am behind the herds shouting to move animals that are quite stubborn and unwilling to enter a truck. it's funny but I prefer to run between the box to make them fit. In the evening we feed the cattle and start again on Friday. We charge all day. At the end of the afternoon we start to clean up a bit and I drive the tractor (that too is funny, the problem is that there is no brake so... be carful!)
Thursday evening, arrival from Vittoria. We come back from the Opera and... we do covid tests. (indeed, we all feel a little sick and we want to check). Result, I am positive! Welcome dear Italian! Finally, I spend a few days a little in the coltar but nothing serious. Sunday we decide to go out with Vittoria. I am very happy to have a partner. We go in the direction of a lake that Kaspar advised us. He lends us a car. Unfortunately, it is snowing in large flakes and it gillse! barely 10 minutes later we are in a ditch. I'm going to underestimate the ice and a turn is enough to rush us off the road. We have a good laugh but at the same time we are a little ashamed of having crashed Kaspar's car. Luckily he has tractors! He comes to rescue us, not without warning us to slow down! (We don't get repeated, we travel the next 30 km at 20 km/h!) But luck is still not there and we take the wrong road. Trying to change our trajectory we stuck the car in the snow. Impossible to leave. So here we are in the middle of Latvian nature, without networks, under the snow 30km from the house and without a car. Not a cat around, the road is really not busy. We spend the next hour trying every way to get out of this mess - without success. Short of imagination on the means to restart, we decide to go see this lake. We will walk a few more km, too bad and we will solve the car problem later. So off we went on foot in the snow. It's cold but worth it. Nature is beautiful and the frozen lake too, it gives a huge white full as far as the eye can see. out of the fir trees.
On the way back we try a call to Kasper but still no network. A few minutes later, after this somewhat desperate call, we meet a car (the only one since 3 hours), it's a Russian hunter. He does not speak English but we manage to make him understand by dint of gestures that our car is stuck. He makes us get into his car and off we go to unjam the van. He has a huge 4x4 to which he hangs a rope that will pull our car, but despite all his power he has many difficulties. After 3/4 hours of tracking, he ends up unjamming us and we set off again at nightfall. It's about not getting stuck again, our chances of falling on a car would be far too slim!
Second weekend of Vittoria. At the farm, Kaspar (another worker) offers to take me to visit some Latvian samdei towns. I accept with joy and add Vittoria to our little trip. We thus leave in the morning direction J... (I forgot the name). Finally, we cross the countryside on the one and only straight road. There is nothing. Trees and fields, an occasional ruin, but no village on the horizon. It's quite impressive this vacuum but it's beautiful in the sun! Finally, we arrive in this "city" or rather village in French terms. We walk along the frozen river and on a huge frozen lake. There too it's magnificent and above all... how funny is it to walk on water! We finally arrive at a rather pretty Orthodox church and meet an old lady there who speaks English. She is so happy to share her experience and knowledge about the church. We are therefore entitled to a guided tour in the middle of the icons. It's really touching this attention that she gives us. After this visit, here we go again in the direction of another part of the city, a short walk along the river and a beautiful point of view then a castle without much interest and we are heading towards another city (which I also forgot the name). There we walk (as best we can because the ice is present everywhere) in the middle of ruins. This old castle overlooks the Dagauba (still the same river). The view is breathtaking. We once again cross the river on dry feet and reach a small island (on which we meet a very cute little fox). The view from here is also magnificent and you can see the castle! finally, we cross the frozen waters and get back to the car (the cold and especially the wind are biting). A short stop at Edgard's farm, another worker who has sheep and cows (the little lambs have just been born!) and we go home.
I've been working on the farm for 1 month now (well... I'm starting my 4th week rather. Time flies so fast!)
A few days ago great news: Russia declares war on Ukraine! What to do ? I confess that I am a little in shock but above all, my trip loses a lot of its meaning. I do not really know what to do anymore. I try to look at my other options but it's hard to reschedule in a few days a trip that took me several months to organize and that was really close to my heart! Fortunately, it's auction week at that time. I'm busy all day running between the boxes! I give everything, I can't stop. On the day of the auction, for three hours I record all the sales prices and customer numbers. It's cold but in real life I like it, it amuses me to see the prices go up and to spot among the little nods from the customers which ones are still in the fight. Finally, Thursday after set and Friday we load the herds in the trucks. I shout behind the beasts that won't move forward. We move the cows from box to box according to the different departures and customers. It's about not getting confused. Anyway... I'm so tired on Friday night!
Saturday morning, we leave with Vittoria direction Liepaja (the third city of the country, 68000 inhabitants).
It's a city by the sea. We're lucky, the weather is finally nice! How we had missed the sun! I am very happy that he is coming back and warming us up. We walk along the beach. It reminds me of Brittany with the dune, short grass, seaweed and white sand. I also decide to swim. Just putting on a bathing suit is torture, but I managed to run in the waves, soak myself completely and come out. It's fast but in real life I'm proud to have done it. It's been a long time since I took a cold bath and I'm so happy to find these sensations again! We walk on the beach and in the city all weekend. The part is very industrial, it is an old military base. Old bunkers litter the beach. The atmosphere is special but ultimately, everything is quite aesthetic. The different districts of the city also have a lot of charm. There is a mixture of art nouveau buildings with wooden houses. It's really like in Russian tales or the imagination of Eastern countries. Dark wooden houses (sort of horizontal slats) with very pointed roofs. We are still quite surprised at the lack of maintenance brought to these houses. They reflect a rather glorious past but are almost abandoned now. All these beautiful facades are dilapidated. It hurts to see, a bit like the ghost towns of westerns.
On Saturday evening, Sauna for both. It feels so good after this wind and this afternoon walk! Sunday evening return to Krasti. We decide to go through Lithuania, to see... But the Latvian roads in these areas are far from being maintained. We find ourselves very quickly on dirt tracks (the main roads), we cross many dilapidated "villages" (no more than 10 houses). One in two houses falls into ruin. It hurts my heart. But the surrounding countryside as far as the eye can see is grandiose. Fields and trees as far as the eye can see sometimes flooded by the melting ice, reflecting the sun and the blue sky. The light is wonderful.
The month is over! The last few days have been out of time, absolutely brilliant. It's quite impressive the joy I can feel right now. As the journey progresses, more and more moments of pure joy punctuate my weeks. It's a feeling that's hard to explain but I feel so much coherence!
The weather is very nice right now. It's a lot of good to find the sun again. Finally, it warms the skin. Friday, I spend the morning cleaning the barn and getting it ready for Auction week. Trying to push cows I get my ankle crushed - my first concrete experience of the so called "dangerousness" of the job that everyone has been talking to me about from the start. The afternoon is quite out of time. We are only 2 workers (I have not yet understood why but what is certain is that the bosses took a week of vacation and that their absence may play a role). Finally... with Airnurs we are the last survivors of the team. We start by gathering all the waste from the farm to burn it. I am transported in the shovel of the tractor. The sun appears at this time and here I am once again with my hair in the wind with the sun warming my skin (it is still very cold, around -5°C) but we feel the heat. It is a timeless experience. The light is magnificent on the countryside around us. Then we have to carry the old haystacks to the brazier. We each take a small tractor and I learn to transport the boots. I really feel useful and I think that's what makes the experience so pleasant. He trusts me more, as if my efforts to show that I was a worker like the others despite my femininity, my novelty, my youth, my nationality finally paid off! And then... just driving this tractor makes me love it!
Saturday morning, the sun is shining. I leave for a small race, finally I do 10 km and I admit that I am proud of it so far I did less. But above all, I fully appreciate this race. On my return, KAspar's father offers to take us to see... (we don't understand but we're in for it). Turns out, he takes us for a tour of the property. It has many fields and a buisiness of cows too, including Highlanders, those cows with big horns and long hair that look disdainful but are still magnificent. It's funny because he doesn't speak a word of English, we communicate based on German, gestures, Latvian and we manage to understand each other a little in broad outline. I really like him, he is a very smiling and caring man. He shows us his land, his cows, his bridge, he is very proud of it all but very humbly. Like a child showing a drawing to his parents and I admire this simple humility and joy. We also cross the fields with his four four, he is also very proud of it, according to him his car is "a Mercedes on the road as in the fields". We take a look at the new calves. Some were born tonight. How cute is that!
The afternoon we take the car towards "rundale castle" apparently it is the Latvian Versailles, of baroque architecture it was built by an Italian architect in the 1700s. In reality, we must admit that our castles are all Even more impressive and our gardens more grandiose but it is interesting to see this monument. After walking for a few minutes in the French gardens, we resume our self-direction "The hill of crosses" in Lithuania. This is unheard of. A hill covered with crosses. Originally it was in memory of revolutionary soldiers whose bodies were not found and over time, the occupation of the ussr, it became a symbol of opposition to the Russian dictatorship and a place of pilgrimage - people hope for a cure. Anyway, even if I don't really like this kind of place, it's quite impressive to see so many crucifixes planted side by side in a total mess. It's very random in every way, years of planting, provenance, size, type of cross, materials, color, everything is different. After this incongruous visit we go to the neighboring town and there, total disillusionment. It is a very big city for the country, it has a major influence but is only made up of Russian buildings. These dilapidated, gray buildings, with 4 or 5 floors that can be found all over the Baltic countries but here they are all concentrated in the same city. The city has no charm, it is really sad. There is no center and only a few passers-by here and there. I suddenly fully realize the horror of this old regime and the trauma it left on these people. Finally after this overview and a coffee we leave for Latvia.
Chill Sunday, but I still walk 16 km to get to the villa
This is my last auction week over (well.. I hope it's the last!) I'm waiting for my passport...
I think I really had the scare of my life on Tuesday, a bull ran into me and really, his horns and his 400kg brushed against me! Finally, safe and sound and I understand the primitive stress reaction now! It gives adrenaline! The end of the week unfolds serenely and under the sun which is making a comeback and the day too, it's impressive, we have gained at least 5 hours of sunshine since mid-January, now the sun rises before 7 a.m. and sets after 7:30 p.m.!
Friday afternoon we leave for Riga with Kasper, Kristine Vittoria and the children. We will spend the night there with Vittoria before heading to Jurmala and Kuldiga.
We spend our first evening in... a long time in a bar! It's so strange to find this civilization, I feel strangely outside of it all and at the same time it's very nice to be in this festive atmosphere with our beers!
The next morning breakfast in a bakery (that too it was an eternity!) and departure for Jurmala. It is one of the most popular beaches in Latvia and also one of the few towns ;). It's actually quite a posh place but the houses are very pretty, mostly wooden villas that look a bit like mini castles. But... unfortunately not everything is very well maintained (well... it's nothing compared to the rest of the country! no ruins on the horizon). The beach is indeed very pretty and it is very pleasant to walk there under the sun (it is still cold and this time I absolutely do not have the courage to swim!) We finally witness a magnificent sunset before strolling a little more in the main street (there are a few shops, that too we are not used to anymore!).
The next day we leave for Kuldiga. We take a bus through the Latvian countryside. It's always quite impressive to see such large cultivated plains and such dilapidated villages. There are also many Ruins. Finally, we arrive at our destination. Kuldiga is a small village (one of the only ones not to have been destroyed during the Second World War or by the Russians). It gives a certain charm of tiny houses with pointed roofs, a few colorful houses, others half-timbered but overall everything is still very damaged, you feel a bit like a movie set. Other its architecture different from the rest of the country, Kuldiga is known for its waterfall (the widest in Europe) and its red brick bridge. The sun is still there we spend a great time in this city (or village) and I really find it charming. Finally it's time to go home to find the children (and that .. let's face it, it's not the part that makes us happy the most).
EASTERN EUROPE
I'm back! It's been a long time since I've written and I think I missed it.
Here I am again on a trip, back on the road after 2 and a half months in Latvia, two wonderful months (I miss everyone already) but I need a change to see new things. Nothing like a few days on the bus you might say! Of course, but before that I went to Lithuania for some 3 days to visit the sisters of Bethlehem. I am picked up by Marie Reine, the mother superior in Vilnius, on Tuesday evening. We drive 2 hours on somewhat dubious roads and end up arriving at the monastery in Papouai, headed in the middle of nowhere but that has become a habit with me. She tells me that the monastery was founded during the fall of the USSR 25 years ago. There was then a wave of vocations caused by the rediscovered freedom of worship. How these peoples have suffered! The sisters tell me incredible stories about their families and I begin to realize how horrible the occupation of these countries has been and especially how recent it is! In the three Baltic countries I find this very striking. The density is low but the few villages are mostly almost abandoned. It feels like walking through ghost towns. Their black wooden houses with huge pointed roofs are gradually falling apart and the rare stone houses are falling into ruin. It is not uncommon to see stone remains in the middle of the fields, memories of the 1980s... Finally, let's get back to our topic.
I am staying in a cute little Hermitage, a small wooden house on the edge of a small lake. I find privacy, finally my own room after 1 month and a half in the "play-room"! But the silence is strange. I'm not used to it anymore. And, the "nothing" weighs on me a little, I'm idle, after all this work with the children and the farm and the family life it's strange to change rhythm so abruptly. But I think it's good. The countryside is beautiful and ideal for walks. I also have a lot of time to read and of course, to go to services. Well the first day I'm lucky it's in French but unfortunately the next day we go back to Lithuanian and the mornings are a bit long! The sisters realize this and are all more caring than each other. We have a great conversation and I will always be grateful for their beaming faces! On the last day they also show me their crafts and I discover that not only do they do icon work but they also work with amber! It's way too stylish! Stone from the Baltic countries… Finally, I left them on Saturday morning for Kaunas. The road awaits me!
Saturday morning, departure at 10:30 a.m. A little sister takes me to the nearest station (40min by car) from which I take a train to Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania. I have 4 hours before my bus and therefore decide to explore the surroundings. I wander around this small town (we stay on the scale of the Baltic countries). The center is very pleasant and the houses are all colorful. There is even a hill from which you can see the whole city. It reminds me a lot of Lyon. After three hours of walking it's time to take the bus. This will take me to Sulwaki in Poland, from where I will take the next bus at 10 p.m. to Warsaw. The night in the bus is very long, fortunately they invented headphones to keep me company and I have two seats to stretch my legs! 4:30 am, arrival in the capital. I almost missed the stop, the driver never wastes time, no unnecessary breaks, he has a long journey, he is going to Berlin! I find myself on the sidewalk, a little disoriented. Fortunately the train station is not far (the temperatures are negative even at the end of March!). I walk through the door and hell begins. I finally realize that this war is very real. Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees wander through the station or try to sleep on the available seats. Fortunately, the Poles are well organized and distribute food, drinks and blankets, but my heart aches.
6am, the sun is rising. So I'm off to explore Warsaw. What a huge city! It's a change from the Baltic capitals, a completely different style, with large modern towers a bit like New York or a big Asian city, but also Soviet-era buildings, imposing and grandiose, and small colorful streets that are more classic than the rest of Europe. Europe. I must admit that I am quite charmed by the overview I have of the city during this walk.
9am, return to the station to take the bus to Budapest and this time, no stops! We're off for 12 hours non-stop through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, I'm so lucky it's sunny and sunny this time! we go from the flat country that is Poland with its large expanses of fields of short grass after the snow to valleys and then the Alps. The transition with Slovakia is grandiose. The Alps rise, snow-capped behind the hills of fields and forest. The colors are strange because after the snow everything seems very dry. The colors range from straw yellow to dark brown trees with a few touches of green, a royal blue sky and the white of the Alps. Really worth the tired legs (from doing nothing).
BUDAPEST
21H, arrival in Budapest, it is 15°C, I remember the morning in Warsaw when the wind whipped my face and my fingers were frozen, what a difference!
I take my backpack and take the direction of Marion. I can't wait to see her again, it's been so long! We're having a great evening. She receives me in her little studio and we eat pizzas. It's funny, it seems so natural to me to be there with her, as if we had never left each other. The next day we go for a run and then we have a coffee before she goes to class. It's so beautiful and good! I live again. Then depart for the city. I decide to do everything by walking and wander a bit randomly in the streets. It is a very pleasant city with beautiful and quite colorful buildings. I find several of them in the art-nouveau style of Riga and like to compare them. It is true that the facades are generally worked. I finally arrive along the Danube and go to the halls of the city, there too it is a beautiful building with a very worked roof. The interior reminds me a bit of the Musée d'Orsay with large wrought iron structures and bay windows. I go out in the sun (it is absolutely necessary to take advantage of this sun which I had missed so much!) and cross the oldest bridge in the city to get to the other side, the Buda part. I learn that indeed Budapest was in fact 2 separate cities Buda and Pest (or Pecht as they say), one of the banks contains the castles, the other the administrative buildings (like the parliament). It was only in 1873 that the two cities were united and it was thanks to the Austro-Hungarian Empire that it was able to develop and take on so much importance.
Finally… always being that on the other side of this bridge is a hill that I decide to climb to have a view of the city. It is magnificent, quite grandiose in fact. After my little ascent I go down and head towards St Stephen's Basilica. There too it is a very beautiful church with a huge dome which took more than 50 years to build (the inauguration dates from 1906). Everything is very elaborate and we don't know where to head between the gilding, the marbles, the mosaics, the frescoes... I take a short walk before going to the opera, unfortunately I won't be able to enter Parliament. This white gothic style building is very impressive. It overlooks the Danube and is located in a huge empty square. We can say that he imposes it.
Finally, it is time for me to go find Marion and her friends. We then go to a building/bar. I love that kind of atmosphere. It's absolutely huge, all the facades / walls are decorated, there are very incongruous mixtures and you can sit in all the rooms, it is even possible to drink in a bathtub! It all reminds me a bit of Berlin. After a small cocktail we realize that we are still quite hungry. Gabor takes us to a very chic "Parisian café". I think I had never eaten in such a beautiful place, very refined with again gilding, wrought iron, dim lights. We're having a good laugh about the situation! Finally, to end this evening what better than a few bowling games? And here we go again for the little band. I find it really funny, it must have been at least 6 years since I had played bowling 😉
Tuesday morning, preparation of the bag (despite the passing months I'm still so slow to prepare it!). Then I go to the synagogue. It's one of the biggest in the world! I am lucky to come across a French guide and therefore to take a guided tour. It's still more interesting. I learn that it was built in 1873 in just 5 years in order to celebrate freedom of worship but also to integrate Judaism into Hungarian culture. We find this will to adapt in the architecture of the building which in fact looks a lot like a church with 3 aisles, an organ, flesh... I also learn that the Hungarian Jews were exterminated and sent to the camps from May 1944, i.e. at the very end of the war. This late date in no way prevents their almost total eradication thanks to their daily and massive dispatch. The few survivors were shot on the banks of the Danube and today we have a community of only 3,000 practitioners. Finally, many gloomy stories but a magnificent building, extremely well restored in 30 years (it had been bombed during the 2nd World War then abandoned during the Soviet era). I go back to see Marion one last time then go get my bag and go to... Bucharest! From 3 p.m. to 7 a.m., finally there is a little trans-Siberian effect!
[HG1]
TITRE
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