It was obon week — i.e. my summer break i.e. time for another cycling trip. This year, Estonia!

A friend and I cycled 270km from Tallinn to Sillamäe, exploring Lahemaa National Park and following EuroVelo 10 Baltic Sea Cycle Route till the border with Russia. The coastline of the Gulf of Finland is completely flat, mostly low-traffic asphalt through Scots pine forest and a bit of gravel country road: very easy, enjoyable riding, with plenty of fun stops along the way—bogs, old-time manors, very cute fishing villages.

Off the bike, I was glued to two Sofi Oksanen novels set under Soviet and German occupation. That, along with the excellent folklore sci-fi and Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book that I’d read in the lead-up, gave me another way into a region I’d had almost no prior exposure to.

We ate well, rested well, and had no mechanicals or injuries. The weather was sunny, with a few cloudy afternoons, with temperatures around 20 degrees which felt so good after Italy same time last year.

We’d flown in/out of Helsinki, crossing to Tallinn by ferry (an experience in itself), so I even got to visit the Moomin Museum in Tampere before heading home.

It’s been a relaxed summer. I feel content and gratitude for the wonderful health, friendship and exploration.