Until I moved to Europe, I assumed that people randomly chose the direction they moved to avoid oncoming pedestrians. In Belgium, I found myself stepping to the same side of the footpath as my counterpart almost every time. It didn’t take me long to realise that I always stepped to my left while they stepped… Continue reading Pedestrian Collisions
Category: Europe
Cultural Ritual Protocol
I was dismayed to see that the French rugby team were fined for their response to the Haka at the World Cup Grand Final. Apparently there is a 10 meter exclusion zone for the ‘cultural ritual.’ This isn’t the first time that a team opposing the Kiwis has been challenged for responding inappropriately. I can… Continue reading Cultural Ritual Protocol
Divorced
Toulouse feels a bit like Brussels as you walk down narrow streets lined with shops to suddenly pop out into a large square. I’m not really in the mood to experience the country this time, though, as I’ve come to get divorced. The process began in about October with a couple of forms to sign,… Continue reading Divorced
Brusseling
It was Brusseling when I arrived in Belgium – that misty drizzle that never quite settles. I wondered if I’d have the same feeling about Belgium as did for France, but whether the animosity had been dissolved by the positive experiences I’d had there, or because there was so much more to my Belgian history… Continue reading Brusseling
Windsor Castle
I’ve been to London a few times and I’ve seen pretty much everything I want to see, done everything I want to do. In fact, London is the only part of England that I’ve ever seen. I really wanted to go for a walk through All Creatures Great and Small territory, crossing fields and climbing… Continue reading Windsor Castle
Closed bar
Merle tried the door of the bar we’d come to on our return to Tallinn. In the middle of the old town, it was a place closed to tourists. The door was clearly locked and there was no intercom. Merle pulled out a card and stuck it in a reader by the door. A click… Continue reading Closed bar
Estonian Sauna
Analie offered to show me how to use a real Estonian sauna. Merle and the boyfriend she’d come to Saaremaa to visit would take one privately later. I followed Analie into the main farmhouse to an area curtained off from the living room. She stripped off and headed into the shower room. In the name… Continue reading Estonian Sauna
Road Trip
After spending all weekend with a group of Estonian girls, I’ve decided that Estonian sounds like Dutch, with all the shaped vowels and plenty of k’s, but with an Italian rhythm. The girls were quite pleased with this description. Although they spent much of the weekend talking Estonian, they took the time to translate key… Continue reading Road Trip
Estonian Films
I went to the cinema last night to see ‘Sex and Death’, a collection of short films by Estonians. Merle warned me they’d be surreal, but I still wasn’t quite prepared. The first started with a young man selling ice creams in a street cart. When he didn’t sell enough, his boss said he had… Continue reading Estonian Films
Waiting for the fall
The beautiful Russian Orthodox church stands on the highest point of the upper town, but the Estonians don’t think it’s beautiful. It’s a reminder of the occupation, when Russia decided to ‘save’ them from German occupation, only to create their own. And it’s built on the grave site of the father of one of Estonia’s… Continue reading Waiting for the fall