On to Parnu

July 25, 2015

Today's theme was energy management, both my own and my electronic devices.

Clearly I wasn't able to charge anything at my camp last night. I have 2 small lipstick-type USB rechargeable batteries with me. It turns out that the one I had charging from my dynamo yesterday had gone bad and doesn't hold a charge. My phone was quite low in the morning. After breaking camp and cooking breakfast in the middle of the dirt road, and hanging my tent fly from the Hunter's blind to try to dry the dew ad well as the condensation, I tried charging my good USB battery from my dynamo while riding. Then I stopped and checked my actual location on my phone (using maps.me, a great app for off-line maps), and plugged the battery into the phone. My goal was to keep the phone alive to take at least a couple of pictures, find a place to stay in Parnu, and navigate to that place. To cut to the chase, I reserved a room at a hostel, and arrived there with about 5% remaining in my battery. I should point out that at the speeds in achieving, I'm not getting a lot of juice from the dynamo.

But the ride was nice, with a variety of farmland and old structures.

I was a bit low on energy myself, and I missed the first opportunity for a food stop. I figured out that it was off the main road enough that I didn't see it.

I passed time today counting reflectors, one to ten on every language I know. That, unfortunately, does not include Estonian.

A good while later, I came to the second (and last before Parnu) opportunity for food. There was a very small, run-down looking shop. There was also a gas station almost a kilometer off the main road. Thinking myself very clever, I rode to the gas station. I had gotten coffee and some shelter from the rain at a gas station outside of Tallinn. Well, this gas station didn't even have a sign. I recognized it by the gas pumps. And they didn't have anything aside from gas.

I went off route to this gas station, hoping to find some coffee. The guy inside must have thought I was crazy. He sells gas, and only gas.

I rode back to the little shop, and had some ice cream, but no coffee. I had some 4G reception on my phone, so I reserved a room at a hostel in Parnu. Last night I had contacted a couple of Couch Surfing hosts, but they were not available on such short notice. Hotels and hostels were fairly booked up, so I took what I could find.

It was in an old building at the edge of old Parnu. I found my way there okay, with the stress of worrying that my phone would run out of battery and is lose the map before I arrived. That didn't happen, which was fortunate. But the hostel is very noisy. There is traffic noise, and there is noise from the other rooms, and most of all there is noise from the club across the street, which really blared their music. I had reserved two nights here, anticipating doing some laundry and needing a bit of a break.

After I arrived and checked in, and took a shower, I tried to take care of laundry. I've been hand washing things in the sink as I've travelled. But even with my Dr. Bronner's lavender soap, things were somewhat ripe. A good machine wash was called for. I paid for it, and then was told "whoops, sorry, the washer is busy". Well, not in those words, but that was the idea. So I put my laundry back in my room, and wandered around Parnu.

I like Parnu. It is a resort and health center. There is a beach on the Baltic on one side, and the Parnu River on the other. Although a tourist town, it isn't quite as overrun as some others. There are a few parks around town, with sculptures and historic information. The sculptures seem to be related to people of cultural significance, rather than military or government figures, which is a pleasant bias.

After I wandered a bit, and had some dinner, I went back to the hostel and put my laundry into the washer. I've never seen one like it before, but didn't get a picture. The drum spins vertically, like our high efficiency front load models, but the lid is on the top. There is a sort of gate in the drum that opens so you can load it, and has to be closed to run. It seemed to work well, and my clothes don't smell any more, but it took 2 hours. There is no drier, but they loaned me a rack to let stuff dry in my room.

The music from the dance club was really loud. The hostel was full, and I didn't see any alternative for tonight, but I spoke with the woman at reception about changing rooms tomorrow. She said it may be possible, but all of the rooms have issues, and the club should be quiet on Sunday. We'll see.

....

Well, the night wasn't bad. I used earplugs, and sandwiched my head between pillows, and got a good nights sleep. In the morning, I made my own breakfast. I met a father/son pair from Poland in the kitchen. They are also cycling, and started near Stockholm, went through the Aland Islands and through Tallinn. They are in Parnu for a few days and are packing their bikes to take a bus to Riga. It sounds like Dad overdid things with a heavy load and strained something. The bus ride requires the bikes to be in boxes, like on an airplane, so its somewhat of a hassle. They told me where to find the bike shop, so I could ask for advice on routes.

It was a rainy day, and I was glad I wasn't riding. I visited the bike shop, and didn't get any advice other than that they don't encourage people to ride the Via Baltica. I walked over to the Sea side of Parnu, and was almost blown off the beach, and just generally hung out. It was a relaxing day, which is what I needed.

By the way, I need to apologize for the mish mash getting this page out. The hostel Wi-Fi kept dropping out, as did my cell phone data signal, so it has been challenging to edit. I'm looking after it from Ikla the next day, where there is a good WiFi signal in the common room.

"No one can deny that these are difficult times". These girls were dancing in the park in Parnu to that song from the musical "Chess", which is about Soviet/US tensions. Maybe a dance class?

It has taken me a bit to realize how useful these signs are. Each commune, or town, posts the services available. The signs have more detailed information than the tourist maps.

Sunday

Inside the bike shop Hawaii Express. Its part of a chain, and quite well stocked.

Another cultural event for children, in a different park. This involved singing and the kids pairing up, but I didn't follow it too well.

The beach on the Baltic Sea side of Parnu. Those are the sun bathing chairs stacked up. Its rainy and windy, and few people are at the beach.

Skate park near the hostel. There was a mix of ages there, and kids using BMX bikes or scooters (the kind with handles for steering) but I didn't see any skateboards.

The Tallinn gate, from the 17th century city wall around Parnu.

Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 464 km (288 miles)

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