Riding the Via Baltica: Last day in Estonia

July 27, 2015

Last night I booked the hostel breakfast for this morning, 5 euros, 8 a.m. earliest time. It was okay, not great. There was only margarine for the toast, no butter and no jam. There was a small assortment of meats and vegetables, and cold cereal. I ate my fill, making sure I wouldn't be hungry soon and wanting to get my money's worth. As I was getting ready to leave, they brought out some hot oatmeal, so of course I had to overeat and have some of that, too. That wasn't too smart, as my stomach was a bit off all day.

I left the hostel and found my way to Eurovelo 10, which I'll follow to Riga.

Leaving Parnu. The flags were straight sideways, not even flapping. There's a kite as well.

The Parnu suburbs went on longer than I expected, and then the route joined the Via Baltica. That's sort of like an interstate in the US, but without the shoulder and with only 2 lanes. In other words, it carries the heavy truck traffic between the Baltic countries, and despite the bike route, is not really suitable for cycling. The cars gave me plenty of space, but the trucks were wide and it felt like they squeezed me out. I chose to ride off the pavement for a few of them, rather than getting sucked into their wake. About half way through the day, a side road that paralleled the Via Baltica started up, and made for much better riding. It wasn't directly on the coast, but there were glimpses of the Sea through the houses and forests along the road. And there were occasional services.

I'm getting better at recognizing the shops. This one is "Centrum" but off the main road.

Inside the front door to the Centrum Pood it was hard to recognize as a shop, but I kept going and found an almost-cold drink.

Further south, campsites and guest houses became available. I stopped at one to use the restroom.

Cosmonaut Guest House. I should have stayed here.

Here's a closer look. Language became an issue here, as I couldn't find out the story behind this place.

Edit: According to Wikipedia, Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space, aboard the Vostok 6, and the dates match this sign. I didn't find any information about ties to Estonia.

Cosmic cafe at the Cosmonaut Guest House?

Mid-morning, I reserved a room for the night in Ikla at the Latvia border. Camping looked like it could be good, but I wanted an indoor bathroom for tonight.

Bus stop keeping the nautical theme along the coast.

I plodded on, and found the hostel, which turns out to be sort of a truck stop on the Via Baltica. It wasn't open when I arrived, and I was trying to use my phone to call the number on the door when the host arrived and booked me in. The information on-line says that there is a guest kitchen, which there isn't, and that breakfast is available, which its not, and that there is a restaurant next door, which there also isn't. But its clean, and I had a very nice shower, and it has good Wi-Fi and indoor toilets!

Today's ride: 71 km (44 miles)
Total: 535 km (332 miles)

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