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Estonia - Slovakia Exchange 2005

by Marcia Moreland - Exchange Director

ur group of eleven left Lincoln on a beautiful day looking forward to the exchange in Central Europe and the Baltic countries. In Detroit, three joined us on our journey. The air trip to Amsterdam was a pleasant and easy flight. There six more ambassadors joined us. In Vienna five more joined us to complete our group of twenty five. Upon arriving here, it is realized that two have misplaced suitcases: one never to be seen in Europe. Bratislava’s ED meets us and gathers us together for the bus trip to Bratislava. On the bus we are introduced to one another as ambassadors share information about themselves. In Bratislava the host families met the bus and everyone departed to their hosts’ home to begin an enjoyable week in this delightful country.

The week started with a tour of the city in a light shower. We visited the Castle of Bratislava and toured the various tourists sights. This included the SNP Bridge, the Jewish Memorial, and Old Town where we took a coffee/hot chocolate break. Then we saw the sculptures: The Peeping Tom and Men at Work. Our host met us at the Opera House to take us to lunch. On Friday we visited Majolika Factory (pottery) and Red Rock Castle. These places were in the Smalls Hills. Saturday there was a riverboat cruise on the Danube to Devin Castle. Lunch was with host families. That evening we gathered for a welcoming dinner. Sunday was a free day with everyone pursuing different activities with their host families.

Monday brought us to an overnight bus trip to central and eastern Slovakia. The first stop was in Hronsek, a mining village. Here there was a clock, Klopacto. It was shaped like a rock and opened on the hour. There was also an old wooden church and small museum. Lunch was at the shepherds’ hut in Banska Bystgrica. Later in the day we arrived at Bojnice. After checking in at the hotel we had our evening meal and toured Castle Bojnice where we experienced ghosts throughout the castle. Tuesday began with breakfast on the patio. We boarded the bus for the Village of Cicmany. The homes were brown with white symbols painted on them. The next stop was at the Valska Bela facory. Then on to the spa town of Trencianske Teplice where many had a true spa experience. Upon returning to Bratislava several went to the opera; others had gone earlier in the week. This brought a close to our exchange in Bratislava.

Elderhostel joined us for the next five days. Four people had left our group at this time and one joined us. We traveled through the beautiful countryside of Poland to the Wieliczka Salt Mine with its many sculptures. It was a spectacular sight. Krakow, Poland gave us the Market Square, Old Town and St. Mary’s Basilica. We toured Wawel, the Royal Castle then had the afternoon for ourselves. On our way to Warsaw we stopped for a mid-day lunch and were entertained with a wonderful performance of Chopin’s music. After Warsaw we were on to Kaunus, Lithuania, to various sites. From there we journeyed to Latvia.

The driver turned the bus onto a small country road. It lumbered along to the Hill of Crosses outside of the small village of Siaular. As we approached you could see cross after cross on the small hillside. It was told that in the 1800s the villagers had started putting them up in remembrance of those lost in the battles of rebellion. Soviet soldiers destroyed the crosses in 1961. The people continued to put them on the site during the night. In 1975 again the Soviets destroyed them. The people once again began putting them up. People have continued this practice giving forth to this awesome sight.

We left Elderhostel and joined our host families in Tallinn, Estonia late Sunday evening. The first day we toured Town Hall and various places in Old Town. We took a bus tour to Lahemaaa National Park to see the manor houses built by the Germans. That evening was the welcome dinner on the beach of the Baltic Sea where many waded. Wednesday we visited the City Museum, had lunch, and set off to Park Kadriog, the President’s residence. That evening everyone treated their host to a splendid meal at the top of Teletorn. The next morning was free time. Most families enjoyed the morning by catching their own fish. The establishments prepared the fish and everyone delighted in eating their own with the host families. That evening everyone enjoyed the Midsummer Celebration at Estonia’s Open Air Museum. We left for Viljandi early the next morning to visit Olustvere Manor House and other sites and traveled onto Soomaa National Forest. Because Saturday was a free day with only the farewell party in the evening, our host took us to Paldiski. This town had become the Soviet’s submarine base on the Baltic Sea during their occupation of Estonia. It was a very despairing place to visit. The living conditions even today were deplorable. It gave us an idea of how it must have been during the Russian occupation. This was our last evening with our host club and they gave us a wonderful farewell dinner.

After final farewells the next morning, we took the catamaran to Helsinki. We were met by our guide and bus driver. We motored to the old wooden town of Porvoo, which we toured. At lunchtime had an excellent meal. In Helsinki we stopped at the memorial for John Sebelius. We also stopped at the Church on the Rock. It was beautiful and the acoustics were marvelous. The next morning gave us some free time before our bus was scheduled to pick us up. Many ventured down to the open-air market on the waterfront for last purchases and to enjoy the wonderful bright shiny morning ending our fantastic exchange to Eastern Europe.