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Written Tuesday Morning:
Yesterday was enjoyable presentations and intense break periods and a long working dinner. I did wander old town for a bit in the morning, mostly seeing the historic Estonian governmental area and then visiting the apothecary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raeapteek). The long working dinner was at farm-to-fork restaurant, Leib, named after the local black bread.
I again made a meal from the small plates: the beetroot tartar with grilled sourdough and spruce sprout cream and the fish sausage with black bread, seaweed mayonnaise, pickled onion and cucumber salad. The fish sausage was more of what i would have called a paté. I was less than impressed with it, even accounting for the lack of what i consider sausage-ness. The food was quite pleasant, but did not have intense flavors from the spruce or seaweed coming through. On the other hand, it was a working dinner, so my attention was more on the complexity of the system i have to bring into being.
My colleague described the breakfast at her hotel, which sounded even more amazing than this hotel's. Reindeer sausage!
OpenWeatherMap does not work for Tallinn. I look at other websites that predict highs in the 80s on Thursday and worry that we will swelter inside the conference venue. Like older places in the Bay Area, there's not enough of a need to air condition to handle many people in a space on a warm day. The contemporary hotel i am in doesn't offer air conditioning, either.
Things i an unlikely to use this trip: my shawls, my sweater, the new shawl/sweater i bought for myself, and the long sleeve shirt. Actually, i will probably use some of them on Saturday morning as the ferry travels the coast of Sweden. The raincoat, too, looks less valuable than planned. I'll get use from that at home.
I am pondering whether i will wear a tank top under the tank dresses for modesty or just live with the scoopy neckline: scoopy neckline it is. (The camisole bra doesn't come up high enough to look like an intentional layer. Fie. I have a light shirt i can wear as a jacket over until i get too warm. Today is my bold "You can't miss me" outfit of a tangerine orange tank-sleeved but long-skirted dress. I feel absurd, and i know this makes me far more memorable than i want to be. (Yesterday, in my bright pink floral top i knew i stood out in the sea of muted blue, greys, and blacks.) The knit shows all my lumps, and i need to stop before working myself up over appearance. I don't think people usually LOOK at middle aged women anyhow.
Months ago I'd let Christine know that if she wanted to get me something for the trip, some new fun socks would be welcome. Socks plural, because one needs the pair. She bought me seven pairs, far more than "traveling light" would dictate. Five were inspired by artworks, and today i am wearing "The Scream" with the almost matching orange sky.
The bead containers i bought to store jewelry pills and dabs of various lotions and creams have worked wonderfully. I've happily used all the tech i've brought with me, although i am dubious about my photography. Snaps on the phone might have been just as effective? But i'll tote the camera along for the dinner tonight at the maritime museum.
This morning i could not force myself to make it to the first sessions. The instant coffee is also turning out to be a good thing to have packed.
Yesterday was enjoyable presentations and intense break periods and a long working dinner. I did wander old town for a bit in the morning, mostly seeing the historic Estonian governmental area and then visiting the apothecary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raeapteek). The long working dinner was at farm-to-fork restaurant, Leib, named after the local black bread.
I again made a meal from the small plates: the beetroot tartar with grilled sourdough and spruce sprout cream and the fish sausage with black bread, seaweed mayonnaise, pickled onion and cucumber salad. The fish sausage was more of what i would have called a paté. I was less than impressed with it, even accounting for the lack of what i consider sausage-ness. The food was quite pleasant, but did not have intense flavors from the spruce or seaweed coming through. On the other hand, it was a working dinner, so my attention was more on the complexity of the system i have to bring into being.
My colleague described the breakfast at her hotel, which sounded even more amazing than this hotel's. Reindeer sausage!
OpenWeatherMap does not work for Tallinn. I look at other websites that predict highs in the 80s on Thursday and worry that we will swelter inside the conference venue. Like older places in the Bay Area, there's not enough of a need to air condition to handle many people in a space on a warm day. The contemporary hotel i am in doesn't offer air conditioning, either.
Things i an unlikely to use this trip: my shawls, my sweater, the new shawl/sweater i bought for myself, and the long sleeve shirt. Actually, i will probably use some of them on Saturday morning as the ferry travels the coast of Sweden. The raincoat, too, looks less valuable than planned. I'll get use from that at home.
I am pondering whether i will wear a tank top under the tank dresses for modesty or just live with the scoopy neckline: scoopy neckline it is. (The camisole bra doesn't come up high enough to look like an intentional layer. Fie. I have a light shirt i can wear as a jacket over until i get too warm. Today is my bold "You can't miss me" outfit of a tangerine orange tank-sleeved but long-skirted dress. I feel absurd, and i know this makes me far more memorable than i want to be. (Yesterday, in my bright pink floral top i knew i stood out in the sea of muted blue, greys, and blacks.) The knit shows all my lumps, and i need to stop before working myself up over appearance. I don't think people usually LOOK at middle aged women anyhow.
Months ago I'd let Christine know that if she wanted to get me something for the trip, some new fun socks would be welcome. Socks plural, because one needs the pair. She bought me seven pairs, far more than "traveling light" would dictate. Five were inspired by artworks, and today i am wearing "The Scream" with the almost matching orange sky.
The bead containers i bought to store jewelry pills and dabs of various lotions and creams have worked wonderfully. I've happily used all the tech i've brought with me, although i am dubious about my photography. Snaps on the phone might have been just as effective? But i'll tote the camera along for the dinner tonight at the maritime museum.
This morning i could not force myself to make it to the first sessions. The instant coffee is also turning out to be a good thing to have packed.
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