July 26: East to Russian Border
What an exciting day. Today’s ride took me from Tallinn along the coast through a variety of country backroads all the way to the Russian border, where I had a friendly conversation with an agent there before checking in to my hotel in Narva.
Although I absolutely loved my time on the ferry to Estonia as well as my explorations of both Stockholm and Tallinn, I was excited to get back on the bike this morning. It was wonderful to feel the wind in my face, the sun on my back, the road under the bike, and be headed to yet another unfamiliar destination.
Rather than go straight to Narva I decided to meander in a rather circular manner through a variety of small coastal towns including Vosu, Vainupea, and Kunda. Although I had anticipated the main attraction would be the coast, it turned out the countryside itself was what won my heart over.
As I traveled down one little road after another, I noticed a fascinating juxtaposition of old and new all set in the lush green meadows and fields. Old wood huts half buried in the hill, ancient stone churches, a tall wooden windmill, and abandoned bunkers appeared side by side with glass and brick business buildings, metal wind turbines, and new cars bustling here and there. Within the same block in the small coastal town of Narva – Joesuu, I found a modern-day supermarket and a small wood shack with two local ladies selling fruits and vegetables for cash only.
Purple wildflowers were bursting out in color on both sides of me, little dirt pathways forked off in every direction, and glimpses of the Gulf of Finland appeared on my left on a sporadic basis.
From Narva – Joesuu, I followed the Narva River south, winding my way along the edge of the border between Estonia and Russia to Narva itself. In Narva, I stopped at a Russian cargo truck checkpoint to get a picture of me and the Adventure Baby at the border. A local lady who did not speak English used her phone app to explain that there was also a checkpoint for noncommercial motorists and suggested I go there. I think she thought I wanted to cross over!
At the automobile checkpoint there was a heavy guard presence, and I didn’t think it would go over well for me to park the bike and set up my tripod for a photo. So, I asked a few people passing by if they spoke English, hoping that one of them would be willing to take a photo while I briefly stopped. Although none of them understood me, an English-speaking border guard came up to me to ask if I needed help. After he explained that photos weren’t allowed, I asked if he had any recommendations for a good place to eat dinner and he gave me a suggestion. He laughed good naturedly when I asked if he wanted to take a selfie and walked away. It was worth a try. Another great day on the bike!
