Greetings, beloved readers!

This is my first addition to the Narva volunteer blogosphere. I would like to share a unique Estonian experience with you. I got up at 6:30, which is quite early for my schedule and I headed towards the castle, at which you can marvel next to the border with Russia. I enjoyed the pleasant chill caressing my eyes, cheeks and nostrils. That woke me up and I was fully attentive at my destination, where soldiers and police officers were getting to start the ceremony. What kind of ceremony, you ask? An excellent question. You see, 24th February is the Estonian Independence Day (Eesti Vabariigi aastapäev), which was declared for the first time almost a century ago. The main spectacle of the ceremony was the flag raising. It was accompanied by the Estonian anthem. By the way, the Estonian anthem "stole" the melody from the Finnish one, they just updated the lyrics. Anyhow, after this our ears enjoyed two short speeches and two short prayers, the latter delivered by a Lutheran and an Orthodox priest. We liked the talking times, because it is not pleasant to stand still outside in Estonia for a long time. Following the official part, the party moved from the main courtyard to the inside of the castle, where some catering awaited us. It was nothing too special or fancy, pastry with different fillings, but it was free and you cannot complain about it, can you? We lingered there for 15 minutes when Eva, a local girl, inquired if we were interested in trying out an alternative type of cuisine. Sure, we replied. Lead the way. We walked for a few minutes and stopped at Peter's square. In front of us stood a "field kitchen". In Russian it is called полевая кухня. We ate some meat soup and fish soup and it tasted delicious. Again, the cold did not spare us and we were slightly shivering, so our party dispersed and left to the warm apartments.

Yours sincerely,

Luka