Haanja

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Sue - 50 today.

 

An hour's bus journey through villages with washboard houses with corrugated iron roofs saw us at Haanja ski resort, next to the highest point in Estonia and maybe all the Baltic states. There's a tower to celebrate this achievement - pictured at the bottom, the tower looms above the 318 metre summit of the hill. It was closed today but apparently enjoys views over nearby Russia and Latvia from its upper viewing platform.

The skiing here was excellent, even for me in my one-armed state of incapacity.

The top picture shows our group about to set off after some warming up, leaving Sue and me briefly with cappuccinos in the café. We soon caught up and enjoyed a switchback trail down to a lake.

After a couple of laps of the lake, someone suggested a relay race for about ten of us who were present. Against better judgement I took part. Did I fall or did Ellie push me? Anyway, my bad shoulder took another jolt so I judiciously made way for Stephen in the second run. Sue is pictured, now well ahead of team 2, thanks partly to my replacement.

Then we had lunch in the café, visited the tower, and returned to Otepää after about 12 km of skiing according to my Garmin. 

Roy and I enjoyed a cuppa whilst Sue went back to the Otepää ski loop and Susan, who today just skied locally to test her calf injury, was out walking somewhere.