Drew Says Goodbye to Tartu

Drew and Dad in the Tartu Square

I know that so far on this trip not munch has been mentioned about Hemingway... however there will be much of that to come. The first stop was Tartu, Estonia, to pick up my son Drew Smith who has been attending the University of Tartu -- one of the oldest universities in Europe -- for the last year. 

Downtown Tartu -- Old Europe at its Best -- Outdoor Cafes and Incredible Climate (for now)

Tartu is located about two hours from Tallinn, the Capital of Estonia. It is the main college for Estonia, so one might expect this 500 year old town to be full of the same thing college towns are known for throughout the world. There is a youth and vitality to this otherwise ancient city.

We were lucky to have arrived in the middle of their very short summer. The climate was in the low 70s and a constant breeze permeated the entire town 24/7.

It Is Festival Season, and These Girls Are Dressed in Traditional Estonian Clothes before Doing Estonian Folk Dances

Politically, today Estonia has a democratically elected parliament, with freedom of speech, religion and what appears to be a very stable regime. It is one of the most prosperous of the EU Member countries. It is a great mix of old and new -- with a boom in start-up IT companies.

Drew took us on a tour of Tartu, its four bridges over the local river, and the many landmarks and old buildings. You can see very clearly the influence of the many countries that have controlled this nation over the years... the Germans, Soviet Russian, Scandinavians, and others. In addition, the walking tour served to keep my walking exercise going in preparation for Kili.

Drew and Dad on the Walking Tour of Tartu

St John's  Catholic Church

For Drew of course, this was a bitter-sweet tour. On the one hand he was able to share this place he has come to love so much with his own family. On the other hand, he was saying goodbye. We visited all of his favorite places one more time. We heard the stories of his year abroad and all the friends he made while there. If you have a child in college, encourage them to take advantage of the amazing study abroad opportunities. There is no education like it anywhere.

At Drew's Favorite Table at His Favorite Place One More Time

On the night of his departure, we finally got my lost bag from the airport -- the one with all the gear for Africa in it, as well as some items from home for Drew. It came just in time, because we left at around mid-night to catch the bus to the airport in Riga, Latvia, for our flight to Barcelona, where the Spanish adventure would begin. As we helped Drew clean and clear out of his down room, there was a sweet kind of sadness as the rain began to fall as we pulled our bags across all the old familiar places one last time for the bus station. I felt sorry for Drew. However, I am glad that his experience was so rich and meaningful as to leave such a impact.  The bus finally arrived, and we all got on and stayed on for some 4-6 hours, until we got to the Riga Airport. At Riga, we had to wait for another 6 or more hours to board our flight to Sweden and then Spain. Finally, we arrived at the end of a very long and bittersweet day.

Fountain of Lovers