Somewhere behind the courtain of real work one can find the picture of my world. True one I suppose. That are writings called "Coach tales". In my defense I can say, that everything there happened really.

ECLAS Conference in Tartu, 2015

Borders are passing with no oppression. After 17 hours of driving everybody is a little tired. GPS has leading me wisely. In spite of darkness we reach hostel easily and I left my students wondering that in Estonia is 11.00 pm, in Poland is already midnight. City seems to be nice but desolated. At twelve o'clock and in comfortable bed it makes no problem. Outside the window I can see strange spheres and a twisted skyscraper, as if the architect felt strong ache while designing. All that forms turned out to be science museum. I fall asleep in gentle light of rotating windmill.

 

Morning run through the city revealed castle hill with medical university and remains of old cathedral. They give strong impression of Harry Potter reality. Row of ribs consoled the sky. Strange but no Russians destroyed the church. History of that ruins reach the XVII century. They stay that way for centuries showing off. Nice place. In presbytery you can find museum but nobody pretending to rebuild all the building.

On lecture room PhD students and their promoters. Many news how to write and what not to write. Davorin urges to write in English and give that for correction to native speaker.

- I know what you mean - said Ed - I'm Scottish.

Kathy Padam starts with statement " The architect is where money is". I'm looking round where that luxury is, but something is right in it. I feel to be a little outside it's trajectory but it's right. That enable me to dream and stay myself.

Finnish with name Marco Casagrande, coming (as the very name suggests) from Lapland, tells about artistic events and Land-Arts he create all over the world. Flaming houses, green slums but either the villa for mother of rich Malawian - of course with sauna. Slums more or less interesting but with sauna too. "If there is sauna you will survive" - tells Marco. Malawian house has roof only above table in dining room, bed and sauna! - the case of the house for old woman who  loves to climb the stairs and is fond of monsoon rains. The house is a gift from loving son. 

In Jőhvi Wood died my theory that Europeans, or maybe all humans, have somewhere deep the same roots of language. Mommy in Hungarian is Ania, mama means grandmother. I felt completely lost. How dare they?

Angels Bridge in the park is captured by children with McDonald's food. Quite as ours they left behind a lot of garbage. Estonians are joking that "Angel Bridge" refers to long hair of designer. Long hair is really popular there. From distance I'm making photograph of monument of the young girl with long hair and a stick in arm. It appeared that she is Kristian Jaak Petersen - very famous poet, the boy, known for long several weeks trips.

 

Market place with fountain. In the middle bronze couple in passionate embrace. The girls - my students - ask if we are going to do some photographs here - divorce rather I think. Nearby shop with wonderful handmade sweaters, caps, glows. It's pity that so brilliant t-shirts with sarcastic cats are only in children sizes. Cats in various postures, in different degree of surrounding disregard. Nearby the town hall. It appeared that Tartu belonged to Polish king Istvan Batory, Hungarian origin, who gave the flag colours to  the city - white and red shield in the middle. Very Polish indeed.

I'd met the Viking family in lift in the hotel. Parents with son - long white hair, all of them. Swedish I guessed ...

- Mam ja nie pajdu (Mommy I will not go)

- No tshto ty snova chotchesh (what do you want now)

That conversation destroyed my supposition.

Villa designed by Alvar Aalto in Tartu is rented by people for some months. Many people want to live for some time in there. Lawn around, like in masters houses in Dessau and like there - native trees. Here common maple, there common pine and European larch. It's exceptional, that timelessness of Modernism from twenties. If one put there some stone cover or glass, nobody will notice that this house is nearly 100 years old.

Sillamäe looks like Polish towns - Nowa Huta or Tychy. The town hall has tower just like a church - revision of paradigms. Nearby the museum either in the form of single-aisle church. One can think that communists so despised religion, here they still took ideas from that. Early morning, some benches occupied by elderly people. All are talking Russian. Stalin exchanged Estonians by Russian people there. Today you can find old Russians on benches and young people driving BMW there. It's midday, no one car is losing its class. Where they earn money if are hanging around in the middle of the day. Some miles away is border with Russia. Eastern wind seems to be rather cold.

I'm coming back to the bus with some trophies from spoil heap of gas-bearing shales. Ada has found a complete shell. My friend has found nice sphere. Simon suggests that it is egg of dinosaur. "Or something else - I've added - never mind". Strange finds, but the building of mining museum very impressive, great. Only that fuel smell... . My PhD students are delighted with Estonia. Simon explain, that there every tree has an Internet antenna. It's fact that every gas station, every village, every restaurant and shop offers free wi-fi.

Travelling by bus one can notice about 10 meters of lawn, ditch deep about 0,5m - not as in Poland, about 2m deep to be sure that if somebody fall out the road than he will be certainly dead. Behind the ditch 15m more of meadow and finally wood. Simon explaining that it is because of mooses and deers. Only that way you can notice them by the night and survive. Hedgehogs have a lot of living space, are running zig-zags and even not approach the asphalt.

Krzysztof Rostanski