OHMYGOSSIP – It is 8 km from Viljandi to Ruudiküla and somewhere in the middle there should be the notorious Ärma. It may be that my exact data concerning this place are somewhat insufficient, and yet, to be honest with you, I have not bothered to dig deeper into the issue and find out.
On our way from Viljandi city centre to Ruudiküla village we were joking with my sister that we could stay for the night in Ärma farmhouse (Ärma tourist farm belongs to the super active Twitter scribbler Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the president of Estonia during the years 2006-2016 and even today his Twitter account directs the reader swiftly to president.ee web page). There have been, on the local scale, enormous sums been involved in managing and advertising the place as a tourist farm… May it be located somewhere on our darling road to Ruudiküla or some place else, the fact is that you won’t find a tourist farm that is open for the common guest and the common visitor has no business near that site.
Actually, my concern for this issue stands next to nothing. Although I have no direct and personal connections with our former president, it has been the impression of him and his ex-wife Evelin that they are rather insolent and uppish people.
Possibly I am now doing injustice to the neighbour, but it simply is this gut feeling, the common insignificant average Estonian person’s gut feeling. Mr Ilves certainly is smart and has taken numerous useful steps on behalf of the country, yet it is this silent arrogant chewing-gum chewing impression that accumulates foes rather than friends. Similarly the ex-wife Mrs Evelin Ilves is more of a semi-educated self-exposing fribble than a genuine spokesperson.
On the other hand, the new Mrs Ilves is personally for me very sypathetic and leaves the impression of a lady. However, it is none of these three people that I wish to go on speaking about this very moment. I digressed. Totally. And it is my wish to see the positive, not the negative things around me, yet I tend to be the smarty-pants and also tend to focus on faults. When do I learn from my own mistakes?!
So let me continue! Viljandi, Ruudiküla used to be the home of my grand uncle Peter from dad’s line. There we used to spend time when we were young and the place is very close to the heart. The place was underprivileged and at that time also far away from the town, yet grandmother used to tell sweet stories that seemed to turn this place into a wonderland for me. Silgutare (Herring Hut) or nowadays known as Päeva-Pilli (Day-Tune’s) is not far from a wierd-named place Koerakuse (dog piss) spring – we used to go swimming there when we were children. It is a horrible place – full of leeches, but what do you do about it when it is a beautiful childhood memory of yours. The nature there is wild, we stopped the car to see a little goat find its way across the street. Also we noticed a duck family on the river and friendly cows in the next farm. I do love animals! They warm the heart, and so do children! I guess kids and pets have a very similar energy – pure, true, friendly and sweet! Silgutare has been sold more that ten years ago to a woman from Finland, who lives in Finland and visits Estonia seldom.
We contacted the owner and inquired about her plans with the place that she bought years ago. It is a pity to see that the place is falling apart and that ancient majestic trees are cut and used for heating. The place arises old warm feelings in me – in a way it is awkward to see modern buildings and plantations rising in the vicinity, and at the same time this old place is perishing. My grandparents hid themselves for ten years under that farmhouse and in the woods nearby at times of war. The house today is of no value actually – an old shed hardly standing, but the bushes and these ancient trees! These have been planted long ago by my ancestors and it is sad to have them chopped down for heating of Midsummer’s bonfire. The place has a story to tell – for us. I hold that the trees have certain energy, a memory. The nature sees and it remembers!
We took a tour in Ruudiküla and then headed towards Mustla… I know I have earlier promised in this post a story about Holstre, Paistu, Mustla and the ghosts – all this will be right in the next blog!
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PS!! When I returned home I checked out where exactly this Ärma tourist farm is located.
Wikipedia states the following (translation from Estonian): Ärma countryhouse (also: president’s residence) is a real estate in Viljandi county, Abja municipality, Veskimäe village, a few kilometres from Abja-Paluoja. The house belongs to the Ilves family and dates back to 1763. The real estate is entered in the register with registration number 145039. The real estate has arable land and forest land altogether 80,1 hectars. The farm territory is 82 hectars. The owner of Ärma country house (with the previously stated address) is president Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Ärma countryhouse is rented out to private limited company Ermamaa (entered in the registry 18.01.2005, registration number 11097847), where the member of board is Evelin Ilves and the place is named Ärma tourist farm. Since 2006 it was in use as the president’s residence, for hosting foreign guests and as a stopping point for president Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
OHMYGOSSIP – Tuesday morning at 9.00 I carried the bucket, watering can and some other articles in the car and started off to Viljandi. The bucket and watering can were there since I intended to do some tidy up at the Paistu cemetery. I was very excited about the mini-holiday that was about to start. The children had gone to visit our Saaremaa granny the day before and after quite some time I was all by myself. Typically the „time for myself” has been put into practice as „time for others”, time for cleaning the home, time for super-intensive work or some other end – this time it finally really was time for myself!
Tuesday morning… I woke at 8 a.m. with a headache, uploaded the Finnish blog, checked the number of „likes” for my Estonian blog in the social media (a destructive habit with no actual effect) and then started to pack for the trip. The night before I got so excited about my new way of thinking that I overcelebrated and had a bit too much alcohol. So during this morning I profited from three aspirins and decided that this has now been a lesson in proper alcohol consumption. I proceeded with an icy shower and made up my mind that nothing could spoil my mood today.
I packed the laptop, and then unpacked it. Once more I packed it and once more changed my mind. It occurred to me that I needed to cut the „laptop comes first” principle. So the laptop remained home and this was a huge step forward for me! This step could be the equivalent for posing nude on the cover of a magazine – something completely unexpected and different from what I usually do or would like to do. Something beyond the box. Soon I was on the Saku-Rapla-Türi-Viljandi route. In Tõdva Alexela station I refuelled. It was €31.31 sharp (I have an economic small vehicle and the tank was not completely empty), and this being done I took off. While on the road I stumbled on many thoughts, most of the time I thought to myself that I was very happy. I smiled at my thoughts and it seemed that rain or shine, my vacation and journey will be unshakable. As a rule, I cannot stand a rainy day. And it is becoming the rule that I smile infrequently. I tend to be moody and nasty, so that Margus would use the vocabulary „oldster”, „chubby”, „snappy” and „witch”. I have to admit I am not much of a source of joy or in my size no feast for the eye. Without being a trained doctor myself or being diagnosed by one it is petty clear that for many years I have been profoundly depressed. This translates to not finding any joy in the process of living and to hoping that „the ultimate rest” will be a fitting end to the outrageous fortune. I am surrounded by loving family and relatives, but quite so often I cannot point out when and where it turns into being „overloving” or „excessively dominating, in control, dictating the right and the wrong and the proper conditions for everything”.
I kept driving and reached Türi. A big sign „Welcome to Türi! Please smile!” greeted me, so I smiled and thought – what a great sign! Then I recalled that the granny of the wife of my brother-in-law lives in Türi – isn’t this a nice place to live! The annual flower fair… I might visit that next year! As I was driving through the little town I saw a group of pensioners and got to thinking that Türi in Estonia is like Miami Boca Raton, where the elderly gather to enjoy the peaceful life. These thoughts on my mind, I dashed forward towards Viljandi were I was supposed to meet my sister at about 11 a.m., to start an adventure for two through Viljandi!
At 11 o’clock I arrived in Viljandi. I parked the car and walked to Amrita Cafe, where my elder sister was already waiting. Since she had sold her car just lately and has not bought a new one yet, she came by bus from Tartu this time. She is a few years older than me (40+), yet thanks to an affection for fitness she does look way younger than me and also is a lot slimmer. The bus driver had asked her whether she needed a full ticket or pupil’s discount. Awesome! So, we ordered green salad with beet toast and feta for €6.20, Mancello pizza for € 9.20, tea and coffee. When in Viljandi I always visit this cafe – it is very pleasant and gives a positive start for the day. After the light meal we went to shop for rainboots, yet these were not to be found nearby. My sister had taken along these cool Ted Baker rubber boots, since we had planned to go to the woods, the bog, and where else. As for me, since I had the morning that I had, I started off with flip flops and forgot all about rainboots or even sneakers. This is actually not like me at all – it is very common that I make plans and write lengthy lists of bring-along stuff and also pack the bags already a week before the event. Usually I am responsible, with forsight, and I plan things very carefully and in advance. However, this time it was the exact opposite. My conduct was exceptional, I was being the opposite of myself. So, since rainboots were not for sale nowhere nearby and we did not wish to continue looking for them, we startedd off to Ruudiküla with the intention of briefly digressing to the president’s farmhouse in Ärma or nearby. Ärma should be located near the summer cottage of my childhood, but since we have not taken so much interest in it then we had not found out more about it.
To be continued… (in the next blog: Ruudiküla, Holstre and Mustla. And rushing ahead of the events a question for the reader: can it possibly haunt in ancient places? And do you believe that ghosts exist?)
OHMYGOSSIP – I have been working so endlessly that everything inside is turning – at times night and day get mixed up. My last vacation was 4 days back in November 2016 when I took some OHMYGOSSIP team members, networking partners and a couple of co-authors on a journey to Morocco. It is possible to refer to those three days in June as a vacation when a good Finnish friend of mine, Tuija Järvinen visited me, yet these days, too, tended to be half work and half leisure.
I am so very exhausted and so overwhelmed by work that I sometimes cannot but find myself entertaining the idea of separating from my husband and starting from scratch some place else – just me alone and my children. At times of weariness it appears to me that particularly Margus has the most demands on food and is the most eager to make a mess that needs to be cleaned up. As you may understand, somebody has to be responsible for the inconvenience… For example, I find it very annoying that he expects to have meat for dinner every day, while I am gradually becoming a vegetarian or perhaps even a vegan. As far as I am informed about this, the difference between these two is that a vegetarian has also eggs, dairy products and fish on the menu, while a vegan narrows it all down to plain herbal components.
It is painful to picture in my mind the torturing of animals. Similarly, I cannot stand the misuse and direct waste of food. In our family it is unfortunately quite so often the fact that the fridge is full of products, everything is opened up and unpacked straightaway and then there is nobody to really consume all that – so it is soon no longer edible and must be thrown away. It just drives me mad! Seriously! Maybe this is a defective attitude, but lately I feel the inner pressure to be in unison with nature and this view is in clear conflict with consuming vast quantities of meat, needlessly wasting food and other resources (at least in the manner and amount that it is happening today). Definitely I am not the person to toss around claims like „Never again!”, however, I do belong to the group of people that hope to continuously take small steps towards creating an atmosphere of respect for animals and the nature. Lets say, my cat fell ill (impaired the vocal chords) – this has me very worried. My concern for the cat may be as significant as to render me incapacitated. I daily and annually run monumental web portals that feed the curiosity and information needs of hundreds-thousands readers every day. Yet when a family member or cat (who is likewise the family) is ill, it is rather that I discontinue the job and withdraw the contracts than neglect my family (including the pets). At times like that there will be no newsfeed and that is the end of the story. My team partners know that already and they can accept it. There have been days like that, though seldom. I must admit that except for my younger daughter’s autistic disorder (which is not a common cold), nobody in our family has actually been ill for ages and my newsmill has been working for the past ten years nonstop… It is however a pity that I have not managed to line up my own personal health requirements, inner needs and emotions with those of others. I should be doing so, since lately I have not been feeling very well. I feel the urge to let myself be for a short while. Plainly. Be. Simply. Randomly. Offline. Off duty. Even a few days away from the glowing screen, all signed out and shut down.
I am fascinated by the idea of cutting the expenses and economizing and I find wastefulness annoying. Two thirds of my lifetime I have done everything to serve the idle end and find friends among those who fancy the pouring money. And need I say I have been successful on this path. I have profoundly desired to unrestrictedly own it and show my attitude without filtering the inappropriate details – just because I can. I know, it does sound stupid, but to be honest, this has been my purpose for many a year – to be as solid, as autonomous that nothing would get me off the track, that nothing would shake me, that I would act upon my own will. It is a common wisdom that money accumulates in the pockets that already hold it and that wealthy friends and profitable connections lift you up on the property ladder. However, there is a fine line between remaining your true self and becoming a mere robot for attaining your ambition of outdistancing the mediocre, becoming the best, the first, the richest of all. Today I argue that this has been in vain. I have been among people that I largely dislike and am not fond of, I have been seeking to please. The money and the fortune is not worth that. Happiness stands diametrically apart from money. Independence has a value and is necessary to a point, but further down the road it turns into arbitrary outflow of energy. It makes me very happy to realize this state of affairs today. For sure, there will remain a certain amount of doubt – would I be the self-confident and well off person that I am now without following that path?! I cannot know. The people, the opportunities, the circumstances vary. So do the purposes. I do know that I am among the most widely read Scandinavian, American and Brazilian bloggers thanks to the great commitment of the past years. I will elaborate on that in the posts yet to come. And for now, my darling friends…
…I’m going to tell you something wildly surprising… I will be off for a holiday in the next two or three days!! I will travel to Viljandi with my elder sis and that is even more thrilling than a wedding trip! It all starts in the mind – happiness, joy, relaxation! I wish to wander in the forests, roam the tiny villages of our countryside, behold my grandmother’s grave, and simply be. We will meet as soon as we meet, but not before a few days time! I am off for a holiday!
PS! a synopsis of the super sweet and positive emotions that entwined all fellow Estonians after the Song festival „Mina jään!” („I am to be!”) from Sunday, 2 July, will be posted along with the picture gallery shortly after my holiday!
OHMYGOSSIP – Despite the fact that I live 15km from the town, in the little Murimäe village, where you can count the houses with both hand fingers, where a view from the window behind and in front of the house is hay land and forest the city is getting closer each year with uproar, vapor and motorways. Traffic and living environment are becoming more and more vibrant every year, and more accurate by the eyes of city planners, but unfortunately it also gets more polluted. However, I am moving both in reality and in the heart away from the city.
At the age of 20 I bought my first apartment – of course in the Old Town, right in the middle of everything – to Town Hall Square. At this age, I absolutely did not understand the people who wanted to live outside the city or hold on for it – in the countryside! Cafe-shopping-bars were supposed to be in the walking distance and in my opinion only a total fool or a poor who could not afford the Old Town/ City Center apartment wanted to live in the countryside. Life boils 24/7 and I am in the middle of it. I enjoyed this life for many years, and neither the noise nor the gray stone houses which surrounded me didn´t bother – on the contrary, I felt that life could not get any better! And at one point it did not get any better. Even in the middle of wealth and riches everyday arrives. At one point shopping doesn´t make you any happier – you have everything, multiple .. what´s next? Instead of 10 euro wine you drink 100 euro wine, instead of the 100 euro purse you wear 2500 euros bags, instead of 15 euros jeans you buy 700 euros jeans – believe me – the wine tastes the same way, the bag holds the same way, and the jeans, no matter how expensive does not make a big ass smaller (Hahaaa) and so on… at one point I discovered that I have everything. There was nothing in the stores that I would like to have, but I wouldn´t have already? But are you happy? Okay, let’s be honest .. Certainly happier than those who have never been there or had anything, but one moment you are tired of all of that and then there will be a setback. You have been struggling to live up to your expectations and suddenly you discover that this is not a life with the meaning. Life is not about to be rich. Even if this is the idea of life, then it will not automatically make you happy. The idea of life is not to be overloaded with things. You realize that the meaning of life is to live and living is nothing else than to acquire things. Living is a breathing in the same rhythm with nature, because only this kind of life will truly last. Such life is sustainable.
Why super rich Chinese business giants do not live in China, where the air is very polluted? Why wealthy Dubai´s citizens who waste millions euros every month are often drug addicts or lost the meaning of life? Because you cannot buy health and happiness! Money is not the key to satisfaction (although without money, there is often now satisfaction as well)! Health is a healthy environment, health is a pure food! Health is good nerves and normal lifestyle, healthy children and ability to love your life. Felicity and satisfaction are born in our heads, and for that you don´t need money. Pure nature and peaceful surroundings are sustainable, and those who appreciate it live, grow and develop with the nature – they live and blossom every spring!
Today, I look at life with a different look. What before was “a must” is now practically “out”. I carefully plan when I go to the city (of course I take the kids to school and back) but malls I visit maybe only once or twice a year. When I was younger, I was satisfied when I shopped a lot, today I am glad if I live almost without spending. The less things the better, the simpler the better, the more self-made, self-grown or re-processed (recycled) the better! Sometimes I look my Louis Vuitton bags in my closet and I laugh with a loud voice.. why people need bags which cost thousands and you can´t even carry them over the sholder? OK, let it be. Sometimes the madness of vanity rises its head and then I´ll use them but.. looking in big plan, my soul wishes more and more simplicity. 15km from the city is still a city – it can no longer be called as a village as years ago, even 30km from big cities ( Tallinn, Tartu) is still a city in Estonia. Why do I find more exciting small wooden farmhouse in “X” place in a deep forest with privacy and clean environment than big villa with stone pillars in the city?
I am so tired of glamor and technique that sometimes I want to cry. I do not know what bothers me more – tech, remote controls and wires or city people? Why a milk pipe in front of the gate, organic lifestyle, a gravel road, a country school with six students in a class, and leaving the house with a letter “Key under the carpet” feel like a dream? I do not want anything that anyone “would like to cherish”, I do not want any over valued material things – while I want clean air, untouched nature, fresh water from the river, wildlife, and peace. It seems to me that it would be a real wealth and a sustainable environment. I wish to drink birch and maple juice and grow my own food – potatoes-carrots-peas, etc. I believe that people who live in that kind of environment do not know what is depression or suicidal thoughts, they do not have panic attacks or the most important – they don´t have that feeling that you have too much of everything but you still don´t know what you really wish.
OHMYGOSSIP – Regarding the OHMYGOSSIP streamsphere – the year 2016 has been overwhelming, and definitely there has been versatile improvement concerning various crucial parameters as compared to 2015. The utmost success indicator from life’s journey through 2016 has been the step forward in general happiness and positive attitude as well as the continuous progress towards wellbeing. Find out more about my stories of success as well as setbacks, my dreams and original points of view in the following conversation!
What did you do or accomplish in 2016 such that you have never done before?
1. I have taken home a friendly pair of kittens.
2. I have entered the world of radio listeners, while formerly I used to be keen on newspapers, journals, online-media and television channels as the main sources of news.
3. I have come to understand that neither enjoying the benefits of being in a relationship nor on the other hand, investing in the conveniences and virtues of being single would in itself guarantee happiness for anyone. It is only ourselves that can make the conscious decision to be happy or to feel miserable, we are the ones that set the milestones and standards for our individual self-evaluation. We are born lonesome and we bid farewell to this world in solitude. However, having company is more comfortable in many ways…
4. I joined a political campaign and took a stand on the subject of political matters.
5. Also, I have introduced for myself an additional account to save for special purposes. At the very moment it hosts a 150 euro sum. Hahaaaaaa.
Did you keep the New Year’s promises, and did you actually promise anything?
Not really – I do not compile these „to do” lists for the new year. That is simply because it turns out to be difficult keeping them afterwards. Yet there is certainly room for the more general life plans and goal-setting, consciously striving towards the ends that I value, and constantly working on approaching these ends in my individual pace and manner. I find it essential to take action in the planning and designing of the days to come, even if in the end of the day what comes about is often predetermined and shaped by forces superior to our own will.
Facing a train of unexpectancies, sudden changes in the course of events and even seeing carefully made plans go awry is an inevitable part of life, however, without the experience of great failures we wouldn’t be ready for powerful victory.
It has become a norm for me that with the start of the new year I always launch at least one novel branch for OHMYGOSSIP streamsphere. Unless you are busy in the business and unless you have the courage to dream the wildest dreams and seek to attain them, the dreams won’t come true. The more you reach out for the most outrageous targets, the more insane the results that you can measure, in the positive meaning, of course!
Has any of your nearest and dearest given birth last year?
Yes.
Has anybody close to you passed away last year?
Yes.
What is it that you long to acquire in 2017 that has been missing in 2016?
One objective is definitely property – my ambition to own property is immense, a characteristic mostly found in men. It would be easier to figure out what I do not desire to possess. I’d gladly have the entire world! Besides, I wouldn’t surely renounce being the one pulling the strings in the most influential media channels of the world nor having a say in the planet’s groundbreaking political decisions.
As you may know, women can change the world to a greater extent than they realize – or more than men would like to believe. Gradually and in our own way we often influence the course of life rather more with the way we make plans, enable to dream, and give love, than with officially adopting concrete decisions. And it goes without saying that it has been more than once that I have somehow brought about a sense of inferiority in celebrated men of property. I just cannot but think big and look beyond the box, I cannot but dream big and get big businesses going – modest projects are not my priority.
Now, more down to earth – I would pretty much fancy purchasing supplementary real estate. For example, the following dwellings in California seem very likeable:
1) In Thousand Oaks, California – White Stallion road 2200 – $8,995,000 (6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and 82879 m2 orchard).
2) Calabasas, California – 25010 Thousand Peaks Rd – $6,999,950 (7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and 42411 m2 orchard). By the way, this darling once belonged to Martha Helen Stewart!
Naturally, I would also love to own property in precious Estonia! This country is so extraordinary and close to the heart – I would be so happy to own a sizable portion of fir-tree forest somewhere in Estonia, where in winter the snowy roads remain untouched by sweeping vehicles and urban intrusive arrangements for electricity supply have not yet pushed the still life out of balance – a location that in Estonian would be called „completely behind the big tree”.
Understandably, my „what I wish for” list could go on through many a volume. However, I believe that you must at least be clear about what you aim for – in order to contribute towards achieving your goals.
Nevertheless, sometimes it is comforting to dream just for the sake of dreaming. Without having any dreams at all our life would be sad and empty.
In 2017 I intend to further refine and promote my new OHMYGOSSIP sites! Today I am already in the position of establishing the steering role in the chosen sphere and stretching to exclusively win all Scandinavian readers. There is space for a great deal of advancement, but I intend to build and elaborate on the current direction.
The scope of our dreams determines the scope of our achievements. Courage of conviction is the ticket to a dream-come-true. Always afford yourself the boldest dream! – even though the ground may be shaking and the budget a hand is yet disproportionate.
Which date will be most memorable for you from the year 2016 and why?
1) 8 July – my darling kitty Tiger never returned home… ?
2) 8 November. Republican candidate Donald Trump was elected U.S. President. I was among the advocates of this candidacy – lobbying and lending a hand in carrying it through. Social media is currently at its best, prevailing and governing other forms of media. It was clearly felt during this mission that the power of media knows no limits nowadays and you just need to figure out how to address it in the right way.
What has been the highest high in 2016?
The most significant, considerable and fulfilling achievements for me are always those related to my two kids. The measure of my success is my childrens’s success! Estella Elisheva (10) and Ivanka Shoshana (8) have been doing well at school, both girls have smoothly and industriously been learning languages. Their fluency in foreign languages is a priority for me.
Estella speaks fluent Russian besides her mother tongue Estonian. She even can name various insects in this language – which I have never heard of! After completing the first four grades in Tallinn Jewish School she is able to express herself in Russian equally well as using the mother tongue. She makes me very proud. Also, she already understands a lot of Hebrew and sometimes comments on the Israeli news.
Ivanka keeps getting better with her English skills and won’t let herself be tricked into anything in English. What I am hoping for from my daughters is this: to speak many languages and to esteem beautiful body shape.
In the first I am a role model for them, in the other… – I am an example of what they must avoid! 😀 Each new generation can and should be better than the previous!
Have you been ill during the past year or have you had any injuries?
Fortunately not – I have been generally in good health, except for a couple of panic episodes.
Last year’s luckiest purchase.
Whenever I launch a new OHMYGOSSIP domain – when I buy and animate it – I feel like a new person! Each penny that I invest in the future of OHMYGOSSIP contributes to my happiness.
Naturally, I do not regret a single cent spent on my daughters and their education. For my children and OHMYGOSSIP I am willing to spend infinitely.
Whose conduct deserves an applause from your side?
Among my greatest examples over the past ten years now have been Estonian archrabbi Shmuel Kot and his wife Chana. I love these people with all my heart and I wish to be like them. There is nothing in the world more important for me than HASHEM and by children-family!
My parents also deserve an applause – always – there is nobody caring about you more than your parents do, even though it may sometimes seem beyond comprehension and any belletristic capacity how they manage to irritate you!
Whose behaviour makes you sick?
When as a rule I tend to find something negative in everything that I stumble on, then regarding this year it is difficult to point out anything particular… at least here in Europe and Scandinavia. I would say I couldn’t point my finger to anybody that has made me sick in 2016. Of course, only in case you exclude from the list outbreaks of war in the world, the abuse of and violence towards women and children – this is wrong and shouldn’t exist.
I really feel grief when I think of the babies and women who must become victims of war and extremism, being raped and beaten, humiliated, even murdered… this is utterly wrong. It is not just a matter of making me sick, but it is a mortal sin. The world ought to be more civilized than that!
Horrible! – a woman is decapitated for going to the market without accompaniment! An eight-year-old juvenile being sold as an item for sex services! Where are the eyes of the rich and powerful of this world to let that happen?
Where did most of the money go?
In 2016 I mostly spent money from external sources.
What thrilled you most in 2016?
The sparkler-kind of thrill hasn’t been there for quite a while.
Most delightful have been the get-together conversations over a glass of wine with my elder sister. However, in 2017 I wish to see my younger sister partaking these reunion-discussions more than she has done so far. I have no better friends than my sisters!
As compared to 2015, would you say you are thinner or larger than in the end of 2016?
Larger.
Worse off or better off?
Better off.
What do you wish you had done more?
Taken more walks in the nature.
What do you wish you had done less?
I do not approve of complaining – since we are alive we ought to live, and living may on various occasions include making mistakes. A task of life is to experience and perhaps also to have regrets. Life must be made up of all these things.
Did you fall in love in the year 2016?
No.
Did you have casual relationships in 2016?
No.
Is there hatred towards anyone from your side as compared to last year the same time?
No.
What did you strive for and accomplish?
1. That Ivanka Shoshana starts taking violin lessons.
2. That we plant lots of fir and pine trees on our residence premises.
3. That I make new contacts and set cooperation going with several tourism ministries.
4. That among women I would be undeniably and undoubtedly the most powerful agent on the Scandinavian social media scenery.
5. To launch Ohmygossip Finland (ohmygossip.fi) site online, too, besides social media.
What did you do on your birthday, what is your age?
It was my 38th birthday and I cannot exactly remember what I did on that day – I have not had a proper birthday party for 20 years.
What is that one thing that could have made the year 2016 a lot better for you?
The year has been pleasant – emotionally, spiritually definitely surpassing 2015.
What has kept you sane and sound?
Haha, interesting question. Being sane and sound actually has never been my strongest side.
Who was the best new acquaintance?
I am always glad to meet new people. I have gathered very many valuable new contacts among various Israeli embassies, ambassadors and leading figures…
As an ambassador of the Israeli media in the Scandinavian region I have met a great many inspiring, good people!
The most cordial memory among them in 2016 was probably in the context of the Finnish Tourism Fair – meeting the amiable Ingrid Berlanga, whose full title is “Commercial and cultural attaché at Embassy of Mexico in Finland”.
She is the most kind-hearted lady, who completely took me by surprise when she recently notified me in a private Facebook conversation that I am welcome and awaited as a guest in their home – should I need a place to stay or should I just visit Mexico – her home greets me always. Isn’t that the essence of hospitality and friendliness!
It is also worth to mention secondary, mediated contacts – those that have been created with the presence of third parties that stand close to me. I believe that in the coming years it is not at all impossible that I begin extensive collaboration in Abu Dhabi and with several United Arab Emirates sheikhs.
OHMYGOSSIP – OHMYGOSSIP is already a massive brand and a company, which is well known in Estonia, Finland, America and Brazil. I am actually quite proud to put up a brand like these apart from having children.
I have been chosen many times Scandinavian’s biggest social media influencer and OHMYGOSSIP webpages are being visited by 3 million readers per month. If you think it’s easy to achieve something like this, you’re wrong. It has been 10 years of hard work with an aim to secure my children’s future. In the next 5 years I’m aiming to grow the turnover of OHMYGOSSIP to 5-10 million euros and use the brand’s name on variety of products. Also I’d ike to think with Estella Elisheva what exactly to do with a youth-oriented brand OHMYGOSSIP Teen and how to develop the brand E&S (Elisheva & Shoshana) created about 8 years ago.
OHMYGOSSIP – The winter is over and the weather just keeps getting better – it’s time to get started with gardening chores. I ordered 8 rooms of wood and now it’s time to pile them up. I order unpiled firewood each year and after piling them up think that next year I’ll buy them in a container, so I wouldn’t have to do all the work. But once the time has arrived I feel sorry for the money I’d lose and I still buy the unpiled ones. The price difference is quite huge – unpiled firewood costs 35 euros per square meter and in a container it costs up to 145 euros per square meter.
Before it gets all green out there, I’d like to fix my garden – rake the leaves which have been left there from autumn, cut the dried branches from the garden and put the firewood to the woodpile. Probably I need to order another 8 rooms of this, but even if we won’t use it up it’s good to have some set aside and the wood is dry enough before using them. Raw wood bought in spring is suitable to use it for autumn but it’s even better if it’s set aside until the next autumn.
In my eyes anything natural should be considered a luxury. I like the simple cottage house with its fresh air, big garden, privacy and eco lifestyle much more than the city life. No force could push me to move back to the polluted city. The simpler and more natural, the better! The less TV controls, wires, concrete and the noise of the city, the better! I like stove heating, fresh air and silence, I like to eat my garden’s outcome. I like to be the so called village girl nearby the city. Whoever lives at the countryside knows that time moves in another rhythm in the countryside. The course of events in the countryside is different – more peaceful and enjoyable. I like that I’m in no rush, that there is no nervous and hectic hustle nearby me, that I see elks or rabbits or cats from my window not trams, busses and cars in 7 lanes. Of course I’m not completely independent from the time, how could I if I have two children. Both go to school in the city and I can’t escape going to the city on daily basis, but the rest of the time flows in our rhythm and that is so nice! By the way, the birch juice is already running! Whoever has the chance, drink it! Birch juice cleans the body, carries the power and energy of the ground and gives you a new vibe! You can read more about the birch juice from HERE.
OHMYGOSSIP – Since I’m associated with many projects I often find myself surprised how I can fit to 24 hours blogging in 4 languages, brand development, social media marketing and of course home and my children. I have noticed that I’m the most effective if I am doing many things at the same time and if a new project is about to start. I am then like a rocket plan – that effective and fast that I can do the job of 20 people.
I have developed a timetable which I usually fulfil automatically and it works out well. But for this to work out I need occasional getaways and joint brainstorming. If generally I prefer to work alone and in silence then brainstormings should be done face to face and away from the everyday environment. Everybody needs a breath of fresh air and employees are very motivated by a short getaway!
Last week I did a 24-hour getaway to Lake Peipsi (Estonia) and the meeting was that effective and enthralling that we thought to start doing it regularly (at least once per month). The brain switches to another vibe and the spirit gets away from the routine – a work getaway is two in one – work and a holiday. And Peipsi is always wonderful!
OHMYGOSSIP – I have written about this before (in an interview I gave to the media in Finland) that one of my idols is Kardashian’s “gang” leader – Kris Jenner. She has kickstarted all the careers of her daughters and is still in charge to lead them higher in their careers. She has made a name for both her current husband’s and previous husband’s labels – in my eyes she is a very talented and powerful woman!
I always try to take after the talented and powerful ones and analyse how I could use their ideas for success for myself. I am sure that nothing moves if you don’t move them. I am sure that those kids whose parents support them have a bigger chance to succeed. Children interests, hobbies, talents and personality are developed at a very early age and based on them and discussing their future with them can lead to interesting solutions which enables you to take action immediately. As we all know it – youth sells! But the youngster doesn’t know how to sell herself.
My idea is that if you know already in kindergarten that your kid loves to perform, then you should do something about it. If you see a stronger interest towards something, you should do something about it. We all want our kids to do well, succeed. We all want a secure future for our children and support them. At least I o want and I take it very seriously.
Although I need to think a bit about myself, for the past 10 years kids are my priority nr 1 – daughters Estella Elisheva (10) ja Ivanka Shoshana (8). If I wouldn’t want to secure their futures, I would probably enjoy an easy life as apparently it’s possible. I could start my morning with a workout and SPA, head to manicure and hair treatments then shopping, chill in cafés, go to the cinema, eat in a restaurant and spend the evening at different events (boutique openings, degustations, fashion shows etc) while my kids are at school. I have chosen an alternative path. I drive my kids from one hobby to another – I’m a daytime taxi driver, logistic and a psychologist who drives, coordinates, supports my kids and on free moments does business. Estella Elisheva is studying 3 languages (Russian, English, Hebrew), practises violin in a music school, goes to ballroom dancing with Kristina Tennokese and Baile Orb. Ivanka Shoshana goes after school twice per week to speaking therapy and in winter in violin classes. Estella Elisheva shows already master-class in violin classes and I’m thinking every day how I could build a career out of that for her.
And a lot of time is spent on OHMYGOSSIP. OHMYGOSSIP is already a massive brand and a company, which is well known in estonia, Finland, America and Brazil. I am actually quite proud to put up a brand like these apart from having children. I have been chosen many times Scandinavian’s biggest social media influencer and OHMYGOSSIP webpages are being visited by 3 million readers per month. If you think it’s easy to achieve something like this, you’re wrong. It has been 10 years of hard work with an aim to secure my children’s future. In the next 5 years I’m aiming to grow the income of OHMYGOSSIP to 5-10 million euros and use the brand’s name on variety of products. Also I’d ike to think with Estella Elisheva what exactly to do with a youth-oriented brand OHMYGOSSIP TEEN and how to develop the brand E&S (Elisheva & Shoshana) created about 8 years ago.
OHMYGOSSIP – I started to develop Swedish Ohmygossip’s platform already in 2014, but now I have also opened a separate webpage Ohmygossip.se. As you can see the page is still in development but I’m planning to do the blog posts in 4 languages. Estonian (Ohmygossip.ee), English (Ohmygossip.com), Finnish (Ohmygossip.fi) and Swedish (Ohmygossip.se). This is the order I’m planning to translate the articles, thus on the last pages the stories will appear with a little delay.
As the plan is to regularly grow and expand and my target is the Scandinavian market, I’m planning to move towards that direction step by step. In September we opened Ohmygossip.fi page and this worked out so well that I thought not to wait anymore with the Swedish page. It feels great as I wanted to do this a long time ago. I have blogged in Swedish before at Mondoblog.se, Spotlife.se and Blogg.se platforms, but some of those platforms have even stopped their work by today. I want to dedicate more time to Finnish and Swedish page and increase Ohmygossip’s fame in the Northern countries. I know that due to lack of time and financial means I am doing mainly baby steps but even a small step is a step in the right direction.
My goal is to become one of the major bloggers in Scandinavia. In social media I have already reached that goal with my followers but I still have the desire to reach that aim also with daily unique readers and general fame. Although I believe that it is not possible to decide who is the biggest influencer as there are many variables to measure it – readers’ number, the fame of the blog, the base of blog’s social media, the income of the blog, the internationalism of the blog, blog’s name as a brand, brand’s value, services/products sold under blog’s name, the number of collaborations and contacts, the amount of subscribers, blog’s activity on social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc), blog’s Google Analytics and blog’s ratings in different lists.
OHMYGOSSIP – There were two amazing and sunny days in Estonia. So, yesterday, before I went to sleep (without checking today´s weather forecast), I made a plan in my head that I will start with spring gardening today. But I woke up already in the night as there was a huge storm and torrential rain which was beating against the window, and I realized that I have to replan my day.
I have left the children home from school second time this week. I allow them to play truant when I see that there is a huge sleep debt. They study so hard during the year that spring fatigue does not surprise me at all. Estella Elisheva will go to the Lehaim camp next week and she started with packing already. Ivanka Shoshana surfs around the internet, for eight-year-old, she is very skillful with computers. And I think there is no way I can any longer postpone cleaning the house. Otherwise, we need a house extension. A lot of pointless and unnecessary things accumulate all the time and I usually just throw them away during the cleaning process (except children’s clothes and toys which I give away for recycling). Actually, I like cleaning and sorting. I love when I have an overview of everything and the things are in order. For example, when I was a child, I couldn´t start to learn before my room and drawers were in order, disorganization disturbed me a lot. After getting children this branch of perfectionism is gone for good. Every free second I have, I use for work or to develop my projects. However, clean house is always a pleasing phenomenon.
Rainy view in front of and behind the house. I´m waiting the summer so much already! There´s so much to do in the garden and once the weather will be fine and goes green, it is wildly beautiful here in my countryside!
OHMYGOSSIP – Woke up at 6:30 as usual. I sent the kids to school, and Margus to work, then leisurely drank my coffee and read the morning paper. On economic side Postimees wrote that the number of farms decreases in Estonia. Over the past three years, the number of farmers has decreased by 13%, 2,500 households have closed down or restructured.
Why am I writing this? Because I really feel in my heart that it should be vice versa – the number of farmers should rise, and the life in the countryside should enliven. At least I feel that I am so tired of all kinds of artificial, fraudulent and phony stuff, specially I don´t like the tinsel what comes with big cities, everything is so “pushed”. I´m knowingly looking for simpler solutions, more natural and realistic choices.
This is also one of the strongest reasons why I make changes in OHMYGOSSIP – people need more real life and less bright cover sheets. Almost nobody look in real life like they are in photoshopped party press pictures, and usually their words and deeds are pretty different. I believe that people should be directed back toward the real life, people could love more the nature and abandon excessive technology. I´m pretty sure that many of today’s illnesses and misfortunes will disappear then. People yearn to be closer to nature, they love simplicity, however, the artificial intelligence stares at us from every corner.
Now, when I also try to make OHMYGOSSIP more natural and prosaic, I must admit that this is not an easy task. I’m a perfectionist, and for example posting a picture which is not 100% perfect is something I find very hard. Normally I add professional pictures with well designed rooms, etc., I am used to that everything is picture perfect. But from now on I will publish more real life pictures, because otherwise my actions speak against my words. Life is really beautiful and perfect and interesting when it is as it is!
I found some pictures from my computer (I guess these are from 2012). Estella Elisheva was still very young. In opening picture, you´ll see my old home office and on this picture below you see what happens when I turn my back for a second. Making news and parenting at the same time is a pretty big challenge. But now I´ll start to build Ohmygossip.se!
OHMYGOSSIP – Ohmygossip is expecting big modifications in the upcoming months – I have a plan to largely change the existing structure and strategy. The first bigger change will be the transformation to a more blog-centered format meaning that there will be less foreign news, referencing and translated news. Also the gossip of the social elite will be presented to the reader from another angle – through the blogger’s eyes or as an exclusive interview. In general the plan is to decrease the amount of daily news and enlarge the amount of exclusive blog posts.
From a web to a blog platform?
Yes and no. Ohmygossip will stay according to the plan a combosite, where the main focus (80%) will be on my personal blog posts and the readers get the selection from our carefully selected rubrics – Traveling & Culture, Home & Kids, Healthy-Body-Mindfulness, Society & Gossip, Beauty & Fashion and Relationships. In addition, Ohmygossip will offer a platform to numerous bloggers whose posts you can keep following on Ohmygossip.
New bloggers:
Bloggers who would like to bring their blog to our platform or start a new one on our page could contact helenareet@ohmygossip.ee (preferably in Estonian or English). Blogging can be done in 3 languages – Estonian (Ohmygossip.ee), Finnish (Ohmygossip,fi) and English (Ohmygossip.com). Soon it’s also available in Swedish (Ohmygossip.se).
Ohmygossip.ee:
Estonian bloggers whose page has at least 50,000 unique readers can join our page for free. Bloggers with a smaller audience will have an annual fee of 500 euros for a private person or 1500 euros for a company.
Ohmygossip.fi:
Finnish bloggers whose page has more than 80,000 unique readers can join for free, bloggers with a smaller readership will have an annual fee of 800 euros for a private person or 2400 euros for a company.
Ohmygossip.se:
Swedish bloggers whose page has more than 100,000 unique readers per month can join for free, bloggers with a smaller audience will have an annual fee of 1000 euros for a private person and 3000 for a company.
Ohmygossip.com:
Bloggers writing in English whose page has more than 100,000 unique readers per month can join for free, bloggers with a smaller audience will have an annual fee of 1000 euros for a private person and 3000 for a company.
All Ohmygossip bloggers will get in addition to free hosting and their personal domain name:
1) Part of our daily traffic. Our pages have 80,000-140,000 unique readers per day (up to 4,2 million readers per month). All blog posts will be shown on the homepage. For instance, when you blog in English, your blog’s link will be also shown on Ohmygossip.fi, Ohmygossip.se and Ohmygossip.ee.
3) You keep 100% of revenues from any sponsored posts sold by yourself. 20% of revenues from sponsored posts go to OHMYGOSSIP if sold by us, either directly or through the platform. OHMYGOSSIP keeps all display advertising revenues generated at your blog site.
Server’s relocation
In the end of March Ohmygossip’s server will relocate. We’ll change the service provider and move from Zone.ee to Veebimajutus.ee. We’re hoping that the relocation will happen without any issues and there will be no problems on loading/reading our pages.
The decision to move wasn’t due to Zone being bad or offering a service below the standard but because I have over 30 domains and approximately 10 webpages, thus it’s easier to administer from one place. I also like the self service account offered by Veebimajutus and their economic price. I am hoping for the speed of our webpages to develop but this depends a lot on the SEO made for the page.
Design of the page:
This is the biggest headache – which kind of a homepage should we have? If you have any good ideas, write me! I would like to write a new code and give the homepage a completely new and fresh look! Should I choose a simple blog-style full length posts which you could scroll with one sidebar or should I make a different magazine-style homepage?
There will be other modifications but I’ll introduce these in another post.
OHMYGOSSIP – This post is for those travellers who like the country’s genuine character and the real life of the inhabitants best. Taroudant is a city in Morocco where the tourism business has not had a rooted clutch and thus offers an opportunity to see the genuine everyday life of Morocco.
Taroudant is a city in southern Morocco, about 80 km from Agadir. The bus trip from Agadir took ca 1.5 h and the greatest sightseeing objects on the Agadir-Taroudant route are the banana planations. Taroudant city is also known by the name „Grandmother of Marrakesh”. There is a large defence wall built around the entire town, and most of the local life is concentrated within the city walls. The wall is nearly 6 km long and all nine of the city wall gates are in use also nowadays. Taroudant was for a while employed as the capital city back in the 16th century. Today about 35 000 people live in this town. Taroudant is mostly known by its market place, that is located on an important trade route. The town is famous for trading handicraft, adornments, carpets, and also for Agadir Ibn Zohr University, which is located outside the city walls.
There are two markets in the town, the Berber market and the Arabic market. At the Berber market, also known as the Jnane al-Jaam, spices, dried fruit, clothes and domestic goods are being sold. The Arabic market is for handicraft, forging, ceramics, leather, adornments and carpets.
A day in Taroudant city is memorable in many ways – first, it is a great contrast to what we experienced in the Agadir luxury hotel. The golden carved ceilings were now replaced by the slum and the day got even gloomier now that it started raining and the weather got colder. Yet I liked the town and in retrospects there are even more emotions involved – I like to see also the real life and versatility. In fact I really love wandering around in such places, yet I was a bit inhibited by us having had in mind the previous day’s memory when dressing too lightly, so most of the time we were completely cold. Yes, precisely – though it rarely happens in Morocco. Most of the time it is warm and sunny in Morocco!
From Taroudant town I remember especially well the male citizens having tea in front of the cafes and also the gatherings at the market place. Men were gathering in circles in the midst of which they commented on boxing or they themselves were boxing or preaching the truth, I couldn’t even understand everything. Also I saw homes made from cardboard boxes, and I felt the town’s historic flavor. Distinct from Europe, Morocco stands out regarding the people’s clothing, especially what concerns the middle-aged people and seniors. Long coats are popular – these definitely have some special name which I do not know. But they are not traditional kaftans, it seemed they are a bit different. Women mostly had their hair covered, and I saw just one woman that was completely covered. Also, many women walked without male company (unlike many of the Arabic countries).
Palais Salam restaurant in Taroudant city (Avenue Moulay Ismail, Taroudant, Morocco)
We had dinner in Palais Salam restaurant in Taroudant city. Palais Salam, Taroudant, Morocco is actually a hotel complex with original gardens, halls and the restaurant.
The most vivid of the restaurant memory was that of an older gentleman serving our table – he was absolutely friendly and nice. This, by the way, was the impression of most people in Morocco.
The restaurant’s milieu was a bit worn out and it seemed like not many people visited the place, yet the impression I got from there was powerful and our visit occured during low season. I really like sincere people – sincere at the heart – instead of a five star fancy I often enjoy a home made omelette and honest, straightforward people. However, be it this way – a home made omelette was actually not served, although the place left a homely feeling. The gentleman reminded us many times that the food is not to be wasted and everything must be eaten up. On the first round we followed this guideline, but since already the appetizers had us completely full, and the main course was accompanied by 10 kg of rice, then we felt sorry for ourselves as well as the waiter. It is simply impossible to consume these amounts of food, even if you so wish. Yet such loads of food were served in most of the restaurants and deep down I was hoping that the food that remained untouched might go on a second round in some way or other. After witnessing some people live in a cardboard box, you wish from the heart that each grain of rice, piece of meat or portion of salad served for tourists, would reach a needy person and not end up untouched, in the garbage bin, after being on the dinner table of an irritable tourist.
Palais Salam also excelled for beautiful gardens and garden corners. There was a lot to please the eye and a nice vibe came from the visit to the restaurant. Here are a few photos from Palais Salam. Aren’t these just like pictures from a fairy tale?! An amazing place, I should say!
OHMYGOSSIP – We have spent 12 hours (evening and night) in Morocco and it is now a sunny morning. From the balcony of Hotel Atlantic Palace we have a beautiful view on the resort’s swimming pools and the sun is already peeping through the palm trees, spreading its graceful rays on the ground. The smile finds its way on my face when I open the balcony door and feel the warm breeze saying: just a T-shirt will do. We then get ready for breakfast and after that Agadir is awaiting to be explored.
Agadir is regarded as the most European town in Morocco and there you can find anything necessary for a pleasant holiday by the ocean. After the earthquake in 1960 with more than 10 000 victims, the city has been built anew and it differs a lot from the ordinary Morocco, yet for getting to know the daily Moroccan life it would be best to start from right here – then the contrast is not as great and tourists with a different lifestyle and different travel expectations can easily meet their needs. The current Agadir has been erected in two kilometres distance from the earthquake epicentre and it is a popular destination for charter flights. The town is also known for the vast fishing port and for fishing, this is the town’s main profit channel. Agadir meets the needs of various travellers with ease. Whoever desires luxury, will be pampered in the most glorious hotels and SPAs and the restaurants with generous menus, and whoever desires to see the wild and beautiful nature of Morocco or the daily life, will find it within just a short car travel.
The travel from Hotel Atlantic Palace Agadir Golf Thalasso & Casino Resort to Agadir City Centre, Agadir, Morocco Kasbah.
4x Agadir. Photos: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
We are driving along a crooked road by bus, 236m above water level to the foot of Atlas Mountain, Kasbah, where there is a magnificent view over Agadir town, harbour and the Atlantic Ocean. Kasbah is about 7km from Agadir beach promenade. Kasbah means a fortress in Arabic. The fortress of Kasbah was built in 1541 and was later reconstructed in 1740, it once offered shelter for 300 people. As of today the outer walls have been preserved. It is possible to ride a camel inside the town ruins and/or take pictures with them and also there are street tradesmen who have spread their goods down on the rugs. Those exact same things you will get from the market four times more favourably. But I’ll be talking about the Moroccan markets already in other blogposts.
Kasbah is certainly a sightseeing worth visiting while in Agadir! Those who love to walk and have plenty of time – I recommend taking a taxi for going uphill (for about Dh30-50) and then walk back down the hill to the town – however, do not forget to take with you at least a 2litre bottle of water!!! The water will cost (6 Moroccan dirhams in the shop and 35 dirhams in the hotel).
4x Kasbah. Photos: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
Lunch at Pure Passion
8x Pure Passion. Photos: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
The beach promenade
Agadir has a splendid beach promenade that largely resembles those of Los Angeles, Miami, Tel Aviv, the Canary Islands and the Spanish East coast beautiful and famous beach promenades – being spacious, convenient, crowded, filled with attractions, safe. Life is all bubbling and tourists have a lot to see. Some may swim, some may do sports, or go shopping, go for a coffee in a cafe or enjoy a delightful glass of wine (in Morocco drinking alcohol is not prohibited like in many other Arabic countries), some may just take photos, or simply go for a walk and take pleasure in the beautiful weather, the ocean view, etc. Kasbah is also in the viewing distance from the beach promenade.
10x Agadir Photos: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
In the next post about Morocco I’ll talk about a town 80km East from Agadir – Taroudant, and the Palais Salam restaurant!
OHMYGOSSIP – Morocco is becoming a more and more valued travel destination among Estonians as well as the Scandinavians. Warm climate, friendly service and fair prices attract more and more tourists to this Northwestern-African country by the Mediterranean Sea.
Since OHMYGOSSIP holds an extended contract with the Kingdom of Morocco Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Moroccan International Tourism Bureau branch office in Sweden – we will be posting about Morocco frequently. I will be taking with me co-authors and collaboration partners to every journey, thus multipying the posts – blogposts, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Youtube video clips – and also posting in as many as three languages – in Estonian (on the Ohmygossip.ee site), in Finnish (on the Ohmygossip.fi site) and in English (on the Ohmygossip.com site) and also we will be sharing our impressions and travel photos in our social media stream!
And now everything from the very beginning. As far as I know, there are no direct flights from Estonia to Morocco, thus the trip from Tallinn airport to Adagir took an entire day, however, those who depart from Copenhagen airport will arrive within just four hours!
The first travel to Morocco was not individually for me and my companions, there were also representatives from the Danish media invited. There was great excitement – collaboration with high representatives of Morocco, discovering the country and additionally also the new valuable contacts from the Danish media. The new acquaintances, the new cultural environment, new opportunities and a brand new perspective, novel emotions, distinct implications – this is what most captivates me about travelling. The first journey headed for Agadir town and the nearby villages and briefly also to High Atlas mountains.
06:25– security check doesn’t take long and passes rather pleasantly, so I greet my good old Tallinn airport lounge. As usual, I set my business card on the contacts board and find myself thinking: „what a nice and cozy airport we have here!” The seats with folk style Muhu-striped covers and the overall pleasant atmosphere bring joyful recognition and give a positive start for the day. We set off with SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) flight SK1791 Tallinn-Copenhagen.
2x Tallinn Airport (TLL) Fotod: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
Soon we arrive at Copenhagen airport and since SAS and Norwegian Airlines (our next flight) stand apart, we are obliged to check in once more. To our pleasure the check-in counters were already open (often they open just a few hours before the flight) and we were able to hand over our luggage and return to the warm and cozy pastime areas of the airport crowded with shops. Regardless of november, the airport was already decorated with christmas-trees and was all glossy. The long day in the airport is an ideal time for shopping and coffee.
In Copenhagen there were triple security checks and the queues were rather long – so it is reasonable not to postpone arriving at the gates at the very last moment. It came as a surprise for us that – once in the airport – there was yet another security check before the gate. However, the seven ours of spare time before our next flight went rather quickly – the airport is large and there is plenty to do. Within that time we walked 10 000 footsteps… 6x Copenhagen Airport (CPH) Fotod: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
14:15 – we go on board the Norwegian Air. Soon food and drinks are served which are non-complimentary like on board SAS. Even a glass of water will cost you. Those who have not taken the Norwegian Air before – keep this in mind! Should you wish for a hearty plateful, you would need to arrange a meal before or after the flight.
2x Norwegian Air Fotod: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
17:50 – we arrive at Morocco Agadir (AGA) Al-Massara airport. A warm Mediterranean breeze greets us and the travel fatigue is gone in an instant, giving way to excitement. The airport is tiny and poorly ventilated, and it takes an hour to get past the security. We must fill in some papers that have already been handed to us in the airplane – questions about how long we will be staying and what is the purpose for our travel. It catches the eye in the passport line that there are very many young folks and nearly half of them have suf boards with them. I have heard that Morocco is the favourite destination for surfers this year.
Maroko, Agadir (AGA) Al-Massira lennujaam. Foto: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
19:00– a respresentative from Moroccan National Tourist Office meets us and accompanies us to our hotel – Atlantic Palace Agadir Golf Thalasso & Casino Resort, Agadir City Centre, Agadir, Morocco. This 5star hotel has been mentioned in my previous blogpost (HERE). Atlantic Palace is among Agadir’s most luxurious hotels. It is located in a closed territory and offers the tourists convenient, safe and good quality service. All these arches, carvings, gold and glitter – there is luxury in every direction! A perfect place for a vacation! Breakfast and dinner were the Swedish buffee and I would like to say some words of praise about this! The food on the menu was fresh, tasty and versatile – every day there was something new and the selection was abundant. There is rarely in a hotel a Swedish buffe that generous. Also the hotel rooms were pleasant – each room had two extra size beds and a private balcony with a splendid view.
5x Hotel Atlantic Palace Agadiris. Fotod: OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet
In the next post I will take a glimpse on Agadir Kasbah ruins, beach promenade and the restaurant Pure Passion located in Agadir harbour.
