beingchildish

“Sellise ilmaga me küll Lottemaale ei lähe!”//“Never forget that little child inside of you, that’s the key.“

/ Eveliis / Leave a comment

…ütleks ilmselt iga teine lapsevanem kui oleks täna aknast välja vaadanud ja näinud, et vihma sajab nagu oavarrest, täpsemalt öelda vihma kallas nagu ämbrist. Aga meie ei öelnud nii, sest me olime kokku leppinud, et kui Norrast tagasi oleme, siis läheme ja kuna me ilmateadet ei vaadanud, siis sai laupäeva ja pühapäeva asemel kokku lepitud esmaspäev. Ida vaatas eile isegi Lotte multikaid, et kuidas sa ikka ilma multikaid vaatamata lähed. “Me ju lähme?” küsis temagi kui aknast välja vaatas hommikul. Lubadus on lubadus, eriti lapsele tehtud lubadus, ja nii me autosse istusime ja Lottemaa poole liikuma hakkasime. Irooniline on muidugi see, et ma olen ise alati rääkinud, et pole halba ilma, vaid kehv riietus, aga täna hommikul avastasime, et ega mul endal ja ka Marekil vihmariietega väga priisata polnudki. Peaasi, et Idal oli.

Etteruttavalt ütlen ma, et ega lapsi ei sega vihm grammivõrdki. Neil on pigem isegi lõbus, põnevam. Täiskasvanud saavad ka hakkama. Tuleb vaid meeles pidada ühte lihtsat asja: “Ära kunagi unusta oma lapsemeelsust, see on kõige olulisem asi!”. Kui Pärnu poole sõites ma ikka lootsin, et ehk vihma jääb vähemaks, siis Lottemaale jõudes vaatasin ma yr.no-st, et see on täna tõeliselt naiivne lootus, nüüd aitas vaid hea tuju ja lapsemeelsus. Hea tuju…hmmm… Ma pean ausalt tunnistama, et me ei ole ideaalperekond – me kakleme, nääkleme, tülitseme, tujutseme ja jonnime – me ei püüagi olla ja nii saime me ka seekord natukene jonnida, igaüks erineval põhjusel, kuid hea tuju ja lapsemeelsus tulevad kohe meelde ja ajavad jonnipilved eemale kui vaatad heatujulisi Lottemaa tegelasi. Täiesti uskumatud näitlejad. Isegi paduvihmas ei tee nad allahindlust ja annavad endast 100%, võib olla isegi rohkem kui sada, sest nad ei taha, et ilm külastajate kogemuse rikuks. “Plaksutage vihmale! Nii tore, et vihma sajab! Meil on vihmas tore!” hüüdsid nad ise jalgupidi veelompides liugu lastes. Ja oligi tore!

Muidugi saan ma aru, et päikeselise ilmaga on Lottemaa veeeeeeel võrratum, aga ma vannun teile käsi südamel, vihm ei ole põhjus jätta plaanitud Lottemaale minekut ära. Piisavalt palju on võimalusi varju all tegevusteks ja majades vihma ei saja;) Me lasime isegi liumäest alla. Talvel sai lubatud, et kui suvel lähme, siis laseme, no mis meil siis üle jäi. Marek vaatas küll mulle otsa nagu totakale, et kas ma unustan aegajalt ära, et olen 37-aastane, aga Lottemaal ongi lihtne oma vanus ära unustada. See on nii tore koht, mida ma külastaks veelgi tihedamini.* Ma olen täielik Lottemaa fänn! Muide, kui ma aastaid tagasi lugesin kuidas blogijad Lottemaad kiitsid, olin ma kindel, et nad pingutavad üle või valetavad, sest no mis seal ikka nii toredat saab olla. Täiskasvanule. Ma ei olnud kuulnud sõnagi kriitikat ja see tegi skeptiliseks. Täiesti ilmaasjata. Assaaa, karvane maasika musi, kui kihvt koht on Lotte(maa). Meie oma Nokia.

Nüüd olen ma kuulnud ka kriitikat. Esiteks, et on kallis. Jah, ma ei vaidle üldse vastu, et ei ole. On ikka. Aga jällegi toome võrdluse – suvaline nädalavahetuse laat mõned tunnid vähemalt 25 eurot laste lõbustustele, Lottemaa terve päev tegevusi ja teatrit 20 eurot. Teiseks, et on igav. Seda ütlevad ilmselt need, kes ootavad ameerika-mäed-tüüpi lõbustusparki. Lottemaal on nii palju avastamist ja tegevust. Jah, jällegi majad saab läbi käia poole tunniga, vaadata leiutisi ja kehitada õlgu, sest need ei sülga tuld ega purska vett, aga kui uudistada ja leiutada on tegevust kõigile ja kauemaks. Mulle meeldib Lottemaa hariv pool. Ei ole niisama lust ja lull, vaid õppimine läbi lusti ja lulli. Kolmandaks, et asjad on kulunud ja ei tööta. Eks asjad ikka kuluvad, aga öelda, et Lottemaa on kulunud on mu meelest häbematu. Ei tööta? Võib olla see sama, et ei purska vett ja sülga tuld? Kivirähki “Oskar ja asjad” olete lugenud? Ilma mobiiltelefonita maale vanaema juurde saadetud Oskar pidi leidma asendustegevusi ja avastas, et  kõik asjad ümber tema oskasid rääkida. Vaja oli vaid kujutlusvõimet. Lottemaaga on sama – lapsemeelsus, kujutlusvõime ja uudishimu ning te veedate seal imeliselt aega. Tahate tagasi!

Tahate ma avaldan teile ka ühe saladuse, mis me täna avastasime? Vihmasel ilmal on paar eelist ka.  Tegelastel on teie jaoks rohkem aega. Järjekordi pole. Kuigi ärge arvake, et rahvast üldse pole, oli rohkem kui ma oleksin oodata osanud.

Lottemaa on on avatud 2.09-ni. Minge! Iga ilmaga! Aga kui saate, jääge Pärnusse ka ööseks. Päev on väsitav ja palju mõnusam oleks peale seiklust hotellitoas voodisse pikali visata kui autoga 96 kilomeetrit Tallinnasse tagasi sõita. Et homme ka tööpäev peab olema, eksju.

Koju tagasi jōudes tunnistas ka Marek, et oli täitsa õige otsus täna minna. “A mis me ikka sellise ilmaga kodus teinud oleks?” No just noh. Tundes Marekit, oleks ta meid koristama pannud. Ja kes see taasiseseisvumispäeva koristades tähistab. 🤗

*Võib olla võiks Lottemaal ka olla hooaja-pilet? Näiteks Hunderfossenisse sai enne jõule soetada järgmise suve hooajapileti, mis oli ca 15-20 euri kallim kui ühe korra pilet.

We are not going to Lottemaa in this weather …

… would have probably been almost every parent’s answer when they looked out from the window this morning only to see heavy rain. But we didn’t , because we had agreed that once we are back from Norway, we will go. As we didn’t check at the weather forecast for the long weekend, we agreed to go on Monday. Ida was even watching Lotte cartoons yesterday, because you need to see them before going. „We ARE still going, aren’t we?“ was her question this morning too. A promise is a promise, especially a promise made to a child, and so we sat in the car and drove off to Lottemaa. Ironically, I have always said that „there is no bad wether, only wrong glothing“ and then in the morning I discovered that neither myself or Marek have waterproof clothes. As long as Ida had.

I am telling you now, rain is not an issue for children. They are actually having more fun and excitement. Grown-ups can handle it too. You just need to remember one thing: “Never forget that little child inside of you, that’s the key.“ When in the beginning of our trip, I was still hoping that the rain would stop, then on our arrival I realized that to be a naive hope. Only good mood and a bit of childishness was helping now. Good mood … hm. I must admit, that we are not the ideal family – we fight, we nag, we quarel and we are being moody. We are not trying to be an ideal family and so even this time we had our moments for different reasons. But you remember childisnhess and good mood straight away when seeing the characters and the negative emotions are driven away. Unbelivable actors. They are giving 100% of them even in pooring rain, maybe even more as they don’t want the rain to ruin the experience for their guests. „Clap to the rain! So nice that it is raining! We are having so much fun in the rain!“ were the main lines from them as they were running through the puddles. And it WAS fun.

Ofcourse I understand that on a sunny day, Lottemaa is even better, but trust me when I say, that rain is not the reason to skip your visit. There is plenty to do under shelter and it doesn’t rain in the houses. Both me and Marek went on slides, because we said on our winter trip that we will do it in summer time and there was no other way (though Marek did look at me as if to ask if „I have gone mad and forgotten I’m 37). You just have to forget yor age when visiting Lottemaa. It is such a charming place that I would visit it even more often.* I am a 100% fan. By the way, when I was reading years ago, how bloggers were prasing Lottemaa, I was sure they are over excagerating or lying, because what can be so fun in there. For an adult. I hadn’t heard any critisism which made me sceptical. For no reason. I don’t have enough words to descirbe, HOW cool place that is. Our own Estonian made.

By now I have also heard critisism. Firstly, it is expensive. Yes, I am not arguing that it isn’t. But let’s compare – any other weekend event and you will spend 25 euros on entertainment for kids. You get a day full of activities in Lottemaa for 20 euros. Secondly, it’s boring. This is probably said by those, who expect high roller-coster rides. There is so much to do and discover in Lottemaa. Yes, you can run through the houses in 30 minutes, look at the inventions and not be bothered, because they don’t explode or spit fire. But if you discover and explore, that is entertaining for everyone. I like the educational side of Lottemaa. It is not only fun and games, but fun and games through play. Thirdly, that things are run down and not working properly. Obviously there is wear and tear, but to say that Lottemaa in whole is run down is just shameful. Not working? Maybe more like not exploding or spitting fire. There is a children’s book, where Oscar was sent to stay with his grandparents in the countryside WITHOUT his mobilephone. This boy had to be inventive and discovered, that things around him talked. He only needed imagination. Lottemaa is the same – a bit of childishness, imagination and curiosity and you spend a wonderful day there. You will want to go back!

Do you want to know a secret we discovered today? Rain has its advantages. The characters have more time for you. There are no queues. But don’t think there is nobody at all, there was more people that I anticipated.

Lottemaa is opened untill 2nd of September. Go! No matter the weather. But if you can, spend the night somewhere close there. The day will be tiring and it would be much nicer to go to the nearest hotel to relax rather than drive 96 kilometers back to Tallinn. Why does it need to be a work day tomorrow too?!?!

At home, even Marek admitted it was the right thing to go. „What would have we done at home in a weather like this?“ Exactly my thoghts. Knowing Marek, we probably would have tided the house up. Who wants to clean anyway on their bankholiday Monday…

*Maybe Lottemaa could have a season ticket. Similarly to Hunderfossen where you can by season ticket for next summer before Christmas which was only about 15-20 euros more expensive than normal tickets.

 

Kolm ühes: naistepäev, õhtusöök, sünnipäev//Adult mode off and childish mode on!

/ Eveliis / 4 Comments

Ma ei tea isegi enam mitu aastat järjest me sõbrannadega iga kuu kokku saame, et koos midagi toredat teha. Viis-kuus aastat? Vahet ei olegi, see on lihtsalt selline tore traditsioon. Veebruaris oli minu kord sõbrannasid võõrustada või kuhugi välja kutsuda, aga mul ei olnud selleks aega. Kokku saime me alles sel laupäeval ehk juba otsapidi märtsis. Naistepäeva eel tekkis mul mõte, et miks mitte korraldada üks mõnus tüdrukute õhtu. Aga kus? Tartus ei ole mul sõbrannasid kuhugi kutsuda ja Ussipessa tundus nii igav.

Minu valikuks sai hotell London Tartu kesklinnas. Valik sai tehtud asukoha järgi – hotell asub Tartu vanalinnas. Raekoja plats, Ülikool ja Toomemägi  ning  ka söögikohad on kohe käe-jala juures, nii et ilusa ilma puhul on lausa  lust teha linnas väike jalutuskäik Toomemäele ning pärast leida einestamiseks just oma maitsele sobiv söögikoht. Muidugi ei saa etteruttavalt mainimata jätta ka hotell Londoni oma restorani Polpo, mis ka mitu aastat Eesti  parimate restoranide hulka kuulub. Hotell Londoniga on mul üldse eriline suhe. See oli üks esimesi hotelle, mida ma hotelle arvustades külastasin, mulle läks tookordne vastuvõtt nii südamesse, et olin natuke pahane, et mul pole põhjust Tartus rohkem hotellis ööbida. Elu tegi aga muudatused ja nii on mul aastate jooksul tulnud päris palju Tartus hotellides ööbida. Üheks minu valikuks on tihti olnud eelpooltoodud põhjustel just hotell London.

Te ju teate, et ma olen tegelikult Tartu tüdruk? Kui mulle nooremana ei sümpatiseerinud Tartu unisus, siis nüüd olen ma seda aina rohkem hindama hakanud. Laupäeval oli väljas imeilus päikeseline ilm ja enne sõbrannade saabumist oli ainuõige teha linna peal üks väikene jalutuskäik. Ma jalutasin üles Toomemäele, kõndisin Ingli- ja Kuradisillal, möödusin Tähetornist, Püssirohukeldrist, toomkiriku varemetest, Kristjan Jaagust, Musumäest ja meenutasin. Nagu vanainimene. Toomemäel on palju käidud – hea tujuga, paha tujuga, ajaviitmiseks, romantikaks jalutamas, enne klubisse minekut napsutamiseks (ikkagi vaene üliõpilane ka oldud) ja ühest loengust teise üle Toomemäe joostud. Toomemägi on minu arvates üldse üks kaunemaid paiku.

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Kui külm põski ja nälg kõhtu näpistama hakkas, oli aeg tagasi tuppa suunduda. Polpost olin ma endale tellinud mõnusa baklažaaniroa ja klaasi tummist punast veini, viskasin end muretult diivanile ja nautisin “Tuulepealse maa” kordust. Kodune tunne oli. Mõnus ja hubane. Kardinate vahelt piilus tuppa soe päike, laudadel olid värsked tulbid ja appi kui klišeeilikult see kõlab, aga mu südamesse tungis kevad. Ma tundsin, et kevad ei ole enam kaugel.

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Muide, kui te olete ka naistepäevausku nagu mina ja mõtlete, kuidas seda tähistada või milliseid vihjeid mehele anda, siis ma soovitan teil vaadata Londoni ja Polpo poole. Isegi kui te ei plaani seal ööbida, siis naistepäeva ajal on neil mitmeid häid pakkumisi. Kui teile meeldib šampanja, siis need pakkumised on teile. Mul on mõned lemmikšampanjad – Charles Heidsiecki pakkumistes ei olnud, aga Ruinart ja Veuve Cliquot ootavad teid Polpos igatahes. Ja kui sellest veel väheks jääb, siis 10.03 on Uku (ikka Suviste, muidugi) teid seal ootamas. Mmmmm….šampus. Mis teie siis arvasite?Uku Suviste peale mõmisemiseks olen ma liiga vana ja liiga abielus ja liiga ülekaaluline.

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Sõbrannasid oodates panin sauna ka sooja. Võib olla isegi mitte selle pärast, et mul kodus seda luksust ei ole või et külm natuke ikka näpistama hakkas, vaid sellepärast, et mulle lihtsalt meeldib hotellitoas end mugavasse hommikumantlisse kerida. Ma oleks seda kohe teinud, aga viisakas oli sõbrannad ikka ära oodata korralikes riietes.

Ma ei olnud sõbrannadega nii ammu kohtunud, et üks neist oli vahepeal lausa lapse saanud. Okei, nali, ma muidugi teadsin, et ta lapse sai, ent tillukest Adeelet nägin ma siiski esimest korda. Kui presidendi vastuvõtule ehk vastsündinuga minna ei sobiks, siis tüdrukute õhtusööki ei saa üks pisike printsess küll kuidagi segada.

Kuna te viimati sõbrannadega midagi koos tegite? Kui sellest on pikka aega möödas, siis ma nii soovitan sellist natuke teistmoodi tüdrukute õhtut – hea toit, hea vein, hea seltskond ja nalja nabani. Me lõkerdasime nagu teismelised ja naersime täiesti tobedate asjade üle. Olime lapsikud. Täiskasvanu- mode off ja lapsik-mode on. Aegajalt kulub marjaks ära. Ahjaa, ma ei tea, mida koristajad tuba koristades pärast mõtlesid. Ei, me ei korraldanud mingit läbu, me lihtsalt sõime nii nagu oleks viimne päev tulemas. Asi oli nimelt selles, et kuigi Polpo kostitas meid suupistetega, läksid meie jutud ülikooli peale. Kuidas raha ei olnud ja siis sai Tsink Plekk Panges munariisi söömas käidud, sest rohkemaks polnud raha või priiskamise päevadel Tavernast pitsa tellitud. Nostalgialainel olles ja kuna kõik toidukohad olid ju käe-jala juures otsustasime me vanade aegade meenutuseks nostalgiatoite tellida. No sai natuke rohkem kui munariis ja väike pitsa;)

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Õde tõi mulle varajaseks sünnipäevakingiks Helen Valk-Varavin ehted. Kinkis enda omad edasi. See oli temast nii paganama armas, sest ma olin aastaid neid talt ära proovinud moosida. Nii ootamatult tuletatigi mulle meelde, et juba järgmisel nädalal saan ma 37-aastaseks ja vaikne laupäevaõhtu läks üle…tahaks nii öelda, et rajuks tähistamiseks, aga pean ütlema, et lihtsalt rahulikuks sünnipäeva tähistamiseks. Kell me juba põõnasime nagu kotid. Või vähemalt mina. Sõbranna oli isegi kontrollimas käinud, kas ma ikka elus olen, sest ta polevat kedagi näinud nii liikumatult magamas. Ma olin lihtsalt väsinud. Mu viimase aja unegraafik oli tiba peapeale läinud ja see oli päris kurnavaks muutunud.

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Hommikul ärkasime me teise sõbranna uksele koputuse peale. Ma pidin minestama. Kell oli üheksa. Ma ei mäleta, kuna mind viimati kell üheksa üles AJADA tuli. Ma lahkun hotellidest harilikult hiljemalt üheksa paiku. Seekord lahkusin ma toast 12 minuti enne kahtteist. Lihtsalt nautisin veel tuba, vaikust, puhkust, aega iseendaga. Tartust sõitsin ära soe tunne ja kevad südames. Jaah, topeltklišee, naerge- naerge, aga mõnikord lihtsalt on selline tunne, et mitte midagi ei ärrita ja kõik teeb rahulolevaks.

Pühapäevane Tartu oli traditsiooniliselt unine. Inimtühi. Aga päikeseline.

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I’ve lost count on how many years in a row I’ve meet up with my girlfriends every month to do something fun together. Five, maybe six years? It doesn’t even matter, it’s just one of those nice traditions. This February it was my turn to host the girls or ask them out somewhere but I didn’t have any time. We ended up meeting this Saturday which obviously was already March. In anticipation of International Women’s Day I had a thought of organising a lovely girls’ night out. But where? I don’t have anywhere in Tartu to invite the girls over to and inviting them to my home, Ussipesa seemed such a boring idea.

I ended up choosing Hotel London in the middle of Tartu. I made the choice based on its location: the hotel is in the old town of Tartu, town hall square, university and the Dome Church Hill as well as places to eat are all just around the corner. So in nice weather it’s perfect for a little walk around the the Dome Church Hill and then for finding a place to eat based on what we end up fancying. Also, I must mention the hotel restaurant Polpo, which has been among the best restaurants in Estonia for years. I have a very special relationship with Hotel London. It was one of the first hotels that I visited when I was reviewing hotels and I was so impressed by the reception that first time that I was almost a little bit upset that I did’t have more reasons to stay in the hotel when visiting Tartu. Life and circumstances, however, have changed and now over the years I’ve had many a reason to stay in hotels in Tartu. Hotel London has often been my place of choice for the aforementioned reasons.

You do know that I’m actually a girl from Tartu? When I was younger, I wasn’t keen on the sleepiness of Tartu but over the years I’ve come to appreciate it more and more. The weather on Saturday was gorgeously sunny and so the only right thing to do before the girls arrived was to go for a little stroll around the town. I walked up to Dome Church Hill, across the Bridge of Angel and the Bridge of Devil, past the Old Observatory, Gunpowder Cellar, ruins of the Dome Church, statue of Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Kissing Hill; I walked and reminisced like an old lady. I’ve walked across the Dome Church Hill many times – in good spirits and bad, in order to pass the time or be romantic, to have a drink before heading out clubbing (I’ve been a penniless student after all!) and ran over the hill to make it from one lecture to another. Dome Church Hill is one of the most beautiful places in the world in my option.

When the cold started biting my cheeks and my stomach started rumbling, I knew it was time to head back indoors. I had ordered a lovely aubergine dish and a glass of well-rounded wine from Polpo. So I threw myself on the couch and enjoyed the rerun of “Windward Land” on the TV. It felt nice and homely. Snug and cosy. The warm sunshine was pushing into the room through the curtains and there were fresh tulips on the table and I know this will sound awfully like a cliché but I felt how spring was making its way into my heart. I felt like it was no longer far away.

By the way, I don’t know if you believe in celebrating International Women’s Day the way I do and are wondering how to celebrate it and what hints to drop to your man. Either way, I suggest to have a glance at Polpo and and Hotel London. Even if you don’t plan on staying there for the night, then they have a number of good offers around International Women’s Day. I have a couple of favourite champagnes, they didn’t have Charles Heidsieck on their offer but Ruinart and Veuve Cliquot are waiting for you in Polpo. And if that’s not enough, then on 10th of March Uku (Suviste, obviously!) will also be there for you. Mmmm…. Champagne! What did you think? I am too old and too married to think about Uku Suviste:D

While I was waiting for the girls to arrive, I turned on the sauna. Not only because I don’t have that luxury in my own home or because I felt a bit cold but mainly because I just love wrapping myself into a comfy bathrobe when I’m in a hotel room. I would’ve done it sooner but I find it more polite to greet your friends in proper clothing.

It had been so long since I’d last seen my friends that one of them had even had a baby in the mean time! Okay, I’m joking, of course I knew she had had a baby but this was the first time that I had met tiny Adeele. Taking a newly born to the presidential reception is a bit against the rules of etiquette but the tiny princess cannot ruin any girly dinners in any way!

When’s the last time you did something together with your girlfriends? If it has been a while, let me recommend you a slightly different girly evening: good food, good wine, good company and laughing until you cry. We giggled like teenagers and laughed over silly stuff. We were completely childish. Adult mode off and childish mode on! Every now and again it hits the spot completely. I’ve no idea what the housekeepers must have thought when they were cleaning the room. No, we didn’t turn the room upside down, we just ate like it was our last meal ever. Although Polpo provided us with snacks, we started talking about our university days. How we didn’t have any money and how we went to eat egg-fried rice at Tsink Plekk Pang because that was all taht we could afford, or how when we splashed out, we ordered pizza from Taverna. Feeling nostalgic and with everything being so close by we decided to order all those student foods for sake of memories. And of course we ordered a bit more than some egg-fried rice and a small pizza.

My sister brought me an early birthday present – Helen Valk-Varavin designer jewellery. She re-gifted her ones. This was so damn sweet of her because I have tried for years to talk her into giving them to me. And so suddenly I was reminded that I turn 37 next week and our quiet Saturday night turned into… I’d like to say into a wild celebration but I must admit just into quiet celebrations. At ?? o’clock we were already asleep like babies. Or at least I was. One of my friends had even checked on me to make sure I was alive since she had never seen anyone sleeping without moving one bit. I was just so tired. Lately, my sleeping schedule has been turned upside down and it had become quite exhausting.

In the morning, we woke up to another friend knocking on the door. I nearly passed out. It was nice o’clock. I can’t remember the last time that I had to be WOKEN at nine o’clock in the morning. I usually check out of hotels around nine. This time I checked out twelve minutes to twelve. I just stayed to enjoy the room, the peace, the rest, the time for myself. I drove out of Tartu with spring in my step and a warm feeling in my heart. Yes, a double cliché; laugh away but sometimes it just feels like nothing can upset you and everything makes you feel good.

Sunday in Tartu was traditionally sleepy. Empty. But full of sunshine.

 

Never lose your childish innosence

/ Eveliis / Leave a comment

Well. It took a bit time to get to vol 2 (vol1 you’ll find here). What can I do when there are so many (more?) important things happening, that I almost forgot I promised to share my TOP3 places for children and childish people in Lillehammer area. 

1. The place I suggest to visit FIRST when in Lillehammer area is the Norsk vegmuseum – the Norwegian Road museum. 
I had been walking there once before, and it was really really pretty, but as I am not a fan of cars or roads, I thoght the museum is not my cup of tea. Big mistake to think that. This is one of the coolest museums I have visited. Interactive, fun, with a lot of activities for big(ger) and small(er). We just popped in for a second, because we had visitors from Estonia and had a bit spare time. The second lasted for two hours. We just had so much fun there! Our favorite was the “drunken glasses experience” where you can test how straight you will walk when under the influence. Let’s say that I failed compleatly. 
And the best part? It’s all FREE. We will be back quite soon!

2.  I´ve been to Lilleputthammer once before, I think it was 14 years ago, I remember my sister was still a “baby” – 11yrs old. I could never have imagined to come back here with my own child. Now that Lillehammer is our hometown, I knew exactly where I need to go with her. To Lilleputthammer of course!
It is the most amazing family park on Earth (okay, I haven’t been to Disneyland, but I am sure Lilleputthammer is at least one of the most incredible places to visit with children), located 16 km from Lillehammer in Øyeris. Britt Ida was from Øyer, by the way, she lived on the highest mountain in a little fairy tale house. Driving to Øyer was emotional for me, it brought back so many memories. My first Christmas in Norway, my second Christmas in Norway, my third Christmas in Norway in JULY with my sister, my mom and my uncle. I had wished my sister could see experience the “Britt Ida Christmas” and  when we some years later visited her and Camilla in July, she remembered it. We had a traditional Christmas dinner and got Christmas presents. I got my own kransekake forms…
 
But back to Lilleputthammer. Almost as old as me (built in 1982) and is a miniture version of Lillehammer’s main street Storgata with many of the historical houses that were in Lillehammer in 1930’s. 
 
3. Hunderfossen is a…I don’t even have words for this place. The amusement park is quite expensive, but boy, there are so many things to do, so I promise every penny you spend is worth the experience. Yes, also for adults! I went there last year (read HERE) and yes, things didn’t go as perfectly as I had planned in my head, but this year Ida has grown, and so am I as a mother, so when we go now – I am sure we will have the time of our life. 
When you go there, don’t forget to take with you the picnic basket! When the weather is nice, there’s harder to think of a nicer place for a family picnic!