Born to be wild!

Friday morning, waking up early. I haven't woked up 6 o'clock for.. ages. Shower, eating and before the eight I was already on a train to Tallinn. But this WAS the hardest part of the day. Then 4 hours nice car ride through beautiful Estonia to even more beautiful place in northern Latvia named Gaujiena. The "hard work" of rest of the day was to endure the strong sunlight and warmth, and to watch the filming of others, as our scenes were delayed and finally completely set for the next day.

Yeah, after many-many years, I am finally again acting. This time not in theatre but in a movie. And acting is much more for my liking and also much easier for me than is the job of movie director.. or any other job in that matter. I really like acting.. it's absolute fun. And it doesn't matter how much cash I get from it,.. I can travel freely,.. it is the active and interesting life without the need of money, in a company of other very nice people. Well, this time I got only small part. I was one of the patients in the asylum. Other "patients" were really cool people too. This woman who picked us as actors, said after many of our crazy jokes that if she has not turned crazy herself before, then our posse will surely do that (this was said in the best meaning as she really was entirely happy with us).

By the way, I already said that the place where the movie takes place is beautiful, but it is actually just mindblowing. Behind the ten hills and valleys, over the ten rivers, lies a fairytaleland. The so said asylum is actually a schoolhouse that resides in the old manorhouse. I must say that german landlords in Latvia were more richer or just wanted to show more of their power than the Estonian counterparts.. manor consisted at least three big houses with columned entrances, many smaller houses, great parks, and the place where we stayed overnight (about that later). The "asylum" was the mainhouse on the hill. In the valley below was the small lake (one of many around), and still in the middle of it a small island. The lake was also the important place in a movie. Nature was beautiful, weather was perfect, butterflies and dragonflies who were bigger than any I have seen ever before landed peacefully on the hand. I counted at least three different dragonfly species.

Oh, and you can't imagine the palace where we were housed. Probably this was the latest addition to manor as summer residence or something. A historicistic house somewhat reminding these cool english houses with little tower, unsymmetrical planning, great entrance hall, etc. Yep the entrance hall was greatest as it went through two floors and ended with dome of glass mosaic. Around it went the stairs up. First floor had marble pillars, second one the wooden. But the glass dome was not seen from the outside as there was also the third half-floor. All this house was filled with different old furniture. Even the view from the window of greater wc on the second floor was priceless, as there was also the park behind the house, then some woods and as it again was on the hill, then in the valley was another lake.

At first I was so sad that I didn't have photocamera with me, but saturday, after our scenes were taken, we were said, that we have to go there once more in a few days. This time I'll lend a camera from my friend.

Estonians know that Latvians have many jokes about us.. mostly about the recless or selfish or perhaps even poshy nature of ours, and Estonians often make jokes about Finnish, Russians and even Germans, but I had not heared any about Latvians.. now I did. And few even quite cruel.

For example: In old times Estonians thought that Latvians are bit weird,.. somewhat different. There was even a rumor that Latvians have six toes. But it figures they still have only five.. three in front and two in behind.

And friday, when we visited a shop there, it happened that after a while only one fairly new car came. Then one of our guys said: "Ah, these are then the wealthier Latvians". And the answer: "Yeah, look, they can even support two kids".

Still, do not think that Estonians are cruel. We just have weird humor.. and often we make it even upon ourselves. That said one more joke. For foreknowledge: Setu is one of the Estonian local populations, who are seen as clever and wise.. their region is even called Setu Kingdom. So the joke is as follows: Setu and a Jew is going court. What is the verdict? Prosecutor gets five years!

Well.. just can't stop with joking, but the next one was situational in front of that same shop. One of our cars needed the change of left rear tire. It not only showed how many men are needed to change one (Full pit), it still took so long that our car driver started explaining how everything in the world is normally done from the right side - cow is milked from the right, operations that are done through the nostril is done from right,.. sa perhaps they should have changed the tire too from the right side.

Only thing there that troubles me is that we get somewhat too little to eat. Stew is limited and when there is many actors and filmcrew then it is doubtable if I can request more. Anyway, if I'd eat so little in home, then probably I would soon be translucent. Too little meat stuff. Well at least saturday morning there were different porridges and enough of that, so I carried through the second day.

And finally at the saturday afternoon it was our turn to "go crazy". Director was happy with us, and so was the woman who organized us there. And one more time,.. it was lots of fun. Only really bad thing was that I hurt one of my fingers when playing rugby :P

One of other actors even would have offered me a part in theater play they are soon starting to do if I only would have been from Tartu (biggest small city in South-Estonia). Damn, I have so many friends in Tartu, and I really would like to move there.

So.. soon back to Latvia.. and then I bring some photos back with me.