"Margus Reinsalu's Diary"

Photo: 1969, XVII Song Festival . Postcard I went together with my godfather uncle Kaarel, in late June 1969, for the first time to Tallinn and the XVII Song Festival. In June 1969, at eight and a half years old, I took my life's first trip to Tallinn, our capital, and back then it was a proud event with a capital letter. Together with uncle Kaarel, we traveled from the countryside by bus through Rakvere to Tallinn, that was an adventure in itself. Uncle had a small apartment in a wooden house on what is now Juhkentali Street , with wooden ceilings, a creaky staircase, and city air. There he lived with his second wife Nadja, whom he brought back from Norilsk, where he had been in forced labor. Nadja was quite quiet and friendly, and her daughter Kapitoolina, a name that sounded to me like some fairy-tale character. She was older than me, but we got along well, and she showed me where the Baltic Trainstation was and even the Kalev chocolate shop at the tram terminus, from where ...

Margus Reinsalu's Diary: Chapter 1650 – My Father’s Great-Great-Grandparents: The Swedish Adelsfanan and the Story of Sandra Farm                                               Video:  Swedish  Adelsfanan                                     According to local legend (from Geni.com), before the Great Northern War (1700–1721) , a Swedish Adelsfanan (noble cavalryman) settled on the lands of what is now Sandra Farm in Soomaa . No one knew his real name or origin, he simply arrived and refused to reveal his identity. The locals began calling him “Sander”, a name that later became the family surname. This nobleman carried himself with pride. He always wore riding boots with spurs, kept a large wooden club at his belt ready for battle, and dressed in elegant, military-style clo...