If you really want to enjoy picturesque scenery, drive to Rõuge (pronounced ROH-oo-geh).

We regret that you won't see many photos here. After driving all the next night, we were so tired that we inadvertently deleted them. But this is a pretty place worth visiting!

Set on the edge of "Nightingale Valley," it's full of springs and streams, tiny ponds and lakes. The deepest lake in Estonia, Suurjärv, is here for summertime swimming.

In the middle of town, there's a tall wooden tower capped by an ultra-modern, box-shaped windmill that generates some of the town's electricity. You can ascend the 80 steps of the tower to look out over the countryside. The tower sits in the middle of a huge, grassy park that could accommodate twenty thousand people. Each Jaanipäev (Midsummers), there's a race where 1,500 runners compete. There's also a song stage. Singing is important in Baltic Country; people gather in large groups and are led by singers on the stage.

Our host, Juhani, gave us a postcard of
Rõuge Suurjärve guest house before we left.

Our host, Juhani, at the Guest House Rõuge Surjärve, took us on a personal tour of the park, leading us down steps and along paths, to look at the pumps that lift water from the springs to send it into the culinary system. It was the most enchanting water system we've seen.