TALLINN - There is more to art than just paintings on a wall or slabs of stone in a museum. Art can be everything or anything. For me, art is handicraft, a good book or simply something that makes your heart feel or mind think. Art can also be part of nature.
I have been thinking about visiting Kutioru Maakunstirada (the Land Art Path) for a long time. I read that there are some landscape art pieces discretely placed for maximum effect. People go there to meditate and get some peace and quiet. It sounded fantastic.
After three hours in a car we finally arrived. Nestled in a valley, there was no sign of the art path and no people.
So we started to look. We enthusiastically followed one sign which lead us through a forest and out the other side again. We looked all over the valley, but there was still no sign of the path. When the owner of a camping place told me where it was, we realized we had passed by it more than once.
The art path was definitely a part of nature. Hidden in the long grass were art pieces scattered around unattended. There were no descriptions beside the art pieces themselves, although little rotting wooden posts let me know that once upon a time there had been. I decided to use my imagination and come up with my own idea of what the art is supposed to represent.
The pieces were made of natural materials, mostly wood. For example, there was a little wooden house with one side open. I sat there and looked at the lake in the valley. In the lake was a wooden raft with lots of tadpoles swimming around it. The raft was also a part of the path.
We left the path and made a significant discovery in the woods. We were on a completely different path 's suddenly my gentle little walk in the woods had become a hike in a valley.
This path was nearly 10 kilometers long. It went up and down the side of the valley and since I am a city girl I found it quite difficult.
It was a hot day. I was plagued by mosquitoes that obviously thought I was delicious. I was prepared to put up with this inconvenience because the path was classically beautiful. It was the sort of place my grandmother might have walked along when she was a little girl.
The hiking path had other attractions beside the scenic views, windmills and ancient trees.
One place I found interesting was the Tammetsooru sacrificing circle. There were oaks in the circle and inside were some stones. People used to believe animals can't go in there because they will turn into meat. Some people still hold this belief.
As I walked I got more tired, until I swore I will never hike through the valley again. Luckily I didn't have to, because it was nearly the end of the path. I also took a dip in the lake. It was actually a very nice get-away day. My legs hurt for two days, but my mood was good. The path was able to satisfy my appetite for nature, art and fresh air.
Getting to the art path can be an adventure in itself. First, drive all the way south to a small town named Voru. A tourism info point in the town doesn't help much because it doesn't mention Kutiorg. Take a left at the sign reading "Kutioru Suusakeskus." The sign itself is big, brown and wooden 's but left unattended, just like the art path itself.
