TAR15 EP9: "We’re Not Meant for the Swamp" (Estonia)

[puddin]

Tallinn, Estonia 8/3

CBS Press:
Sunday, Nov. 15   THE AMAZING RACE—
(8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT)Teams travel to Estonia and   decipher a message in an ancient brotherhood lair and then slog through the bogs to play a wild muddy game of volleyball.  Phil Keoghan hosts.
 

Tallinn, Estonia by primefun
*Hi guys, im a long time reader of this forum, now finally had a chance to post as i have something worth posting... mate of mine is right now on a ferry with the TAR teams, the ferry goes from Sweden to Estonia, they are supposed to arrive in Tallinn at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning... will surely go there to have a look  only info i got was that he personally saw like 3-4 teams... any last minute suggestions for tomorrow morning?
**

The ferry is for sure Tallink which goes between Stockholm and Tallinn, it departs stockholm at 5:45 p.m. and arrives in tallinn at 10
a.m. the following morning.

(Edited the ferry time from 6 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.)

The first location is PIKK St 26

which is the home of the Knights of the Blackheads
Here is the House of the Blackheads website:
http://www.mustpeademaja.ee/www/
 
Here is something about it:
http://www.mustpeademaja.ee/jutud/entekkelugu.html
 
Teams were instructed to look for this green door:



The teams  (some of them??) headed off to a cluebox next to the House of Parliament...

pictures by primefun

Videos by primefun
1
2
3

I'm working on screencaps from primefuns wonderful videos ...  

link

Ok bad news guys, we were circling around the town now for 2 hours asking people if they had seen people running around with backpacks and cameras and no luck, all the witnesses only saw them in the morning, so i think they went off from tallinn or are not in center, we still have our "spy" waiting in the place which we suspect as the pitstop mat but no news so far so im afraid this might be it... thanks for everyone and i enjoyed seeing amazing race being produced in front of me.

http://www.360cities.net/image/tall-hermann-tower

Panorama of "Tall Hermann's Tower"

Here is a panoramio shot of the location where the clue box was

from another blog

Amazing race
We are in Estonia and just saw teams from the amazing race getting taped

The only thing near the spot they're staring at is the door lock (here).

besides, i dont see no operation hours sign anywhere. Maybe they were given a key and they were trying to open the door? Or they had to get a key in some detour? or was it part of a detour where they first had to get the key and then enter the building to finish the detour?  

Blog find by uycocoa
SPEAKING OF AMAZING...
I was in Tallinn today with the interns and the GC&SU team that served at Brett's camp, and while we were there we wandered into the square in Old Towne.  I heard one of the guys say, "They're filming something over there...wait, isn't that the guy from 'The Amazing Race?'"

My head whipped around to where they were pointing, and I yelled out "Phil!!!"
Yes, it was in fact Phil Keoghan, host of "The Amazing Race," filming a segment for what I guess was the Estonian leg of my favorite reality show EVER.  I almost peed myself.  I'm not even ashamed to admit it.  It was incredible.

The craziest part about it is that my mom and I had just had a full conversation about the show on Wednesday when we were talking on Skype.  We've been talking about applying for the show for awhile now, but we have to wait until I'm 21 so I'll be eligible to race.  We explained our full strategy to Chris the other night...when we're one the show, we will be the crazy Christian women that praise Jesus and throw our competitors under the bus.  We will annihilate the competition.

Really, I just took the moment as a sign from God that I am definitely supposed to be on the show.  Then my beloved Phil and I will be reunited, and I won't have to worry about the production people coming up to me and asking me not to yell at him and to avoid standing in the back of the frame and staring.
 

postimees news article translated by and thanks to primetime

"Postimees managed today to chase up the competitors of the amazing race, we ran through 2 check points with them. We received information that the world-known show Amazing Race has reached Tallinn and the first destination is the "house of the black heads". So we had to go and check it out.

Before noon the front of the house was pretty quiet, except for a lady hanging around the place and who wouldnt give out a single comment. After a while 2 girls showed up who were running up the Pikk street looking for the "house of the black heads" and asking the local construction workers about the destination.

After knocking on the door they were let in where they supposedly had to solve some tasks to receive information about their next destination. Soon the ladies were running towards an information point in the Harju street while asking for help from the locals. The fact that the next destination was the Hermann tower we managed to find out only from the information point as the questions asked from the cast and and cameramen were left unanswered.

While on their way there the girls were discussing among themselves and assuming they would be the fastest team but upon reaching the clue box their joy diminished as they pulled out the last clue.

After that we managed to lose the team who ran towards the downtown. Asking from the local salesmen revealed 3 or 4 teams had been around an hour ago looking for the same clue box in Hermanni tower.

How many teams are still running in the competition we didnt find out but based on a clue received from our reader we can assume there were at least 5 teams competing. Also we found out the teams arrived at 10 a.m. from sweden on board the ship Victoria

Tiffany & Maria (decoys?) << pics by postimees


Blog
We walked along the back of Old Town up to Toompea Castle where there were great views of the city and the Gulf of Finland. The Castle dates back to the 13th Century and is fronted by the town’s Parliament house, which is PINK! We wandered into a small park next to the Castle where Shawn spotted a red and yellow post normally used in the reality show “Amazing Race.” Just a few minutes later in barrels a panting camera man running in front of two of the teams! They frantically looked around the park for the clue (which was the post) and as I caught eyes with the girl from the yellow team I pointed toward the other side of the park where the clue was waiting. Ha! Imagine that? Of all places in the world you happen to see the Amazing Race being filmed in TALLINN!  

Credits: Plaidmoon

The Trotter crew in this video and Primefun's video don't seem very energetic, but that might be misleading; anyway, the Trotters start sprinting once they reach the top of the street.

More info incoming as we speak:

No, we did not follow Herb and Nat and heard nothing about them, so we have no idea where they went.

In my opinion, I think Herb and Nat were moving slowly due to the massive backpack they were carrying... but I could be wrong. I think the park they came out of could be a stop or something. Sorry I am not familiar with TAR terminology.  I followed a few previous, earlier seasons and enjoyed them but I am not a big fan like you are.

For your information, the weather that morning was cloudy but it improved a lot in the afternoon. So if you see any other pics or videos that day of a sunny Tallinn with blue skies then it is an afternoon shot.

And embedding the video by permission!!




Is there anything else y'all want to know?

The closest spot I could find is Lossi Plats, next to the Nevsky church and below the castle. (map here; the trouble is, they would seem to be heading in the other direction, towards St. Marys)

Is there anything else y'all want to know?

Can he get the exact time from his video file time stamp?

He says:

I did not set the time on my video so there is no time stamp. But I checked our photos and the last photo we took before we saw them was 10:56am. I think we saw them a minute or two later.

[puddin]

saved, lots more to bring over from the spoiler thread

[topaz]

I'd found the SWAMP in Estonia!  It's located in Korvemaa Swamp, and I think that could be a pit stop? http://www.worldisround.com/articles/7729/index.html

[Slowhatch]

Unfortunately, if you open up the wiki map and select bog as a search term, you get 6 bogs all within 10 miles of Old Town. And as Boingo pointed out about sand dunes, one bog looks pretty much like any other.

[Boingo]

   Who knew Tallinn peat bogs could be such a tourist attraction.  

Tallinn bog tourism

eta: According to this article, the Lahemaa National Park "is one of the main tourism drawcards in Estonia"  Just happens to be the site of the Viru Bog (but it's about 50 miles outside of Tallinn).  meh.... 

[puddin]

could someone decipher this? It's a comment left on one of Primefuns videos.

nägin neid kollaseid tüüpe täna päenu mntl (karnevali juures) otsisid mingit maja vms. teisi tiime polnud 

I get ...

I saw these yellow type of päenu mntl today (at the carnival), looking for any house or other. the other was tiime

Found a Pärnu, I take it the poster either witnessed Ericka and Brian OR a cluebox  ? I Dunno?

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2485283
http://karneval.rreede.ee/index.php?lang=eng

[inomu]

could someone decipher this? It's a comment left on one of Primefuns videos.

nägin neid kollaseid tüüpe täna päenu mntl (karnevali juures) otsisid mingit maja vms. teisi tiime polnud  

I get ...

I saw these yellow type of päenu mntl today (at the carnival), looking for any house or other. the other was tiime

Found a Pärnu, I take it the poster either witnessed Ericka and Brian OR a cluebox   ? I Dunno?

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2485283
http://karneval.rreede.ee/index.php?lang=eng

The proper translation is this:

"I saw those yellow guys at Päenu street today (near the Carnival). They were looking for a house. There were no other teams."

Karnevali could mean a carnival or a place called Karnevali.

[georgiapeach]

Thank you SO much inomu!!   

Okay slowhatch!! Where is Päenu street please??

[apskip]

Peach:
I have been poiking around a map of Tallinn and trying to find address on Paenu St. I actually found one on Google for Sestela AS on Paenu Mnt. Street.  I haven't located where Paenu St. is. However, I have come up with an alternative. Sestela AS is listed on MSN with the same number on Parnu Maantee St., which is one of the major roads going south out of the center of Tallinn. See map below and recognize that the best viewing of this will be on the 6th notch on the downward scale (adjacent to CITY marking):

Tallinn Map

[puddin]

Thank you SO much inomu!!  

Okay slowhatch!! Where is Päenu street please??

If its Pärnu mnt and not Päenu, its also in my links above as well as the Karnevali peach!!.
Thanks inomu !!!

Karneval Tallinn - Pärnu mnt. 28
Tel/fax: 6 44 1810
karneval@rreede.ee

[Slowhatch]

I was looking at that last night; the only thing I could find for 28 Parnu was Cafe VS. 

[primefun]

Ok the person in the comment is referring to a Carnival Shop in Pärnu Mnt (short for "maantee"), it is a rather long street starting in the center of tallinn and going all the way to the edge of the city. From what i understand from this comment the shop itself had nothing to do with any of the tasks, he/she was just refferring to which part of Pärnu Mnt they had seen ericka and brian.

[puddin]

Welcome back primefun

[Joab]

The amount of spoilers we have this leg is amazing.

[primefun]

Welcome back primefun

thanks so so waiting for the estonian episode and also the retake of the hayball roadblock in sweden, was laughin so hard when in the preview sam (or was it the other brother) said "you know one season this person did the same roadblock for 8 hours" and the other guy went "why on earth would you tell me that right now" 

[georgiapeach]

YAY!!! So glad you are back joining us for the fun!!

[TARAsia Fan]

Thanks for the great videos, primefun!

[puddin]

Matt/Roadblock searchs for a candelabra

Matt is at a loss for words .. choose a candelabra
To monk looking dude : are you a candelabra 
Matt: I have no idea  what a candelabra is

[puddin]

Sam and Dan clash with the Globetrotters ..

[puddin]

[autowil]

So candle thing is RB..

Mud/ something else detour..

And so the mud one is so near to PS..

Wonder what other detour.. Since Trotters look dry

[enneiteml]

I don't know if I can post this here but oh well.

There is something I don't understand:

Sam and Dan are doing the Mud Detour while Meghan and Cheyne (most likely) are there too. Once they have finished the task, they run to the pitstop in a race against the Globetrotters. However, don't we know taht it is Flight Time and Big Easy that are out?

The question is: What are Meghan and Cheyne doing still in the Mud Task while the team who will be last is in front of them?

We clearly see that Sam and Dan are in front of them.

Correct me if I'm wrong!

[puddin]

I don't know if I can post this here but oh well.

There is something I don't understand:

Sam and Dan are doing the Mud Detour while Meghan and Cheyne (most likely) are there too. Once they have finished the task, they run to the pitstop in a race against the Globetrotters. However, don't we know taht it is Flight Time and Big Easy that are out?

The question is: What are Meghan and Cheyne doing still in the Mud Task while the team who will be last is in front of them?

We clearly see that Sam and Dan are in front of them.

Correct me if I'm wrong!

They may very well be running to the pitstop but its not clear if the Globetrotters or Pinky and The Brains are out next, you guess?

[enneiteml]

I thought Pinky and the Brain were seen in Prague.

Are you thinking decoys?

[georgiapeach]

Who says they race to the Pitstop?  Coould just be to cars or another part of the challenge, or whatever, they may have a ways to go.

We know that either Matt/Gary OR the Trotters go, but it is not a 100% sure which one. There is some vague report of a pink haired guy being seen at the Prague Castle, which IS supposed to be the Pitstop there.

Why is everyone else in their undies and the Trotters get shorts and T-shirts??