No matter whether it is a chilly winter day with lakes and some bays covered with ice or one of those rare hot summer days so much longed in North, every weekend morning Nature Lovers Omnibus waits Estonians in front of the national library to drive them out from dusty city.
Seven years ago, in 2001, Jaan Riis (48) had ended his career as a journalist. The monthly nature magazine where he worked as an editor-in-chief, changed ownership and Riis decided to resign from his post.
"Becoming suddenly jobless forced me to think is there anything else in addition to journalism that I could do with passion. My head was rather empty for several weeks. Then one day when I was drinking a bear in cafe in Tallinn old town and wondering again what to do next I suddenly got an idea to organize a bus trip for those nature lovers in city who lack a car but still wish to get off to nature on weekend with other nature lovers," Jaan Riis says.
"So I orderd the bus and let the news out, being ready to face the fact that it will be me only standing next to the bus the day of departure. But it turned out opposite - so many people turned out that I had to call for another bus and so it started," Riis adds.
One of the principles of Jaan Riis Nature Lovers Omnibus is that despite people are asked to inform whether they wish to attend some of his trips on weekend, there are no lists of participants and nobody is never left behind.
When more people than expected turn out and one bus cant suite them, another bus or two will be called. Over the years, Riis has made so many good contacts with bus owners and nobody gets surprised when he alerts them just weekend morning. Most of his trips start from Tallinn and some from Tartu, second largest town in Estonia.
While most of the people attending his trips, are locals, some foreigners have also joined his trips over the years.
"Different nations get exited for different things. While Fins like most the bird watching in Estonia, Italians, Germans and French are more exited of trips to one of those boggy, givey, maremmatic areas that Estonia is full. For South-Europeans there is of course nothing more exciting than to join us in those few really cold winters when we sometimes make bus trips to islands, driving the bus on ice over froozen Baltic Sea - some tourists who have done it first have got absolutely crazy like children," Riis said.
In July, one of the bus trips took the nature lovers from Tallinn to South Estonia and North Latvia. Bus trip that included nearly 700 km driving, guided walking tours in forest and picnic nearby river cost just 13 euros. Those who wished even more excitement - a 3 hours canoe trip on river, evening sauna in steamy tent put up on river sand and overnight camping with meals at the same place, organised all by local nature lovers - Estonias most famous alpinist Alar Sikk and his brother Üllar Sikk - had to pay some extra. To encourage younger families to attend, all trips are free for children up to 7 years old and pupils get discounted price.
Another weekend trip in July took over hundred of people to see the beautiful island Muhumaa and enjoy the concert at local church costed just 30 euros, including food.
"I have tried to keep the price as low as possible because I think the moment I turn greed all the idea of Nature Lovers Omnibus will loose meaning and I will also loose the assistance of local nature lovers who often help us to organise these tours," Riis said.
In summers many Nature Lovers trips are combined with concerts in nature with musicians eager to offer discounted price for their performance. On first weekend of August nature lovers bus took city folks to Leigo lake in South Estonia where they walked in local forests and listened later the concert given on lake performed by Latvian Symphony Orchestra.
Info about coming weekend trips are put up at Nature Lovers website (http://www.looduseomnibuss) on late Wednesday or Thursday and in addition, over 9000 people have signed to get the info via email.
"I think that feeling you are part of nature makes you better person. People who like nature appreciate a life and another persons more. Had it be up to me to decide, I could request that every child in every city in all world should be obliged to attend regular nature trips every year as part of their schooling program," Riis added.
Anneli Reigas
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