Day 8: Detour to Tallinn, Estonia

(Him: Charlie)

After the first stop in Eastern Europe, we decided to deviate from our original plan already. The visit in the next few days fully exemplifies the essence of backpacking – instead of traveling south, we took a detour up north to Estonia. We came here because we decided visit St. Petersburg via Helsinki, Finland. This would allow us to stay there for 3 days without needing a visa.

So Estonia it is!! I’ve always wanted to visit Estonia, for a peculiar reason – the name sounds pretty. In fact, there are two places in the world that I’d visit just for their names. One is Estonia, and the other is Buenos Aires. The visit to Buenos Aires was very satisfying, so let’s see what Estonia has to offer.

The bus journey from Riga to Tallinn is 4.5 hrs. About 1.5 hrs into the ride, we entered Estonia. Before this trip, I knew nothing about Estonia. My wild guess would be it’s the same as other Baltic states such as Latvia and Lithuania. However, this was later proven wrong. My first impression upon entering Estonia was it’s a very neat country. Roads and streets are well maintained. There are even bike lanes. The Soviet influence here is not as apparent as in Latvia. The buildings and the City design actually feel like north Europe. One noticeable difference though – Estonians are not as tall as Latvians.

Like Riga, Tallinn also has a famous tourist attraction – it’s old town, a medieval city surrounded by stone walls and towers. Although the old town is impressive, it is so concentrated with medieval buildings that it has become a giant tourist trap. I’d say, other than a few residential buildings and some diplomatic offices, the majority of the area is occupied by restaurants and souvenir shops.

As I was about to regret the visit in Tallinn (due to overly touristy areas), a walking tour changed my mind. The walking tour was guided by a 22-year-old Estonian girl, Hailey, who was very energetic and funny. During the over 2-hour tour, I learned a lot about Estonia, from history, to politics, to economy.

As it turned out, throughout the history of Estonia, it has always been ruled by one of its neighbouring superpowers, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and even Lithuania. The only independence they gained was a brief period 1918-1939, and the last 21 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It’s pathetic that they just celebrated their longest independence ever!

Estonia’s history is quite sad and despair because, to many people and countries, sovereignty is paramount. However, Hailey didn’t seem to upset when speaking about this seemingly shameful history. Instead, she would emphasize on Estonians are better in dancing and singing rather than fighting! Her cheerful attitude and the constant sarcasm about Estonian politics suddenly garnered my utmost respect, not just to her, but the entire Estonia – the country has gone through tough times for as far as you can look back in tie, but in order to survive, they must have been extremely optimistic and adaptive. This is sad, but it nonetheless deserves my full respect!

Another fact I’ve learned about Estonia is that it actually associates itself closer to Finland than the other Baltic states, thanks to a long, good standing relationship with Finland. Today, Estonia is a shriving country. Its residents are enjoying a fast pace growth in economy, especially in the IT industry (did you know Skype started up first in Tallinn, and it still has an enviable headquarter here?)