All's hopping on the western front

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Tallinn, the home to 400,000, is the capital of Estonia and has developed into a hot tourist destination focused mainly on its fully functioning old town. Keith thought the medieval hype, with people dressed in costume, cheesey, and wouldn't take any photos, saying he wasn't inspired, but I found it fun to wander through the courtyards and passages and look inside the more interesting shops. Disappointingly, the magical symbols store was closed when we passed by but the ancient apothecary was interesting and the museum of torture instruments, which mostly featured variations on tearing, puncturing and burning, were enough to make the most rebellious citizens toe the line.

Outside the old town one can get a better feel for Tallinn's recent past by the abandoned Soviet buildings, some abandoned, some still in use, and some totally refurbished and put to better use. With the Soviet focus on collectivity, these buildings tend to be large and create something of a dilemma, especially on the island of Saaremaa where the Soviets built batteries and other lines of defence. Estonians are debating what to do with these facilities they have no use for. Some were trashed when the Germans retreated at the end of the second world war. Should they allow them to fall further into disrepair, remove them at considerable expense or preserve them? Driving from Talinn to Viljandi we also saw the ruins of many of what we assumed to be Soviet farm collectives, The fields are still full of grains and cattle but managed on a smaller scale.

As one might predict, when Estonia finally achieved independence and the Soviets left, many of the state-run businesses failed leaving people out of work and unable to pay the rent for their apartments. Another problem arose from the fact that people who had been assigned houses or apartments during the Soviet occupation were suddenly living in other people's homes as the courts agreed that whoever had owned them before the occupation, or their heirs, were the rightful owners. The country has had a lot of problems to work through.

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Photos

Valaste falls
Estonia's highest waterfall. Notice the abandoned viewing platform on the left.

Seaplane hangers
The 3 domes are the largest and thinnest reinforced concrete domes only 10 cm thick.

Tallinn factory
The chimney of the abandoned factory fit in with all the church spires in the background.

Hydrofoil ferry dock
Grand soviet entrance left to decay.

Sea plane hangers
Renovated as excellent museum

Short 184 seaplane
Full scale replica

Lembit
Built in England in 1937

Galley of Lembit submarine
Frances checking rations.