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Published: June 15th 2008
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Tourists and locals relaxing
in Toompark see this picturesque view of "Old Town" rising above them. 15 June: TODAY IS MY LAST full day in Estonia. During the past two weeks I have been totally enthralled by this vibrant place which is Tallinn, and also by the serenity of Saaremaa. Sure there are areas that are rather ramshackle with buildings which haven't been deemed worthy of restoration or upkeep and aren't in the best of repair or are falling apart entirely. But I haven't found any slums. Some quarters, such as Kälamaja, north of the city centre, is adjacent to derelict military harbour installations of the Soviet era. But at least one old factory building is now slated for conversion into a modern performing arts centre.
It's only been 16 years since Estonia has cast off the shackles of a repressive political system. Yet in this short time this little country of 1.3 million has made gigantic economical strides and is quickly catching up to western European living standards. However, in my opinion no civilization can expect to prosper in the long run without liberally promoting the arts. Oddly enough, under the old Soviet system the arts -- or at least some of them -- have often been funded lavishly. Fortunately, the Estonia people, their political
Crumbling "Cold War" fortifications
from nearly half a century of Soviet occupation are only a short stroll away. representatives and cultural ambassadors, have adopted those few positive aspects of their former oppressors, expanded on them and made them their own. Indeed a patient, wise and forgiving nation!
TIME FOR SOME travel tips to this fair country. I have been asked a few questions by friends and strangers who have followed my travel blog. While I have answered e-mails personally, others may have wondered about the same things; so here we go.
What kind of camera do you use? Canon Powershot SD1000. I think the particular model I have has been replaced, though, and is no longer available. I like the fact that this model has both a display monitor and a viewfinder (handy when it's too bright outside to see much detail on the monitor screen -- like trying to watch TV outside). The best part is that it's reasonably priced (just over $200), good quality at up to 7.1 mega pixel resolution, and small and light so I can carry it in a leather pouch right on my belt wherever I go. There is a handy "cameras" link on this TravelBlog website where you can find out about other makes by clicking on any camera
A giant bunker
still dominates the harbour area adjacent to the new cruise ship and ferry terminals. name.
What's the weather like in Estonia? Moderate. I'm told that it didn't snow at all in Tallinn last winter, but that's unusual. Apparently, they had a cool and rainy spring until I arrived and the sun came out -- short-sleeves weather! Since returning from my side trip to Saaremaa it's been mostly sunny but windy. In the southern interior of the country they get some pretty harsh winters. And judging by the firewood everyone is already laying up, this coming winter is going to be a doozy.
What language do they speak in Estonia? Estonian! It's a language entirely different from the Slavic languages spoken in most of eastern Europe, such as Russian, Polish, Czech... Estonian is part of the Finno-Ugric language family, which is (as the name suggests) closely related to Finnish and more distantly to Hungarian!
I'll be visiting Tallinn for a day while on a Baltic cruise. Should I take a guided tour of the city or can I do it on my own? Definitely take a guided walking tour of "Old Town" (where tour buses can't go) or a combined bus/walking tour to get a quick historical perspective of the place. Later
Ferry terminal
Ships leave from here bound for Helsinki and Stockholm. you can always wander about on your own. Contact the Tallinn tourist information centre at turismiinfo@tallinnlv.ee. Here they also rent audioguide headsets for a self-guided tour if you prefer to follow your own itinerary. The centre is located in the middle of "Old Town" and is staffed by extremely friendly, competent, patient, multilingual young people. And, finally, here is a useful website to get you started in your search of things to see and do in Estonia: www.visitestonia.com
Sometimes, I've had questions by readers of this blog about events that I hadn't clearly expressed, or I found out some facts not available to me earlier. In those cases I changed or added to a travelogue entry. If you go back to past days you may well find a few changes, corrections or updates.
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Lou-Ann Edgar
non-member comment
Maybells
Hi Heldor...June found your blog..interesting & fascinating. Too bad you never took a close up of the Maybell flower at the flower market on Viru Str. Tallinn, never heard of that plant. Keep blogging. Cheers Lou