Let Them Eat Cake

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There was an air of expectation as the plane sat on the tarmac waiting for take off. A number of the passengers were a bit on the boisterous side. It was a stag do – the new scourge of the Baltics. Cheap beer and other entertainments. How wrong they could be. Wrong place. Wrong time. Ever heard of the Euro? Nine years on... Estonia has!

There might be a crisis in Greece and falling property prices in Spain, but as the population of Ireland will tell, it doesn’t make the beer cheaper. There was no sign of austerity in Tallinn. A recession is relative and the tiger economy is doing very nicely thank you very much, courtesy of it’s close ties and investment from across the Baltic. The stag do might have done better with Latvia.

Fortunately, the loss of the Estonian Crown had been anticipated. However, part of the group didn’t do buses so we left them to own devices in a taxi. We checked in at the functional and practical Park Inn........... central and convenient for that bus route from the airport, Scandanavian budget branch of Radisson did everything it said it would on the tin. We had for a birthday meal in a neutral venue. I won’t come if you are going somewhere weird in Eastern Europe said the big sister and Macedonia was knocked on the head straight away despite my protests that it would work out a lot cheaper for all concerned.

Tallinn was unchanged. Crisp, clean and efficient as ever. The Finns were ever present, enjoying themselves in the bars at the competitive prices around the Town Hall Square. The ever present in the bar scene of the Old Town was Hell Hunt. It quickly re-established itself as our meeting base, although at over 3 Euros a pint the beer had not stayed at it’s 2003 prices. The majority entertained themselves in and around the Old Town – picturesque medieval vistas at every turn for that photo opportunity. The harbour area has been redeveloped and the shopping centre seems to specialize in some very obscure t-shirts that would probably have been very popular around 1941, but will probably get you arrested or beaten up in most European countries today. We presumed there was a market for such merchandise with the folks from across the water. The Tallink ferries seemed to have had a repaint and are now a very striking lime green. The harbour wasn’t frozen on this visit.

As ever, there was a pilgrimage to a major sporting event. How could you miss a UEFA Under 17 tournament. The Germans were at best efficient against a physically weaker Albania. The Kadriorg Stadium wasn’t exactly full to overflowing – the crowd was mainly the German’s parents and our small band. The man of the match was Aldo Tegia – Albanian goalie of the not too distant future. It was a question as to whether the next match was a step up or down. The Estonian 2^nd Division is not world renowned. Tallinn Kalev were top and heading for promotion. FC Flora’s Reserves were unlikely to stand in the way. Flora are probably the wealthiest club in Estonia. Their first team play their home games at the A Le Coq Arena, the National Stadium, so the 3G plastic pitch in the small stadium to one side of the old Kalev Stadium wasn’t exactly home from home. They got hammered 3-0. There was nothing to write home about on the match front, but the half time entertainment was something new. A veteran of Sky’s sumo wrestlers, never before has free cake been the half time treat. It must have been Kalev’s birthday.

The other members of the merry men were more interested in the motorsport venues of Tallinn and specifically the Joey Dunlop Memorial. We caught the bus out near the old 1980 Olympic Games marina and plodded up the road to the site.

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Photos

Hell Hunt
The bar of choice.........