Estonia

Visited: August 2016

Duration of visit: 4 days

Capital city: Tallinn

Population: 1.3 million (2016)

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

• Tallinn – a pleasant capital city where modern glass skyscrapers softly integrate in a historical old town, cathedral, castles, parks, trendy bars and restaurants.
• Kadriorg Park – flower beds, museums, Swan Bond, administrative building with the office of the President.
• KGB museum in Hotel Viru – a luxury hotel that, from the 1970s, hosted foreign visitors who were secretly supervised by KGB in contact with the Soviets.
• Parnu – Estonian summer capital received me with heavy rainstorm, but disclosed why it is so popular vacation spot on the Baltic Sea.
• Estonian black bread is so delicious that I can eat it alone, without any additions.
• Border crossing with Latvia in the middle of forest.

The Republic of Estonia is contrasting and unique. Even though it’s part of Baltic countries (together with Latvia and Lithuania), with which it shares similar geography and recent history under Soviet Union umbrella, it is different. Estonia is ethnically and linguistically close to Finland. It was under the Soviet Union and Russia for over 300 years until 1991, and from the, following its own path.

One of the best examples is the IT progress, especially on the government area, where the administrations became one of the most efficient in the world, representing the perfect alliance with its people.

Today, Estonians can do any transaction online, without even visiting governmental offices, queuing, filling up forms and waiting for days or weeks to get a procedure done.

Estonia has the most efficient eGovernment; it was the first country in the world to allow its citizens to vote online in 2005.

One of the most peaceful political demonstrations, where around 2 million Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians united to form a 675 km long human chain, called the Baltic Way, took place on 23^rd August 1989, peacefully demanding the independence of their countries from the Soviet Union as part of the Singing Revolution.

It is probably the most remarkable congregation of human beings for a common, peaceful cause. Considering the fact that there were approximately 8 million people living in those territories at the time, two million demonstrators that peacefully linked hands for 15 minutes at 19:00 local time is even more extraordinary achievement.

Unlike many other capital cities in Europe, Tallinn has managed to wholly preserve its structure of medieval and Hanseatic origin. The beautiful old town – Vanalinn, with its exceptionally intact 13^th century city plan, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Tallinn was lucky enough to escape complete destruction during the World War II.

Original cobblestone streets dotted with medieval churches and grandiose merchant houses, barns and warehouses leniently merge with souvenir stalls, restaurants offering traditional food, bars and cafes.

I wandered through the winding alleyways and backstreets without any precise plan, stepping back in time.

I purchased a traditionally designed, woolen two tails hat, which can be used as a scarf, and Estonian rye bread.

The heart of the Old Town is the Town Hall Square, where Estonians greet their heroes returning home from big accomplishments abroad, celebrate the Old Town and Medieval Days, but also erect the Christmas tree to enjoy one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the region.

Alexander Nevski Cathedral is one of the most monumental examples of Orthodox sacral architecture in Tallinn. It was built in a typical Russian Revival style at the end of the 19^th century, during the period of Russification. Due to that reason it was particularly disliked by many Estonians as a symbol of oppression.

Demolition plans were scheduled by Estonian authorities in 1924, but the decision was never implemented due to lack of funds and the building’s massive construction. The interior, which is decorated with mosaics and icons, is also worth a visit.

Kadriorg Park, commissioned by Russian great tsar Peter the Great in the 18^th century, is the most outstanding palatial and urban park in Estonia: flower beds, a number of museums, Swan Bond and administrative building with the office of the President, are the highlights.  The most popular places for a stroll in the park are the flower beds surrounding the Swan Pond and the promenade leading from there to the president’s palace.

I wandered around in a peaceful setting, without entering any building. Even though the city is calm, strolling this green area only 10 minutes from the city center set me almost to the countryside environment. A little bit too cold for a picnic, but charm setting with a lake, flower garden and Presidential Palace in the background offers a great escape.

The main goal of Kumu Art Museum, opened in 2006, is to preserve and make sense of Estonian art from the 18^th century to the present day. For me, the highlight is the building itself, designed by Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuori. Set into the limestone slope, a circular building with a large and lofty atrium, is modern and timeless. The sphere and the curved line are eternal forms.

Natural materials with local traditions harmonically coexist with the setting of Kadriorg Park. A mix of dolomite, wood and copper position a high building in a non-intruding form with the natural environment. Observing it from the outside, I didn’t realize how big the exhibition scattered through four floors actually is.

My next stop was a KGB museum in Hotel Viru – a luxury hotel which, from the 1970s, hosted foreign visitors who were secretly supervised by KGB, while in contacts with the Soviets. Any hotel that was appropriate for foreign visitors also had to be appropriate for the KGB. Viru was one of them. The first high-rise building in Tallinn was completed in 1972, when Estonia was part of Soviet Union.

Officially, the hotel had only 22 floors. Signs to stairs leading above the 22^nd floor and on doors said there’s nothing here. Well, there was something on the top – a hidden floor.

The 23^rd floor hosted a KGB radio center; apparently a radio station that was used to eavesdrop and spy on foreign guests who were meeting Soviets inside the hotel. Sixty of the hotel rooms had concealed espionage devices, as well as some of the tables in the restaurant, which were monitored by microphones.

The operation was continuously running until the KGB left the hotel right before the independence of Estonia, in August 1991. The secret rooms were found in 1994 and transformed to a museum.

It is a great place to step back in time, take a photo with the red phone that was directly connected to the top authorities in the KGB organization. When the red phone rang, the person that answered knew it was a very important order coming in. Interesting enough, the telephone has no dial, because at the other end there would have always been the KGB headquarter in Moscow.

The entertaining and sometimes even sarcastic guide took us through various rooms where objects from the Soviet era are exhibited: racks of Soviet-era electronics, tape recorders, uniforms, telephones, gas masks, spy camera with wide angle and much more.

Dark rye bread is an absolute staple food and a cultural identifier for Estonians. Most restaurants offer their own homemade bread alongside their meals. Estonians have been baking bread for over seven thousand years, no wonder that quality handmade breads can be found in neighborhood bakeries and restaurants.

Why Estonian rye bread is so special or delicious?

I am a big fan of bread and I have tasted many varieties all over the world. Nevertheless, in Estonia, I was able to eat the bread alone, without any cream, cheese, butter or anything.

The extraordinary taste is complete, filling and unique.

Fermented rye bread, higher in fiber, darker in color and stronger in flavor, stays fresh for up to two weeks if kept refrigerated.

The superb Medieval center of Tallinn is one of the best-preserved of its kind in Europe. In combination with modern high-tech buildings and parks, it gives the capital a special position in the Baltics countries. Developing fast with fresh ideas and innovations, using modern technologies and offering numerous opportunities, Estonia has the highest ratio of startups per capita in Europe.

More than half of Estonian almost completely flat landscape with few hills is covered with forest that offers home to lynxes, brown bears and wolves. On the other side, a staggering amount of more than 2,300 islands, many of which are completely untouched and unexplored, could offer potential for tourist development in the future, when the world temperature will increase.

Sitting at the Patkuli viewing platform, tasting black Estonian bread and enjoying the view of the old town, makes me wonder why in a country, with an astounding array of well-preserved religious sites, only 16% of Estonians claim that religion is an essential aspect of their lives.