48 Hours in Estonia

This past weekend was one of the three big trips that CIEE has planned for this semester, and may in fact be the most interesting of the three.  The plan: leave Saint Petersburg on a bus early Friday morning and make for the Russian - Estonian border, and from there on to Tallinn, capital of Estonia, where we would spend two nights before returning to Saint Petersburg late on Sunday night.

Estonia has been under Russian/Soviet control for much of the past several hundred years.  The country was one of the primary battlegrounds between Sweden and Russia during the Great Northern War for Baltic supremacy (Peter the Great's time), and was swallowed up by the Soviet Union leading up to World War II.  As such, Estonia has only been independent for a short time.  It is now a member of the European Union and is a progressive, rapidly modernizing nation that is a delightful mix of the old and the new.

Tallinn is not a big city.  It covers an area that feels to be roughly the same size as White Plains, New York - though with a larger population (400,000).  The skyline is nothing if not eclectic, with an intriguing mix of ancient church spires and modern skyscrapers.  While Tallinn does possess a modest public transportation system, it's necessity - at least for tourists - seems lacking at best.  The heart of the city can be crossed by foot in under fifteen minutes, and wide sidewalks, bright street lights, and friendly drivers make walking in Tallinn an attractive proposition.

Indeed, everything about Tallinn is friendly, which is especially jarring after several months in Russia.  The Estonians, or at least the ones we interacted with, were all smiling and cheerful, happy to help in any way possible.  Virtually everybody spoke English, and nearly every sign had English, Russian, Estonian, and often other languages as well.  Not to imply the Russians are not a happy people, because that's just not true.  The Russians are a wonderful people, but they can often seem aloof or cold in the initial encounter.  Estonians are openly friendly, and this was like a breath of fresh air.

Tallinn's Old Town is the historical, cultural, and social heart of the city.  It's a charming collection of cobblestone streets situated around a large central square.  Closed to motorized vehicles, the Old Town has a storybook charm common in many European towns and cities.  Although there's not a huge amount to do in Tallinn from a traditional tourist standpoint, it is the perfect place to turn a large number of 20-something year olds loose for a weekend.  Bars and restaurants line the streets, many offering discounts.  Hundreds of like-minded people can be found roaming the streets even at 2am, and the city - or at least Old Town - never feels unsafe.  Although the weekend in Tallinn included tours of the historical heart and some of the points of interest outside the city center, the highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly simply enjoying the city's social life with a group of friends.  At the end of our second and final night in Tallinn, we bought cups of hot, spiced wine from a street vendor and toasted the city and its people from an excellent vantage point overlooking Old Town.

Despite the marvelous time on the town, perhaps the most sticking part of the weekend was a line delivered by one of our Estonian tour guides.  When asked what the average income was for an Estonian, she answered it was approximately $1,000 per month.  She paused briefly, then continued: "No, it's not much money.  Life can be tough sometimes, but that's okay, we are just happy to be independent, to be free."

Amen.