General: Estonia

Having not written on this website since the 2002 World Cup and only been a very irregular visitor to the site due to financial considerations, I hope Ciaoers will forgive any lingering ringrust and or a certain number of typos, even though most of my comments criticise rookie writers for just those failings! Having written a review of one Eastern European destination, Bulgaria, which was generally well-received - I felt compelled to write another ...
...part of the Old Soviet Union, I hope to perhaps raise awareness of a very beautiful and accommodating country which deserves more visitors from the UK, especially those who appreciate something of a cultural element to their holidays

History and Background
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Estonia is a country of just under 2 million people situated just off the Baltic sea. It shares land borders with Latvia and ... more

Having not written on this website since the 2002 World Cup and only been a very irregular visitor to the site due to financial considerations, I hope Ciaoers will forgive any lingering ringrust and or a certain number of typos, even though most of my comments criticise rookie writers for just those failings! Having written a review of one Eastern European destination, Bulgaria, which was generally well-received - I felt compelled to write another one on the perhaps as obscure country of Estonia. Once part of the Old Soviet Union, I hope to perhaps raise awareness of a very beautiful and accommodating country which deserves more visitors from the UK, especially those who appreciate something of a cultural element to their holidays

History and Background
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Estonia is a country of just under 2 million people situated just off the Baltic sea. It shares land borders with Latvia and the Rusiian Federation. To the North it shares close cultural links with both Finland and Sweden. There is a Heliport link from the capital, Tallinn which links it with its Finnish counterpart, Helsinki in under twenty minutes. Without wishing to cause offence to anyone Estonian or of Estonian descent, having worked with a company that dealt with a Finnish partner for several years, the people share strong similarities in culture, look similar and are unquestionably more closely entwined with the Finns and Swedes than their Eastern and Southern neighbours. Tallinn has played host to an ever-growing stream of visitors from Finland since the first ferry links were set up in 1965.

In historical terms, Estonia is one of the youngest independent states in the world. In famous scenes, it secured its independence after three years of primarily peaceful protests in August of 1991 after an abortive coup attempt by Socialist hardliners to reassert Soviet authority ended in a new Russian government under Boris Yeltsin formally recognising the independence of it and its Baltic neighbours. Immediate diplomatic relations were established with a number of Western European states, including the UK. Estonia has won high praise for its economic liberalisation, strong support for human rights and a generally liberal attitude to social issues (For a contrast see Amnesty International websites on Estonia and then compare with reports on its old 'sister' republics, the neo-nationalist Belarus, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as the pseudo-state of Turkmenistan and the bizarre 'Trans-Dniestr Republic')

This is not to say that its history was easy. Estonia was an independent state for 20 years following the first World War. Due to the assistance given against Socialist forces by the Royal Navy, there is a commemorative plaque to the Royal Navy sailors who gave their lives at the North entrance to Tallinn's old Town - but sadly this independence was lost in 1940 when the state was handed to the Socialists under the terms of the pact between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Following the German invasion of June 1941 The Republic fell under German influence. In 1944 facing defeat the Germans withdrew and the Republic fell once again under Soviet influence, where it was to remain for 47 years. During the conflict nearly 100'000 Estonians fled to Sweden and the West, after it 36,000 were deported to Siberia by Stalin, events which still cause deep resentment today.

As a result of attempts to initiate Heavy industrial Zones in the North East of the country , Russian Workers were imported in and around the North Eastern towns of Köhtli-Jarve and Narva, with the result that today the population is about 70% Estonian with 28% being 'Russian' (A term which incorporates other Non-Russian minorites such as Ukrainians and Belarussians).

When to go
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I actually visited the country outside the normal tourist season - for reasons which I shall reveal later. Estonia has reasonably temperate climate from late Spring to Early sutumn and for this reason visitors ten to choose to arrive between April and September with tourists virtually packing Tallinn and many other towns out in June to August. Local English tourist guides advise against travel in November to February as fairly constant snow and cold weather make the country 'less attractive'.

Having been at the beginning of February, I will not deny that the temperature requires the compulsory wearing of a leather coat or such to keep the body warm ,at least initially, otherwise going out does become hazardous. I did balk when the pilot revealed the temperature upon my arrival was currently minus 9 degrees celsius. Throughout my trip, during the day temperatures fluctuated between freezing and seven degrees celsius, so not really viable for those looking for sun-drenched winter pastures. What I would say is that all the attractions of Tallinn are open in February and likely to be a good deal less busy than the peak summer months. Never once during my stay did I need to wait for a table, have trouble getting access to a table in a bar or need to queue to get into a Church or museum! This may sound a trite point but its one I think worth making - I also thought a sprinkling of snow added further charm to Tallinn's many attractions!

All travel specialists advise booking up significantly in advance for Tallinn in the summer as a lack of land for development has meant severe pressure on hotel accommodation, so 'on spec' tours would be advised against, although in low season you should be able to find accommodation fairly easy. I stayed at the 3 star Domina Ilmarine , near the port area and very close to Old Town but Tallinn has at least 70 hotels catering to all tastes and budgets. Within the capital, you's be hard pressed to find anything other than suburban guest houses and hostels that charged less than 600 Kroon )just under 30 pounds) However like almost everything else an alternative town as base would probably reduce your accommmodation cost considerably. Be aware, though that some other towns have fewer English speakers than Tallinn, which is pretty much Bilingual, at least within the Old Town.

What to do -sightseeing
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Although I had planned to visit three towns whilst concentrating my stay in Tallinn, the excursion to Tartu , the countries second city must await my return as bad weather pu the dampener on my plans although my other destination, Narva was worth the trip.

Tallinn
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80% of tourists to Estonia stay in the capital Tallinn a city of nearly 400,000 and the destination of all the other 4 correspondents in this category on Ciao. The attractions are immediately obvious. Tallinn is the most vibrant town in Estonia by all acounts (whilst I would need to corroborate this, most websites on Estonia take this as a given) The city's centre is split into the picturesque 'Old Town' and the ever-changing New Town which is home to most of the city's nightclubs and a host of modern shops , bars and restaurants. The whole city has embraced the West and tourism with great enthusiasm.

An added advantage for English tourists is that the population of Tallinn has also taken to learning English with considerable success. Although you might expect this to be limited to the younger generation, I was surprised at the ease of communication with people much older. When approaching a sub postoffice near the Parliament building the middle aged woman spoke fluent English which is just as well, given that a week there left my mastery of Estonian limited to about ten words. In all restaurants and bars almost all the staff spoke very good English. So high was the standard that, given the virtual takeover of some English towns by an ever-proliferating, non-contributory, feral and incomprehensible 'chav' underclass, Estonia could very well shortly join Holland and Sweden as having a higher proportion of the population who speak comprehensible, as opposed to 'chav' English than the mother country itself!

Tallinn Old Town is worth several days in itself. Nearly 9 centuries old, the Town's walled surroundings and ancient buildings really define the country's international image. Particularly striking are the Church of St.Olaves near the North Gate, and (I hope the Estonians forgive me for this) the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the suburb of Toompeia, which is in fact a Tsarist construct designed to be used by the Russian population in Tallinn - Almost a Russian enclave within the capital, as all services are in Russian and no Estonian is spoken or displayed! There are numerous museums and Art galleries all very reasonably priced, although given constraints imposed on cultural spending by the Estonian govenrment not all of these have material in English!

In terms of eating and drinking, Estonia has a wide variety of restaurants catering to almost any tastes. An exception to this would be vegetarians, as they still seem to be struggling with the idea that some people are non -carnivorous. Vegetarians seeking a weekend break to Tallinn had best seek out one of the Indian or Chinese Restaurants as these may offer some choice lacking in other cuisines. As well as Indian, Chinese, Thai , Italian, American and Estonain fare, more exotic culinary choices included Georgian (Must Lammas near the Viru gate - highly recommended), Lithuanian!, Argentine Hungarian and Serb (The Admiral near the Ferry Terminal -actually a converted boat, opulent and one of the best meals I've tasted in any country) In short, whatever your palate ,Tallinn has something you'll like!

As for drinking, Estonia's pro-Western outlook means that ex -Soviet Wine producers Gerogia and Moldova's products are rarely seen outside supermarkets. Thus all wine is subject to import tariffs and this does raise the cost of a meal to about 350 kroon (About 17 pound) per head on average. One consequence ,assuming the French, Italians and Spanish allow it, of Estonian accession to the EC should be a removal of tariffs and reduction in the price of wine!
Drinking beer should reduce this by about 40 kroon. Of the local beers the market is dominated by two brews ' A Le Coq' and 'Sagu' all of which come with a number of variant strengths,styles and all of which are eminently drinkable. Expect to pay between 15 and 25 Kroon (75 pence to 1 pound ten) for a half litre of beer in Tallinn.

Elsewhere in Estonia
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Having spent most of my time in Tallinn, I was able to mount one excursion to the town of Narva, Estonia's poorest area in terms of finance, but one well worth a visit, or if you are staying in more than one place, a stay. Narva is, unlike Tallinn, dominated by the Russian minority as the North East was where most of the Russian workers were centred. The town of Ivanograd, two miles East of The border within Russia was also Estonian between the wars but the Yeltsin government would not cede it and the dire state of the economy in the Russian federation means that the Narvans are probably partly grateful that they could be a lot worse off. Narva has something of a run-down air although a visit to Narva Castle, whic dominates the town was well worth it. The excellent 'King' Restaurant where the trinlingual staff (Russian,Estonian and English) provided a service which would shame many Tallinn restaurants and a very pleasant Estonian/Russian menu was also worth it ,especially as the meal there was well under 200 Kroon (Ten pounds) The bus ride to Narva was 25 Kroon (Just over a pound) and took an hour and a half each way.

Other attractions are the medieval city of Tartu, described by the Liberal democrat MP Lembet Öpik as a 'Baltic Oxford' and the Island of Saremaa in the West. Estonia also has several National parks and Conservation zones where species such as the Brown Bear and Lynx are protected!

Getting there and Currency info
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The Estonian currency is the Kroon (Pronounced to rhyme with 'Bone')It currently trades at an exchange rate of 21.5 to the pound. I would advise getting a small amount of currency (probably 1200 kroon) from your bank before you go and then changing the rest as needed over here. Estonia remains cheap but
do not forget that the closest economic partners are Sweden and Finland ,both of whom have price levels even higher than Blair's Britain , so I would guess that its relative cheapness may be short -lived.

There are no Visa requirements for British or US nationals or from elsewhere in the EU. In May Estonia becomes an EU member, making its independent status virtually secure and marking a new step forward for the country.

Estonian Air operates regular services out of London Gatwick. People wishing to drive can do so through the Latvian border but will need valid international insurance and the car's registration documents.

Further information on Tallinn can be obtained by purchasing the 'In Your Pocket' guide from any newsagent kiosk in the town centre .It offers handy guides to accommodation and restaurants. For the first part of the week, I carried around the Bradt Guide to Estonia by Neil Taylor, which is almost indispensable if you are travelling beyond Tallinn.

Worth a visit?
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This question is what is termed a 'No-brainer'. If you want a destination that offers breathtaking scenery, polite, well-behaved and proud hosts, combined with excellent,varied cuisine, speed-cameraless roads, and a Capital that is worth a visit in its own right, Estonia would repay a visit in spades. Amidst tabloid hysteria over 'Eastern European spongers' coming to 'milk our welfare system', let it not be said that the Estonians would be anything other than a very welcome addition to the EU, and long may they continue to offer the welcome and hospitality I received! My thanks to those of you who have endured this far and I Hope the review wasn't too painful. Its good to be back!
 

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