Estonia, Tallinn

Hank Shiffman Wyświetlono: 423 razy 2003-11-29 14:00:41

Ocena:0.00 (0 głosów)

Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic Republics that were annexed by the Soviet Union and then gained their freedom with its collapse.
For the geographically challenged, a bit of explanation. Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic Republics that were annexed by the Soviet Union and then gained their freedom with its collapse. Tallinn is due south of Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland. Its proximity and its prices (particularly for alcohol) make it a popular destination for Finns and Nordic people who like to have a good time. (A very good time.)

My visit to Estonia was brief, arriving one morning by sea from Stockholm and leaving the next morning for my encounter with Russia. Our transport was an Estonian ferry called the Baltic Kristina, a small and not terribly glamorous ship. (You haven't lived until you've tried to sleep aboard such a vessel. And my experience with the shower in my cabin deserves its own page.) But the ferry did have its compensations, including good and inexpensive food and drink, magnificent views of the archipelago as we left Stockholm and some wonderful entertainment. These folks were a pleasure to watch and sometimes to hear. But the highlight was a singer in the other lounge. His renditions of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash were remarkable. And his performance of Bad Moon Rising brought forth emotions never imagined by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Imagine Bad Moon as done by Dylan and you'll have some idea. By the time he was done I was ready to kill myself. (And the shower in my cabin was happy to oblige...)

Estonia has a tense relationship with its Russian neighbors. The country has spent most of its history as a colony of one conquering nation or another. But most of them left the Estonians and their culture alone. The Soviets had other ideas; in their determinination to create a new Soviet state they did their best to destroy every aspect of their subject people's lives. They moved huge populations from one country to another in an attempt to break the common bonds of language and heritage. The Estonians are left with the result: a large minority of ethnic Russians who have lived in Estonia all their lives and neither know nor care to learn the language. Theirs is the imposing Russian Orthodox church on the right. It's ironic that the church faces the pink palace of the Estonian Parliament, a reminder (as if they needed one) of their neighbors to the east and the unreconciled minority within their borders. And the Canadians think they have problems?

The Parliament building and the Russian church stand near the entrance to Tallinn's old city. The old city is so picturesque you almost can't stand it. It's on two levels, with long stairways leading down to the narrow lanes of the old walled city. Nowadays the old walls are home to sweater merchants, selling knockoff versions of Norwegian designs at much better prices.

Strona: 1, 2

Oceń relację