Postcards from the Past: Estonia

March 06, 2023

Baltic Gem

When and Where: 07/2002 – Tallinn

08/2008 – Tallinn

29^th Country Visited; 20^th European Country Visited

Interesting Facts:

- Estonia is the most prosperous of the former Soviet republics.

- Estonia has one of the highest rates of literacy in all of Europe.

- There is a sport in Estonia known as wife carrying.

Back in 2002 during my adoption journey, a Philadelphia-based adoption agency suggested I check out Estonia as an adoption option. So I decided to travel to Estonia. Given that there are no direct flights between the US and Estonia, I looked at options to get to Tallinn, Estonia’s capital. The best route seemed to be flying to Finland and taking a passenger ferry for just over 2 hours across the Gulf of Finland. Once in Helsinki, I took high speed ferry ride to Tallinn. I had no idea what to expect. There was a chill in the air and a sense of excitement and adventure in my mind. At the dock in Tallinn sat the US Hospital ship The Mercy. From the port, I took a cab to my hotel and waited to meet up with an agency representative to talk about adoption. The representative showed me files of children available for adoption. I asked a lot of questions, and the answers were limited. At the end of the meeting, I decided adoption from Estonia wasn’t a good fit.

I headed back to my hotel just off Town Hall Square, the center square in the Old Town Tallinn. Old Town is a medieval gem surrounded by fortresses walls and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Town Hall Square, I stopped by an outdoor café for a beer and a sandwich. I could smell fresh baked goods in the air and musicians playing from afar. The square was surrounded by beautifully preserved buildings in the Baroque and Gothic architecture styles. Tallinn reminded me of a fairy tale setting. Old Town resembled the village in the movie “Shrek”. In Old Town, there are several castles and stunning churches of different faiths. Two magnificent churches stood out. The Protestant St. Olaf’s Church which dates back to the 12^th Century sits in Old Town. The Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral sits on Toompea, a hill overlooking the city. The black and gold onion domes can be seen from most everywhere in the city. Toompea also offers beautiful views of the glistening Gulf of Finland. During my second day, I also toured around, and ate and drank my way around the city. I caught the ferry back to Helsinki in the evening. Tallinn is easy to get around. And most Estonians speak English and were welcoming, especially to Americans.

Fast forward to 2008, I traveled to Helsinki with Aaron, my brother, and my brother’s family on a Baltic cruise. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperative. It rained off and on the entire day. We opted for a tour of Old Town. We walked around and explored as the tour guide gave us a history lesson. She also had some harsh words to say for Russia and for the Russians living in Estonia. To put things in context, Estonian’s strongly dislike Russians. Estonia declared their independence from the former Soviet Union in August 1991. Although there are Russians in every formerly occupied Soviet Republic, the Estonian government has gone to great lengths to distance themselves from their Soviet past. Once independent from the Soviet Union, the official language became Estonian. Along with their Baltic neighbors of Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia joined the European Union in March of 2004 and became members of NATO in May of 2004. We ended our tour in Town Hall Square. While Aaron stayed with my brother and his family, I hiked to the top of Toompea, the hill overlooking the city. I also stopped by the stunning Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. As I made my back down the hill, I stopped for some souvenirs. Shortly thereafter, we made our way back to the port and reboarded the ship.

To say Tallinn is one of my favorite small cities in Europe would be an understatement. I want to return again someday. Note that my pictures don’t do the city justice. If you search Google images for pics of Tallinn, you will get a better perspective as to why the city is so grand.