First Impressions of Estonia
When I walked into the main platz in Kimberley 39 years ago, I thought I was in another world. People were dressed in lederhosen and drindl skirts, and oompah pah music was in the air. I later found out it was the annual Julyfest, and at other times of the year, people were “normal”.
If I hadn't had that experience, my first taste of the town square in Old Tallinn would have been equally bizarre. The annual medieval festival is underway, complete with archery, blacksmiths and fair maidens and kind sirs.
To be fair, there were more people dressed in tourist garb, but the impression was still there.
I took the bus in from my airport hotel, and sat beside an older Estonian woman who could easily have been a member of Vancouver’s Estonian community. Her hair was curled, her white suit cleaned and pressed. Even her glasses looked familiar. It's probably because she looked Estonian.
The young man who checked me in last night looked remarkably like my brother Jim at 20. I've seen many many people who look familiar. They're not, of course, they just have the look.
I'm strangely excited to be here. The last place I remember this sensation was Paris.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is about the same size as Victoria. The buildings in the city centre are a little taller and more dense. The Old Town is protected, with buildings restored rather than replaced. Some restorations are 300 years old. There's an empty block with a sign saying it was the site of a Soviet bombing in 1944. More prisoners of war were killed than locals. I assumed they were Russian, though they could easily have been German or from any of the Baltic States.
As I said, the town square was hopping. Along with the medieval stages and music, there was a Sunday craft market. Plenty of knitting, linen weavings and amber jewelry. Several vendors dressed in traditional costume.
I'll explore more when I return after craft camp.
Whenever I go somewhere new, I take note of the cars and vehicles. The traffic looked a lot like home, with European brands replacing the Ford, GM and Chrysler products that we see. Honda, Toyota and Mazda dominate, with a sprinkling of Kia and Subaru. SUVs are just as popular, and in the city I've seen a handful of pick up trucks.
The vehicles tend to be newer, possibly because of the long cold winters. I'm at 58 degrees north after all.
The transit system seems efficient. There are busses and trams, with a good network of intercity busses. Local fares are cheap -- it was two Euro to get into town from the airport, and if you're a frequent rider, passes are cheap and easy to find. I've seen many people walking, so on my way back to my airport hotel, I didn't stick out like a sore thumb. There are bike paths, and pedestrian crossing lights tend to also have a bike symbol.
Last night the sun set after 10 pm, and it rose before five this morning. I was genuinely surprised that my room did not have black out curtains.
One last observation before I go to craft camp. I went to a grocery store in a downtown mall. The liquor department took up 35% of the space. It could be because it was in the urban core, or it could have something to do with the Estonian reputation regarding alcohol consumption.
If I hadn't had that experience, my first taste of the town square in Old Tallinn would have been equally bizarre. The annual medieval festival is underway, complete with archery, blacksmiths and fair maidens and kind sirs.
To be fair, there were more people dressed in tourist garb, but the impression was still there.
I took the bus in from my airport hotel, and sat beside an older Estonian woman who could easily have been a member of Vancouver’s Estonian community. Her hair was curled, her white suit cleaned and pressed. Even her glasses looked familiar. It's probably because she looked Estonian.
The young man who checked me in last night looked remarkably like my brother Jim at 20. I've seen many many people who look familiar. They're not, of course, they just have the look.
I'm strangely excited to be here. The last place I remember this sensation was Paris.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is about the same size as Victoria. The buildings in the city centre are a little taller and more dense. The Old Town is protected, with buildings restored rather than replaced. Some restorations are 300 years old. There's an empty block with a sign saying it was the site of a Soviet bombing in 1944. More prisoners of war were killed than locals. I assumed they were Russian, though they could easily have been German or from any of the Baltic States.
As I said, the town square was hopping. Along with the medieval stages and music, there was a Sunday craft market. Plenty of knitting, linen weavings and amber jewelry. Several vendors dressed in traditional costume.
I'll explore more when I return after craft camp.
Whenever I go somewhere new, I take note of the cars and vehicles. The traffic looked a lot like home, with European brands replacing the Ford, GM and Chrysler products that we see. Honda, Toyota and Mazda dominate, with a sprinkling of Kia and Subaru. SUVs are just as popular, and in the city I've seen a handful of pick up trucks.
The vehicles tend to be newer, possibly because of the long cold winters. I'm at 58 degrees north after all.
The transit system seems efficient. There are busses and trams, with a good network of intercity busses. Local fares are cheap -- it was two Euro to get into town from the airport, and if you're a frequent rider, passes are cheap and easy to find. I've seen many people walking, so on my way back to my airport hotel, I didn't stick out like a sore thumb. There are bike paths, and pedestrian crossing lights tend to also have a bike symbol.
Last night the sun set after 10 pm, and it rose before five this morning. I was genuinely surprised that my room did not have black out curtains.
One last observation before I go to craft camp. I went to a grocery store in a downtown mall. The liquor department took up 35% of the space. It could be because it was in the urban core, or it could have something to do with the Estonian reputation regarding alcohol consumption.
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