The Baltic - Part Four, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia is culturally so different from Latvia and Lithuania to the south that they don't like being referred to as part of the "Baltics". They prefer Nordic instead, feeling kinship with their neighbors to the north.  Tallinn, the capital, is a major draw for Finns from Helsinki.  It's only about a 2 hour crossing and the booze is much cheaper here than their hometown.  There are party ferries on weekends that do the round trip in a day.  While relations are good, there is some Tallinn fatigue with the partiers.  

Our initial draw was the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of Tallinn, the capital.  It is one of the best preserved medieval centers in Europe.  Since the thirteenth century it has been ruled by Denmark, Sweden, the Teutonic Knights, Russia and the Soviet Union.  The medieval indigenous population of Tallinn (then called Reval) and northern Estonia was the last European pagan civilization to convert to Christianity in the fourteenth century, following the Livonia Crusades.  Many still adhere to the traditional "nature oriented" mystical beliefs instead of the new one.  

Model of historic Medieval City Center, pretty much intact today.

The grey building on the right were the KGB offices during the occupation and is now a museum.  

Exhibits in basement cells explain how and who they tortured in the population.

Much of the historic city wall is still intact.

View over the historic core, from church on hill

(in model to the far right)

Our young city guide frequently referred to citizens as "Estonia speaking Estonians" or "Russian speaking Estonians".  The later make up 24% of the population, most living in the east near the border.  While the younger generation is accepting the Russian speakers, the older generation has not.  Many of their relatives were sent to Siberia for a minor infraction, or no reason at all other than a cruel whim.  Our guide's father, who speaks fluent Russian, refuses to speak the language to any Russian taxi driver.  Yet, she claimed most Russian speakers do not support the invasion of Ukraine. 

Russian Orthodox church was to be torn down after independence,

but lack of funds prohibited it.  With a sizable Russian population it has now been restored.

 

There is no loved lost for their former occupier.  

The main square at night where a group of Swedish "footballers" were making a rowdy evening.

The country is now often referred to as E-stonia, due to its embrace of high tech.  It is recognized as the "most digital society in the world";  Skype was invented here, there are more start ups per capita than Silicon Valley, it has one the world's best internet coverage, every citizen gets a digital ID card which can be used for signatures, and cash is very limited as everything can be purchased with a tap, on and on.   Due to its growth in high tech, the area along the port near the medieval city is rapidly being developed.  Due to its proximity to the historic district, the old town is not just a tourist attraction, but used by the businesses and employees as a destination.  

Lots of new construction along the waterfront near the ferry terminal.

Delightful pedestrian areas and an emerging restaurant scene out of the Medieval core.  

Former prison along the water awaiting repurpose (we hope) or demolition. 

Walking outside the core and tech development is a substantial collection of wonderful old 

wooden residential buildings from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. 

We rented a car in Tallinn to drive through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  Our drive took us east along the north coast of Estonia on the Gulf of Finland toward Narva on the Russian Border. 

Our driving route took mostly the red Main Roads between our major stops.

(Tallinn, Narva, Tartu, Riga, along the coast to Ventspils, Liepaja, Klaipeda, and the Curonian Spit, and finally Vilnius)

We stopped at Lahemaa National Park on our way to Narva.  This entire coastline on the Gulf of Finland from Tallinn to St. Petersburg is lowland and very swampy.  

Lahemaa N.P. hike through the woods to the bog.

Lehemaa N.P. and the bogs.

After our hike, we stayed in Kasmu, a small town along the coast which is primarily a second home or vacation area during the summer.  We clearly missed the season.  Though we had a delightful lunch, we later found all restaurants were closed for dinner.  We texted our host about where to eat and she offered to make us a salmon for dinner.  After "checking in" to her lovely cabin she gathered firewood for our sauna. Robin then volunteered that I would make the salmon dinner, which the host readily accepted (as did I).  We had a delightful evening with her; finishing off a bottle of Champagne (or two) with salmon roasted under onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs, while she sautéed local chanterelle mushrooms recently foraged. 

Our cabin on the Gulf of Finland

Our host gathers firewood for our in suite sauna.

Our host cooks chanterelles 

while Bill's salmon rests under aluminum foil.

Gulf of Finland from our host's property.

After leaving Kasmu we drove to Narva on the Russian border before heading south.  Narva is only 95 miles from St. Petersburg, and the population is predominantly Russian.  Robin has never been to Russia and we've had a long-time goal of taking the Siberian Express for a 10 day train journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific (I want a Dr. Zhivago winter trip - Robin not so much, though I got her Laura's fur hat).  Under current circumstances it looks unlikely in the next decade, so we wanted a Russian experience.   It was once a beautiful neoclassical city but after the Soviet bombing of WWII, and their rebuilding, there's not much here to explore except historic forts.  But it was only a couple hour detour on the way to our next stop Tartu.

The sixteenth century Danish fort in Estonia facing the Russian Fort across the border of the Narva River.  

Since the Soviet's dismantling, inflammatory banners hung by soldiers taunted each other across the river.

Tartu is the oldest city in the "Baltics" and considered the intellectual center of the region.  It has the oldest university and is the second largest city in Estonia.  Thus, it has all the youthful character of any university town. Tartu was awarded the accolade of European Capital of Culture for 2024, and the city was in the process of much refurbishment.  

Town Hall Square being refurbished for 2024.  

The Town Hall at end is wrapped in a screed image of the building.

On screed is an image of the famous (?) statue of kissing students removed due to refurbishment.

Tartu University's main building on left with campus behind it up the hill.  

Street row of student eateries. 

University towns are similar around the world.

Local Market Building.

Chanterelles in the market.  

They are so common we see elderly couples pulling off the road to collect them in the woods.  

Life size sculpture of the artist and not so life size of his toddler (with real life Robin).  

Next Post:  The Baltic - Part Five, Latvia 

The Baltic - Part Three, Finland

Finland

How can you tell the difference between a Finnish introvert vs extrovert.  When talking with you the introvert will stare at his shoes... the extrovert stares at yours.  

A stereotype, but not our experience.  While the Finns seem naturally reserved, once you've engaged them they are extremely friendly and warm.  Part of this friendliness, vs their southern neighbors, we believe is their different experience post WWII when their southern neighbors were occupied by the Soviet Union for over forty years. In 1939 Finland heroically fought off Soviet invaders in what is called the Winter War.  Despite a much larger Soviet Army, Finland was defending their homeland and much more prepared for a winter war with temperatures as low as - 45 deg F.  In a reversal of Napoleon and Hitler's invasions into Russia, the Soviet Union was ill prepared for the brutal winter and suffered severe losses.  Despite not being successful in their invasion they still succeeded in concessions of land and reparations from Finland to cease hostilities.  However, Finland never had KGB offices in their cities torturing the citizens and forcing neighbor to inform on neighbor, brother on brother.  

Finns fighting for their homeland in winter camouflage 

During Sweden's occupation they generally had a positive relationship with the locals.  Many Swedes emigrated to Finland, and today Swedish is an official second language with most street signs are in both languages. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine both countries simultaneously broke from their historic neutrality and applied to NATO for protection.  As has been frequently cited, Finland shares an 800 mile border with Russia, the longest in Europe.  

The first stop on our journey was Helsinki. Finland is rather new on the global stage of sovereign nations obtaining their independence only at the end of WWI.  The capital city does not have the grandeur and wide boulevards of Empire cities like Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen, or Vienna, nor a historic medieval core as many other cities we've visited in Europe.  The scale of Helsinki is manageable, and not overwhelming.  Being located on several islands there are delightful walks in town and along the coast. We stayed at a large hotel next to the train station, which is not our typical choice, but it was easy access by walking or tram to the major sites and Market Square on the harbor.   

View down the shopping street toward the soaring 

Train Station clock tower and our hotel in distance.

The city was founded by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden in 1550.  (We'll meet him again in Stockholm).  Helsinki was Sweden's trading and commercial hub in the eastern Baltic while the provincial capital was Turku to the west. Its rise came after it was made the capital of Russian's Grand Duchy in 1812 after the Napoleonic wars.  The city developed several grand buildings along the waterfront in the Neo Classical style of the nineteen century.  

Market Square under the orange umbrellas by the 

harbor in front of the Presidential Palace.

Lutheran Cathedral and Ferris Wheel along the harbor.

Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral remnant of Russia's long presence.

Finland also boasts several internationally known architects. Their style ranges from a Romantic Art Nouveau style of the early 1900s to the mid-century organic style of Frank Lloyd Wright.  

Central Train Station by Eliel Saarinen before emigrating to the US.  

Twin heroic male sculptures flank the entry in Finish Art Nouveau. 

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis by his son Eero Saarinen 

who also did the Dulles International airport near Washington, D.C. among others.

A famous, if somewhat bizarre, underground church called 

Temppeliaukio "Rock" church as it is blasted into the outcropping.

School interior by renown architect Alvar Alto using organic forms and innovative materials.  

One of the major historic and contemporary sites in Helsinki is Suomenlinna (Sveaborg in Swedish). These eight fortified islands from the mid-eighteenth century formed the second largest defensive construction in Europe after Gibraltar.  It was constructed by Sweden in response to Peter the Great building St. Petersburg and naval base nearby on the Baltic.  It had a dry dock for ship building and repair, 200 buildings, 6000 workers, and six km of fortified walls bristling with armament facing the sea to repel any invasion.  Unfortunately, it quickly fell to the Russians when they blockaded the delivery of supplies and bombarded it from the land side in winter. Today it is a historic park with lovely green spaces for tourists and locals.  In the summer there are picnics and walks, and in the winter cross-country skiing.  

Suomenlinna Fort from the air

The end of our first day we dinned at restaurant Savotta, across from Senate square, serving traditional Finnish cuisine.  We had an appetizer plate of arctic char, reindeer, bear, with beets and potatoes.  The setting was classic Scandinavian with hand painted blue nature graphics on the walls, and waitresses in traditional garb.  However, this was not a tourist attraction, but caters to locals who still live and appreciate the tradition.  Hardly a word of english was spoken, except by us.  Delightful.  

Senate Square outside Savotta with the Lutheran Cathedral out of frame to right.

On our second day we took a boat tour through the nearby islands.  While we did not get inland to see their famous lakes and forests, from Helsinki the attraction is the sea.  There are many marinas from which to explore uninhabited islands. 

Waterway between two islands.

A scrum of kids sailing.

The older generation splashes about despite the chill of September.

While probably not used as much any more some still 

wash, beat and dry their rugs on piers along the water.  

Some portions of the inland waterway reminded us of Lake Washington

with lovely homes along the shoreline.  

They are in the process of building a new bridge to connect these islands to the mainland.  Its design is elegant and intended to be environmentally sensitive and minimize the impact on the view with its narrow profile and thin cable supports incorporating separated lanes for traffic, bikes, trams and pedestrians.  We suspect it will become as identified with Helsinki as the Tower Bridge is to London, the Brooklyn Bridge is to NYC or the Sydney Bridge is to Sydney. 

Kruunuvuori Bridge underconstruction.  The central tower is just emerging with rebar between 

the roadway supports, which will be removed once finished to maintain the open view.  

Illustration of final bridge

Another site only a tram ride from the Market Square is Seurasaari Open-Air folk museum.  Located on an island about an hour tram ride away the site includes ~100 relocated historic timber buildings in a natural setting displaying the way people lived in Finland not that long ago, and still do in the country.

Seurasaari island is in upper left corner while fortified Suomenlinna Fortress is in the lower right.

Historic old cabin on Seurasaari

When the Finns have free time or a holiday they most likely will go to a family or friend's cabin on a lake in the woods.  The only heat is a wood fired stove, and every cabin must have a sauna.  But the sauna is not just for vacation or retreats, it's part of the Finnish culture, used multiple times a week.  Most apartments and homes have their own sauna, companies and institutions have saunas for their employees, and there are public saunas for those that don't have access.  There are over five million people in Finland, and they have over 3 million saunas, or 1.5 people per sauna, more than any other nation.  (The only Finnish word in the english language is sauna.)  

My favorite memory in Finland was being introduced to a good friend's son, Markos, who is getting his master's degree in Helsinki in environmental sciences.  (She is the Honorary Vice Consul of Finland to Washington State).  He took a break from his studies to take me to a traditional co-ed community sauna outside the city on the banks of the Baltic.  No tourist attraction was this.  There were three  rustic wood fired saunas of different sizes and temperature holding between six and twelve people of all ages, shapes and sizes.  They were decades old donated from some family retreat on a northern lake.  The community supports them with donations and repairs, including maintaining a supply of firewood.  Markos and I undressed, stashed our clothes in a locker, and waited outside in the raw... weather too... with others.  Because people are inside for a short time due to the heat, the wait is never more than ten minutes.  

"Pop-up" sauna on the Baltic.

While the Finns seem naturally reserved, they are not reserved being natural in the sauna.  After a few minutes the uniqueness (or interest) of the exposure evaporates in the heat and becomes irrelevant.  I think the puritan west could benefit from the normality of it rather than the exploitation.  After being nicely braised, we dove into the Baltic.  After my initial gasp, I was surprised it wasn't salty.  Marko explained that with only a narrow connection to the North Sea, the Baltic is highly diluted by all the fresh water flowing into it from the surrounding nine countries.  That's also why it freezes so quickly in winter.  Then, a family will use a chainsaw to cut a hole in the ice before diving in.  It's a thing.

The next morning we took the tram to the Viking Line pier just down from Market Square for our crossing the Baltic to Estonia.  

Major ferry transit hub for destinations to 

St. Petersburg, Stockholm, and Tallinn, our next destination

Next Post:  The Baltic - Part Four, Estonia