Arriving in Tallin, Estonia, by fast ferry, the landing was somewhat remote from the main docks forcing us to either hail a taxi or drag our suitcases through the rough cobblestone streets of the old town. Central Tallin is a true medieval walled city. Rounding every corner presents a new photo opportunity, not as impressive as Dubrovnik, but very nice. And prices are more reasonable than Scandinavia (but higher than outside the city due to the tourist effect). Many high-quality handmade items were for sale in the open-air booths. The Russian influence is seen in many parts of the city. Our hotel was very near to Freedom Square and the Occupation Museum.
Every major Baltic city has a museum devoted to the atrocities and oppression suffered under Soviet Russian rule. Here history and the present day blend together; gaining freedom less than 25 years ago makes for fresh memories. After the end of WWII, Russians killed many thousands of Baltic residents and shipped hundreds of thousands of others to Siberian camps. These people were replaced by Russian-speaking peoples from the Soviet Union in an intentional effort to destroy the unity of these small countries and their ethnic pride. All education was taught in Russian. Today many Russian-speaking immigrants remain. They are not accepted as citizens unless they pass a test on the Estonian language and government; an option many have chosen not to take. In some schools (mainly in eastern portions of these countries) education is still taught in Russian.
Vladimir Putin and his government threaten to invade these countries to "protect the oppressed Russian minorities" much as Russia has taken over part of Ukraine. Estonia has done all it can to align itself with the West, joining NATO and the EU; they even considered making English the official language. In our trip through the Baltic countries we met US soldiers on two occasions; they were there on NATO exercises, demonstrating to Russia our commitment to this area. NATO is now planning to station 4000 troops in this area.
Estonia is more than 50% forested with many lakes and streams; also one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. We rented a car with GPS for the next two weeks and headed east. We had hoped to hike in a national forest along the north coast, but rains spoiled that plan; instead we visited a forest products museum. We stayed at a B&B near Narva, one of the few where the owners spoke English.
Narva exceeded our expectations. Narva castle has been restored to a great extent and overlooks the remains of the Russian Ivanogrod fortress east across the river forming the border here, the site of major battles for centuries. On both sides of the river can be seen the featureless, huge concrete apartment buildings which are the mark of communist life. Socialism writ large is incredibly mind-numbing and insensitive to the common people it claims to represent.
We headed south, passing Lake Peipus which forms the border and is so large that the far shore is not visible, until we arrived at the city of Tartu. Tartu University is most prestigious college in Estonia and is surrounded by many parks, museums, gardens, art galleries, etc. as well as a huge pedestrian district and the distinctive energy of a college town. Reminded me of Boulder, Colorado, but better. It has a real river running past the campus and the remains of a huge cathedral on campus (completed 500 years ago). The local beer was excellent; I had a half liter every night with dinner.
One day we drove to Viljandi, an interesting town 40 miles away. It has a laid-back feel due to the artistic types it attracts. Dawn loved the decor of the restaurant where we ate lunch. Neat residential architecture, cute shops, a park, beautiful church, remains of an ancient castle and all overlooking a lake surrounded by forest. Over 400 years ago Swedish and Polish armies met here for a decisive battle for control of the region.
Rains returned on the day we drove from Tartu to Riga, Latvia, so we drove straight through with no stops. Pretty much a wasted day except that our hotel in Riga was excellent. I had included reserved parking and pre-paid dinners in our reservation; we were well-taken care of. The old town district of Riga was directly behind our hotel. We had a guide for a walk through the district then toured it more on our own. Beautifully reconstructed from the damage of WWII. The central park included a lagoon with slender touring boats.
One day was spent at the town of Sigulda and the nearby national park. What a beautiful town! It looked like the set for a Disney movie. Wide streets with wide bike paths and walking paths, well-groomed parks in every neighborhood, beautiful homes with flowers and vegetable gardens, surrounding forests and ruins of a castle, families out walking or biking together, overlooking a beautiful river valley where the trout and salmon spawn. A cable car spanning the valley and a bobsled run to the bottom of the valley; canoeing on the river, another castle ruins on the opposite side of the valley. I could happily live here. Very little obesity in the Baltic countries, probably due to all the walking and outdoor activities.
From Riga we drove to Klaipeda, Lithuania. Along the way we stopped at Rundale Palace in Latvia. It very much resembles Versailles near Paris. A bit of history: German Crusaders came to the Baltic region hundreds of years ago to convert the natives to Christianity by force and also to set themselves up as overlords with the local people as their serfs. They built magnificent manor homes on huge estates which are sprinkled throughout the Baltic region. Obviously, pomposity was the rage back then; everything is larger, more ornate and grander than anyone would ever need. Another stop we made was at a farmer's field to admire the pretty wild poppies.
We headed south, passing Lake Peipus which forms the border and is so large that the far shore is not visible, until we arrived at the city of Tartu. Tartu University is most prestigious college in Estonia and is surrounded by many parks, museums, gardens, art galleries, etc. as well as a huge pedestrian district and the distinctive energy of a college town. Reminded me of Boulder, Colorado, but better. It has a real river running past the campus and the remains of a huge cathedral on campus (completed 500 years ago). The local beer was excellent; I had a half liter every night with dinner.
One day we drove to Viljandi, an interesting town 40 miles away. It has a laid-back feel due to the artistic types it attracts. Dawn loved the decor of the restaurant where we ate lunch. Neat residential architecture, cute shops, a park, beautiful church, remains of an ancient castle and all overlooking a lake surrounded by forest. Over 400 years ago Swedish and Polish armies met here for a decisive battle for control of the region.
Rains returned on the day we drove from Tartu to Riga, Latvia, so we drove straight through with no stops. Pretty much a wasted day except that our hotel in Riga was excellent. I had included reserved parking and pre-paid dinners in our reservation; we were well-taken care of. The old town district of Riga was directly behind our hotel. We had a guide for a walk through the district then toured it more on our own. Beautifully reconstructed from the damage of WWII. The central park included a lagoon with slender touring boats.
One day was spent at the town of Sigulda and the nearby national park. What a beautiful town! It looked like the set for a Disney movie. Wide streets with wide bike paths and walking paths, well-groomed parks in every neighborhood, beautiful homes with flowers and vegetable gardens, surrounding forests and ruins of a castle, families out walking or biking together, overlooking a beautiful river valley where the trout and salmon spawn. A cable car spanning the valley and a bobsled run to the bottom of the valley; canoeing on the river, another castle ruins on the opposite side of the valley. I could happily live here. Very little obesity in the Baltic countries, probably due to all the walking and outdoor activities.
From Riga we drove to Klaipeda, Lithuania. Along the way we stopped at Rundale Palace in Latvia. It very much resembles Versailles near Paris. A bit of history: German Crusaders came to the Baltic region hundreds of years ago to convert the natives to Christianity by force and also to set themselves up as overlords with the local people as their serfs. They built magnificent manor homes on huge estates which are sprinkled throughout the Baltic region. Obviously, pomposity was the rage back then; everything is larger, more ornate and grander than anyone would ever need. Another stop we made was at a farmer's field to admire the pretty wild poppies.
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