Jun 2011
When I was a teenager, the Soviet Union was a big deal. Reagan labelled it as an evil empire. Countless James Bond movies were about young Bond fighting against one evil scheme or another of the Soviets. Pakistan found a good business model in positioning itself as a frontline state against the Soviet Union.
In 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed. Several of its vassal states suddenly became free. Can you imagine a few million people joining hands and forming a line, border to border, and singing their way to independence? People of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia did! The newspapers proclaimed this as “Singing revolution” in those days.
Of these, Estonia had a chequered history that can be briefly summarised in four sentences: First the Danes occupied and ruled it. Then the Swedes occupied and ruled it. Then the Russians occupied and ruled it. Then the Soviet Union annexed it as a state.
In spite of such affection from aliens for its land, the Estonians kept a few things going for centuries. They kept their ethnic identity. They kept their language. They kept their religious fervor. The Estonian nation survived nicely (despite a significant part of the population being deported to cool resorts in Siberia by the Soviets).
When we visited Tallinn, we were expecting to see another Prague, a city of dusty unimaginative cuboids of buildings with the newly liberated youth adding graffiti everywhere.
We were surprised. Since 1989, Estonia has grown quite rapidly to be a success story. It leads the world in e-governance. Tallinn is the one of the most digitised cities in the world. Tallinn is claiming its place as the silicon valley of Northern Europe. (Skype came out of Tallinn).
We took a day trip cruise to Tallinn from Helsinki. Tallinn’s skyline told us half the story: a combination of the domes and spires of Hanseatic League era and skyscrapers of the Information Technology era.
After berthing in the terminal, we walked through Kadriorg Park to the palace of Peter the Great.
A local girl, bedecked in flowers, was advocating a political cause we did not understand. We supported it because she seemed innocent and was beautiful!
We went to Toompea (German, for Cathedral Hill) where the Parliament and (what else, of course) the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral are located.
From Toompea it was a nice descent into the Old Town (one of the most beautiful old towns in the world; an accredited world heritage center).
The Old Town has a “Viewing Platform” that provides a panoramic view.
When you climb down fully, you reach Raekoja Plats, a very spacious town square lorded over by the city hall in one corner. (The square sports an Indian restaurant too!)
The street adjacent to the City hall takes us, if you don’t pause at the restaurants with their inviting aroma or get distracted by the Pedal-o-pub, to the Freedom Square and the Freedom monument.
Explore the side streets to see a few sights including the landmark Oleviste Kirik.
Your trip will not be complete unless you take a bite at one of the road side restaurants of Pikk Street or Katarina Kaik.
At the end of the day, as your board your cruise back to Helsinki, you realise that if Karl Marx ever needed an argument challenging his precepts, he can find one in Tallinn!
When I was a teenager, the Soviet Union was a big deal. Reagan labelled it as an evil empire. Countless James Bond movies were about young Bond fighting against one evil scheme or another of the Soviets. Pakistan found a good business model in positioning itself as a frontline state against the Soviet Union.
In 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed. Several of its vassal states suddenly became free. Can you imagine a few million people joining hands and forming a line, border to border, and singing their way to independence? People of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia did! The newspapers proclaimed this as “Singing revolution” in those days.
Of these, Estonia had a chequered history that can be briefly summarised in four sentences: First the Danes occupied and ruled it. Then the Swedes occupied and ruled it. Then the Russians occupied and ruled it. Then the Soviet Union annexed it as a state.
In spite of such affection from aliens for its land, the Estonians kept a few things going for centuries. They kept their ethnic identity. They kept their language. They kept their religious fervor. The Estonian nation survived nicely (despite a significant part of the population being deported to cool resorts in Siberia by the Soviets).
When we visited Tallinn, we were expecting to see another Prague, a city of dusty unimaginative cuboids of buildings with the newly liberated youth adding graffiti everywhere.
We were surprised. Since 1989, Estonia has grown quite rapidly to be a success story. It leads the world in e-governance. Tallinn is the one of the most digitised cities in the world. Tallinn is claiming its place as the silicon valley of Northern Europe. (Skype came out of Tallinn).
We took a day trip cruise to Tallinn from Helsinki. Tallinn’s skyline told us half the story: a combination of the domes and spires of Hanseatic League era and skyscrapers of the Information Technology era.
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| Talinn Skyline from Cruise ship |
After berthing in the terminal, we walked through Kadriorg Park to the palace of Peter the Great.
 |
| Palace of Peter, the Great |
A local girl, bedecked in flowers, was advocating a political cause we did not understand. We supported it because she seemed innocent and was beautiful!
 |
| Estonian activist, near Amphitheater |
We went to Toompea (German, for Cathedral Hill) where the Parliament and (what else, of course) the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral are located.
 |
| Aleksander Nevski Cathedral (under renovation) |
From Toompea it was a nice descent into the Old Town (one of the most beautiful old towns in the world; an accredited world heritage center).
 |
| Old Town, an accredited World Heritage Center |
 |
| Luhike Jalg, a street with stairs through Old Town |
The Old Town has a “Viewing Platform” that provides a panoramic view.
 |
| Panoramic view of Old Town from Viewing Platform |
When you climb down fully, you reach Raekoja Plats, a very spacious town square lorded over by the city hall in one corner. (The square sports an Indian restaurant too!)
 |
| Raekoja Plats, the town square |
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| Raekoda City Hall |
The street adjacent to the City hall takes us, if you don’t pause at the restaurants with their inviting aroma or get distracted by the Pedal-o-pub, to the Freedom Square and the Freedom monument.
 |
| Dunkri Street |
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| Kullaseppa Street |
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| Pedal-o-Pub |
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| Freedom Monument |
Explore the side streets to see a few sights including the landmark Oleviste Kirik.
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| Old Town from down below |
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| Oleviste Kirik |
Your trip will not be complete unless you take a bite at one of the road side restaurants of Pikk Street or Katarina Kaik.
 |
| Pikk Street |
At the end of the day, as your board your cruise back to Helsinki, you realise that if Karl Marx ever needed an argument challenging his precepts, he can find one in Tallinn!
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