27 Before 27: Baltic State

Tallinn, Estonia, is only 2 hours by ferry from Helsinki. This foreign land was so close I could nearly taste it, so I decided – why not add another country to my list this summer?! Although I was only able to spend one day in Tallinn, I’m very glad I visited and would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the Baltic States.

Estonia is very different from its Scandinavian neighbors. The most northern Baltic State, Estonia re-gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Estonia now one of the most prosperous former Soviet republics, has joined the European Union and adopted the Euro and is home to quite the technology industry. You can thank the Estonians every time you use Skype – they are the creators! Talk about development since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Estonians have been busy for the past 20 years!

Tallinn is a medieval walled city which is one of its draws as a tourist location. I spent the majority of my time inside the old city walls. I first took a tour of the city which told me more about the history and culture of the area and spent the remainder of the day meandering through the cobblestone, winding streets of the old city. For lunch, I ate at a restaurant set up to be exactly like a restaurant in the 1700s. This meant no electricity and therefore no air-conditioning but the food was excellent. I tried many new foods during this meal including wild boar and elk stew, which was actually quite tasty!

Now, one day in Tallinn was not quite enough but unfortunately that was all the time I could spare. I would love to go back to explore other areas of Estonia and also visit the other Baltic States Latvia and Lithuania. I guess I’ll have to start saving my pennies for another trip to this area of the world!

Want to see more pictures of Estonia? Check out Semester at Sea’s blog post titled “Photo Essay: Exploring Estonia” to learn more about the shipboard community’s adventures in Tallinn.