Introduction to Estonia – Part 1

I wanted to write about some of my many visits to Tallin but to fully appreciate it you need to understand the background of Estonia. So read these articles first as it will give you a much better overview.

Estonia is one of the smallest countries in Europe' s. It offers tourists a lot of history, a vast wealth of culture, and a large variety of scenery ranging from old and dense forests to Baltic beaches and offshore islands. The forests offer shelter to elk, bear, wolf and wild boar, while many historic towns, castles, cathedrals and aristocratic mansions can to be explored all over the country. It is less than twenty years since independence was gained from the former USSR.

Estonia membership of the European Union was finally completed in 2004, it has help to give Estonia a sense of belonging to a greater cultural and economic group without being forced. Estonia' s language is closely related to Finnish, because of this many Estonians feel much closer to their Finnish neighbours across the Baltic Sea than to those across the border in Latvia. This is another small former Soviet Baltic republic on the southern border. Their feelings towards their big eastern neighbour, Russia, which occupied Estonia for centuries while not hostile are not brotherly. There is also much hostility towards the country' s Russian speaking minority, who were put there to erode the Estonian identity.

Many visitors think that Estonians are reserved and not very welcoming. Their culture is more British and not given to spontaneous displays, but this attitude is just an expression of Estonian courteous reserve.

Tallinn

Since the lifting of the Soviet invasion and control, Estonia' s lively and wonderful capital, Tallinn, has changed into one of Europe' s most popular short break destinations. It has also attracted a number of young expatriates, drawn by its low cost of living, exuberant culture, and new business opportunities of Tallinn

Tallinn also has most of the country' s good hotels and restaurants, although new places to stay, eat and drink are opening all the time, not only in the capital but at other points along the Estonian tourist trail.

While Tallinn attracts crowds of younger fun seekers it also draws more than its share of visitors keen to experience its remarkable heritage of medieval architecture. Only a few visitors venture far beyond the capital, but Estonia' s small size makes it easy to explore even on a short break. If you are historically inclined then it offers a rich tapestry of ancient towns and medieval castles.

Continued in part 2