Estonia  - a few tips!

This section contains a few snippets of information about the country which will hopefully whet your appetite for the trip. Estonia is an interesting mix of old and new - the internet and mobile phones flourish within what remains a very traditional society. Huge song festivals are held every year at locations all over Estonia and (unlike myself) just about everyone knows the traditional dances!

History

Estonians have been living in this tiny portion of the Baltic lands since approximately 2,500 B.C., making them the longest settled of the European peoples. Due to Estonia's strategic location as a link between East and West, it has been highly coveted through the ages by 'rampaging'  kings and conquerors.

At the beginning of the 13th century, Estonia was subjugated by the Teutonic knights. Their castles still dot the countryside, in varying states of eerie decay. By 1285, Tallinn was part of the Hanseatic League. Trading activities were dominated by the German merchant families which settled there, and successive generations of Germans built their manor houses across the country. 

But the Germans were only the first of successive waves of conquerors. Danes, Swedes, Poles and Russians all swept across Estonia, setting up successive regimes, fortifying their towns and castles, and shipping their goods through Estonian ports.

In the late 19th century a powerful Estonian nationalist movement arose. Eventually, on 24 February 1918, Estonia declared its independence. Its period of independence was brief, however, and Estonia was forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. But in 1991 Estonians again reasserted their independence, and peacefully broke away from the Soviet Union.

Currency

The Estonian currency is the Kroon which was pegged first against the Deutschmark (until  2002) and now against the euro at a rate of 15.65EEK: €1. Although a significant percentage of the Estonian population is not  eager to take leave of the Kroon, which is seen as a sign of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union, it is likely to be replaced by the Euro possibly even as early as next year.

Paying

It is quite usual practice in Estonia to pay 'up front'. This applies in particular to smaller restaurants or filling stations. Tipping in these cases is not really expected.

Language

Despite living with an Estonian for the best part of 7 years I still can't say anything more than a few platitudes, so I should probably not dare to express myself on this subject! Unlike the vast majority of European languages, Estonian is not a member of the Indo-European group. It belongs to the Finno-Ugric group, along with its near-relative Finnish and its very distant relative Hungarian. Basically this means forget about applying the skills you may have picked up from learning any other languages (just for good measure, Estonian bears no ressemblance to the languages of the other baltic states, Latvian or Lithuanian). Estonian has 14 cases, including the inessive, the allative and the comitative. Where English uses a preposition like to or with to give some information, Estonian is more likely to change a word's ending: in effect, schoolto or sugarwith. Estonian also has no genders and a lots of double and triple vowels and consonants. 

Anyway enough of the theory and onto the practice- a few useful words are:

tere - hello
nägemist - goodbye
õlu - beer
aitäh - thankyou
jah - yes
ei - no
üks, kaks, kolm - one, two, three
veel üks õlu, palun! - another beer please!

Congratulations - you now speak Estonian as well as I do! If you wish to immerse yourself more in the language, Janika's bridesmaid, Sonja, has put together a website all about Estonian language and culture 

Mosquitos!

If there is one thing you should NOT forget to bring or buy it is mosquito repellent! Over one third of the country consists of marshland and in summer it is 'mosquito heaven'. They appear to be particularly fond of foreign blood and somehow seem to leave the locals in peace (perhaps because they have already drained them dry!). They especially like the forests and nice shady spots and seem capable of 'biting' through almost any form of clothing up to a suit of armour! Putting on repellent (or alternatively wearing a net!) is about the only way to be sure of dampening their appetite - just thought I would drop that in now that you have already made your travel arrangements! 

Weather

Probably about as reliable as in Ireland! The first time I went it was around  30C and cloudless. Assuming this was always  the case I was suitably ill-prepared for the Belfast summer which welcomed me on my second visit - so anything is possible. Surrounded by the sea it is fairly certain that, whatever else, there will be a 'breeze'. A  reliable indicator is the weather forecast  - which tends to be a bit more accurate than its British equivalent!
One of the most enjoyable aspects about being in Estonia in July is the (almost) midnight sun and white nights.

Famous Estonians

Couldn't find that many - but here are just a few!:

Ärvo Pärt - 'minmalist' composer Pärt has said that his music is similar to light going through a prism: the music may have a slightly different meaning for each listener, thus creating a spectrum of musical experience, similar to the rainbow light. Pärt is a frequent vistor to Graz and Janika got his autograph on his last trip!

Carmen Kaas - leggy topmodel!

Alfons Rebane was an Estonian military commander. He served in the Estonian army until Soviet troops occupied the country in 1940. Rebane joined the German army when it entered Estonia the following year. He was serving in the Estonian Legion of the German army: under the Waffen-SS, he fought against the Soviets. Rebane became one of Estonia's most famous war heros

Ernst Öpik  was a notable Estonian astronomer and astrophysicist, who spent the last part of his career (1948-1981) at the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland!
Öpik specialized in the study of minor bodies, such as asteroids, comets, and meteors.

In 1932 he postulated a theory concerning the origins of comets in our solar system. He believed that they originated in a cloud orbiting far beyond the orbit of Pluto. This cloud is now known to us as the Oort Cloud.

Erki Nool - Olympic decathlon champion

Travelling around

If you have the time there are many beautiful areas to visit both on Saaremaa and on the mainland. It is well worth hiring a car, even for a day, on the island to get a better feel for the area. Once you get into the countryside it is completely unspoilt and, with very little traffic on the roads, very enjoyable just to go from one end of the island to the other. A few suggestions are (the meteorite site at Kaali, the Angla windmills, Harilaid peninsula and sunset (hopefully!) at the Panga pank cliffs,).

If you are plan to spend time on the mainland - as well as Tallinn, the towns of Pärnu, a very classy seaside resort, and Tartu, home to the country's oldest university are well worth visiting