Globe Trotting - Estonia

The Age

Saturday June 16, 2001

LIZA POWER

Estonia

Where is it?

Fancy a bog walk, anyone? How about soaking up the remains of dinner with a scrap of blood bread? Or you could pass your Estonian afternoons meandering through Tallinn's mediaeval maze of cobbled streets, warming your belly with a shot of egg liqueur at sundown. Estonia is in eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia.

Who lives there?

One-and-a-half million people comprising Estonian (65 per cent), Russian (28 per cent), Ukrainian, Byelorussian and Finn, speaking Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, English and Finnish.

Take me to your leader

Head of state is President Lennart Meri. Head of government is Prime Minister Mart Laar.

Let us pray

Religions include Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life and Jewish.

Food, glorious food

Estonian culinary delights include suitsukala (smoked fish), sult (jellied meat), suitsuvorst (salami), viiner (frankfurt), verivorst (blood sausage), verilieb (blood bread) and verikakk (meat balls made from blood and pig fat). The national firewater is Vana Tallinn: Drink it straight or slosh a dash into your champagne or coffee.

Party time

Estonia's most colorful party is Tallinn's Baltika Folk Festival (July), a week-long celebration of traditional music, dance and parades. The All-Estonian Song Festival (held once every five years) culminates with a performance by a choir of 30,000 to a crowd of more than 100,000. In summer, the big events are Memme-taadi (mid-June), Jaanipaev (June 23), the Viru Saru folk festival (July) and White Lady Festival (August).

Bright lights, big city

Gazing over the Gulf of Finland from the hilltop of Toompea, the mediaeval city of Tallinn topples down the hillside in a maze of cobbled streets, twisting alleyways and glorious 14th- and 15th-century architecture. Top of your must-do list in Tallinn is a stroll through Vanalinn (Old Town), where you'll find the city museum, Dominican Monastery, Toompea Castle and Alexandr Nevsky Cathedral, among other delights.

When the sun's out

The Tallinn Zoo boasts the world's largest collection of wild goats. Skip off the beaten track on a ferry to the pretty islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa.

On rainy days

Toomkirik's National Art Museum, Kadriorg's Peter the Great Home Museum and Tammsaare Museum, Raekoja Plats' Archeological and Theatre and Music Museums, Pikk's State History Museum and Lai's Natural History and Applied Art Museums.

Visa?

Not required.

© 2001 The Age

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