Talinn, Estonia

Big transition going from the lowest ranking EU member country (Bulgaria) to the leading GDP percent growth country (Estonia). Obviously the societal changes are quite big but being this close to the Arctic Circle is also a pretty big change. I had already been to Lithuania and Latvia so I had a precognitive idea about what the Baltic country of Estonia would be like. That idea was completely and utterly wrong.

There is little to no Soviet influence here in Estonia. The Estonian language is a proprietary language that closely relates to Hungarian but bares no Slavic dialect. The culture is very much Scandinavian which is quite refreshing coming from a Balkan, post-communist country. Even though there's close to 2 feet of snow everywhere, the Estonian capital, Tallinn, is incredibly charming and welcoming. I am currently living right off of the old town square so walking right out of my hotel has been the same for over 200 years.

In the Old Town square is a market where fur traders are selling their Russian-style hats and roasted almonds. There's a 50 foot Christmas tree that overlooks a large stage where the festivities are taking place. Although it is usually around 10 degrees now, the city lights, people, and buildings make the city feel much warmer.

Some of you may remember my mafia-style winter trench coat that I had back at AU. Well, unfortunately I don't have that with me here which makes me deeply regret not bringing it. Everyone is bundled up from head to toe and the parents pull their kids around the town in tiny little sleds. It's quite amusing to see.

Probably one of my favorite things about this town is that most of the restaurants are built underground to help save heat. You'll walk down a winding staircase to a cool Estonian pub or restaurant carved into a cave-looking dwelling that just makes you want to sit by the fire for hours. The food can be somewhat expensive but always good and the service is always friendly. Practically everyone speaks English very well so it's really easy to get around.

One of the deals that I had last week was with an Estonian conglomerate of dairy farmers who invented a cheese that actually lowers blood pressure. He gave us a tour of the whole factory and how the cheese is processed into its final product. Quite a cool guy and really cool to see how they add a bacteria that actually helps our body's blood pressure. It was about a 2 hour drive out to the factory which was about half way across the country. Another 2 hours and we would have been in Russia--not that I would ever want to go back to Commi-land.

Overall, it's a very small country with less than 1.4 million people, but it's an amazing country that I recommend everyone should visit. I uploaded a few pictures too. Hope all is well.

Cheers.

Wyatt