Christmas

IMG_1636
Originally uploaded by meeky.

Christmas Pictures are up on my Flickr page!
My first Estonian Christmas was filled with too much eating and drinking as is the case everywhere. Unfortunately no snow, so I missed out on a white Christmas. It seems with Melbourne's cold weather I would have been better of in Australia if I wanted the White Christmas!!

Brydie's Scratchie

My sister sent me a lotto 'scratchie' for Christmas. I videoed me playing so she could see.

Snow in Tallinn

It has JUST started to snow outside! "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!!"

I hope I haven't jinxed it now...

To see if I have, take a look at the Tallinn weather webcam.

Christmas Market in Tallinn

One of the upsides of the wintry weather here in Tallinn at the moment is the Christmas Market in the town hall square. It really provides a Christmas feel, especially at night when it is all lit up. I walked through the square last night and happened to have a camera with me, and took some pictures. This one here is of the little huts the shopkeepers use to sell their Christmas wares, with the Town Hall in the background (built in 1402).

In fact, Tallinn was the first town in Europe to put up a municipal Christmas tree, back in 1441. 

Estonian Drivers

Sometimes people ask if I drive in Estonia. Apart from the fact that I would have to drive on the right hand side, the main reason I don't is that Estonians are maniacs behind the wheel. Almost daily there is a head on collision on one of Estonia's roads. The picture here is from today, a head on which happened on the road between Tallinn and Tartu. No one died in this accident, though there are numerous fatalities every week, which is pretty poor for such a small country.

Tallinn and Tartu Estonia's two biggest towns, and there is lots of traffic, however it is unseparated single carriage-way for most of the trip. In summer especially when people are getting out of town for the holidays, drivers make suicide overtake maneuvers, and it is pretty common to see a car driving straight at you at 130km/ph only to pull back to their own side of the road with seconds to spare. Once while on a buss to Viljandi one car overtaking actually passed us on our right (i.e. on the hard shoulder of the wrong side of the road!!)

I will drive here eventually, but i don't have a car at the moment, so really I don't have to worry too much about the madness on Estonian roads just yet.

Residency and ID Cards

Two weeks ago I received my Estonian residency, and this week I received my ID card. It's a pretty amazing thing, as it's a smart card, which allows the holder to do a huge range of things. For example the card can be used to vote in online elections, Tallinn being the first electorate in the world to hold an e-election. Essentially the card is used for ID purposes in the real world but also as an online signature. The cards are so useful here, it makes me wonder why there is so much concern over the new non-id card that Australia is planning to bring in. By coincidence there was a radio report that I listed to radio national and it seemed so stupid that there was even debate over ID cards. If anyone has time I recommend listening to the podcast.

I just wish that I hadn't used such an old photo

Jeff on Estonian Television

My former lecturer from Monash was on Estonian television this week talking about tourism. I think the most interesting part is the Translator. I've got no idea how she is able to do that. She is apparently the best translator in Estonia, and the day before this interview she was translating for George bush during his visit.
Clip one is here, all three clips are on my you tube page. (LINK ON THE RIGHT)

Estonia in the NY Times

Bushes visit here got a mention in a recent New York Times article. Worth reading for anyone who still thinks of Estonia as some sort of post soviet backwater.

The World's Most Powerful Man in Tallinn

Airforce One touched down in Tallinn today, as George W Bush made a whistle stop visit to Estonia. For the 15 hours that he was here Tallinn came to a standstill as security preparations closed off part of the town centre. Bush booked out the whole Radisson hotel for his night here, and the surrounding area was cut off to traffic. Many business had to close for the day, unfortunately my work is on the outskirts of town and was unaffected. Although it was only my second day so I'm not exactly looking for a day off.

There were even snipers on the roofs of buildings, as you can see in the picture below. I'd be surprised if Dubbya would have been able to find Estonia on a map before this trip, but his visit certainly made an impact. I think most Estonians are just glad he's gone now so that they can have their city back to normal.

Living the Immigrant Life

I am really living the immigrant life. Today I started working at an office supplies warehouse, which I personally feel is a job far removed from what my education qualifies me for, and pays about 25% of what I would earn in Australia! I feel a little bit like all those Indian IT graduates who drive you home pissed in Melbourne after a Saturday night out! Anyway at least I know it wont be forever and the place is pretty good to work. It's at a place called Büroo Maailm (Office World) which is life the Corporate Express of the Baltics. The worst part was that I had to catch the bus to work today, and will have to do the same in the future. Actually, maybe the worst part is the fact that it's totally dark when I arrive to work and totally dark when I leave. Oh well, now I know what life is like for average Estonians, and I'm learning some Russian swear words as well!!

Cricket

Well, the Ashes battle is about to start, and having just woken up here in Tallinn it's down to 0 sleeps. The time difference is going to make watching cricket something of a nightmare, with play starting at 2.00 and finishing at 9.00 for the 1st test. The good thing is that I have found a site which will let me watch all of the cricket on the internet, albeit at a price! So send me an email while the cricket is on, I just may be sitting up watching in the middle of the Estonian night!

Theatre

I went to see a theater show today. It was in Estonian. I understood 10% of what they were saying!!! Makes me realise how much more of the language I have to learn!! Luckily I have class tomorrow!

It's not so cold here

I'm sitting watching the news here at the moment, and a story has just come on about the cold snap in Victoria! Seeing pictures of snow covered cars and heavy hail made me feel as though the weather here in Tallinn is not quite as bad as I thought. And in case anyone is wondering exactly what the weather is like here, I've added a weather box which you will see on the right.

Life on the other side

I submitted an application for an Estonian residency permit today, which was an interesting experience. Having worked for Immigration in Australia it was interesting to compare the systems of the two countries, as well as to experience being on the other side of the desk. The most obvious thing is that the staff at the Estonian Migration Board could do with some customer service training, though that is true of pretty much every service oriented organisation in Estonia. Though I must admit I'm sure they'd smile more if they were paid as much as I was in Melbourne!! While the smiles are lacking, the IT systems seem much better here in Estonia. Though it must be said I only got a five second peek at the lady's screen when she went to photocopy my passport! The forms I had to fill out were equally as pointless and over complicated as the ones I handed out in Australia, though the customer service rep had all the details entered into the computer pretty quickly as I sat there. It was interesting to hear my mother's middle name is "Yoanne." If only they knew that her favorite town in Estonia is "Keela Jowa"!!

Now i just sit back and wait for them to make a decision, which could take until February. Obviously public servants here work about as hard as me and my colleagues back in Australia!!!!

Snow - Pictures from my apartment

Some early cold weather has arrived in Estonia, and has brought some snow along with it. I took some photos from my apartment today around lunch time. The top two pictures are from the bedroom window. The roads get fairly slippery despite the salt they use, and the footpaths turn to ice if there are a lot of people walking on them. The bottom ones are taken from the kitchen window, where the view is of a kindergarten playground. I didn't see the kids out there today, which I guess is no surprise! As you can see from the thermometer it is below zero, but that is actually a bit warmer than it has been over the last week. It has been as cold a -7 or 8 during the day, and much colder at night. Anyway, now I'm about to brave the icy streets to go to my Estonian language class.

Viljandi in Autumn

On Thursday Sirli and I went down to Viljandi, as we were seeing a theatre show on Friday. During the day on Friday we took a walk around the old castle ruins. The weather was very strange, and it was quite beautiful with the trees full of Autumn colour. Some pictures here, with others on My flickr page. I've also put up some crappy little videos taken with the digital camera on you tube.

Playing Cricket for Estonia

I told a few people that I was going to play cricket a few weeks ago, but I've never blogged it, so here it is. My performance with the bat wasn't what I was hoping for, I was out LBW for a duck in the last over of our innings. However I opened the bowling and managed to take 1 for 3 from four overs. I would have had a second wicket but I dropped a catch off my own bowling. Anyway, the picture id of me being presented with the Baggy Blue cap by the captain.

The Queen in Talinn

Queen Elizabeth and Phillip have been in Tallinn yesterday and today. There was a big public reception for her in the Town Hall Square earlier today. I went along to see, and surprisingly so did a few thousand Estonians! The crowd was so big that I didn't manage to get a photo of here. She didn't say anything today, but they played part of her speech on the news here last night and I must say she spoke really well. Some insightful comments about Estonia.



You can see the show they put on for the queen in the picture on the right. By the time she arrived the whole square had filled and they stopped letting people in. They did have a concert on which I'm sure attracted lots of people, but it was clear to see that the Queen is fairly popular in Estonia.

Tallinn = Danish Town

The name Tallinn supposedly comes from the Estonian for Danish Town (Tani Linn). The Danes were the first foreign occupiers of Estonia in 1219 until they sold it to a German religious order in 1346 because the Estonians were constantly uprising and giving them the shits. Now there is a garden in Tallinn known as the Danish Garden. The picture on the right is a representation of a Danish knight. According to legend the danish got their flag during a battle on Estonian soil. The legend says that they were looking at a terrible defeat when this flag dropped from the sky. They then went on to win the battle, and have used the flag ever since. Walking around Tallinn, you can see flag in all sorts of different places. I find it amazing that history from such a long time ago can still be seen today.

Tallinn Town Walls

A fair while ago I visited the town walls of Talinn. I just posted the photos.

Estonian Politics

I love a bit of grass roots politics. Recently the incumbent Estonian president was beaten in a vote for the presidency by a younger, more 'western' candidate. The three gentlemen on the banner on top of the car are from the left of Estonian politics, and basically the occupants of this car were protesting that if the incumbent won then it would be a massive backwards step for Estonia, hence "stop communism". To cut a very long story short, the left used some pretty dodgy methods to get there man across the line, but because 70% of Estonians hated him he lost anyway. George W Bush and Queen Elizabeth are due here soon, and now they will get to meet a president who speaks English, though I'm still unsure if Dubya actually speaks English!!! 

Shameless plug

A bit of shameless self promotion here. I've started my little tour company here in Tallinn. Not much is happening at the moment, I'm trying to get some customers, which is taking some time, though that was expected. Added to the fact that I have a brand new company its getting cold here and the tourist numbers are really dwindling. Anyway whatever happens I'm looking the next few months as a bit of a test period, a way to find out what works and what doesn't, and to really get the company name out there. Hopefully I'll be making my fortune by the time the summer peak rolls around. So if you know anyone going to Tallinn, send them my way!!!!!

Saaremaa

I've been a bit slack with my posting of late, so this one is actually about something that happened a while ago. Sirli organises a trip for all of the International Students where she studies to a place called Saaremaa, which is Estonia's biggest Island, lying just of the west coast of the mainland.

Saaremaa has a pretty small population, even by Estonian standards. It's mostly just forests, lakes and empty space. being an Island it also has plenty of great ocean views. Some of these coastal areas were the final defensive point for both the Soviet and Nazi armies when they were trading occupation of Estonia. You can still see the remnants of Military structures such as bunkers all over the place.


Further back in history Saaremaa was also an important political/military location. As a result there is a fantastic castle in Kuresaare, the main town on Saaremaa. Kuresaare is now a big spa town, and a really popular holiday spot for Estonians, and increasingly for foreigners. The town is extremely beautiful, and very well maintained, which sets it apart from the rest of Estonia. It's a great example of the power of tourism to improve the aesthetics of a place. It really feels more like Scandinavia than Estonia.

I'll put some more photos up on my Flickr page.

Tallinn

I was playing around on Google Earth yesterday, and I think the view of tallinn from satellite is pretty good. You can really see what the town is all about, so I decided to put the picture here on my blog.
If you enlarge the picture on the left, you can see how the town is divided into two. The smaller oval on the bottom right quarter is the upper town, built on a steep hill. The rest of the built up area (mainly red roofs) is the lower town. The upper town was the home of knights and was ruled by feudal law (ie land lords, vassals etc.) The lower town ruled itself under a special law , and was full of merchants and artisans. It was this lower town that made Tallinn the important place that it was, it was a member of the Hanseatic League, a sort of medieval EU.

Smack bang in the middle you can see the town hall square, which was the market place in times gone by. It is still the focal point of Tallinn today.

Kadriorg

Yesterday was a fairly nice day here in Tallinn, and with summer quickly running out I thought that I should make the most of the (limited) sunshine, and so took a walk to Kadriorg. Kadriorg is a large park area with some interesting buildings and art galleries.

The most interesting in my opinion is Kadriorg Palace (Left). It was built in 1718 by the Russian Tsar after the Russians took over from the Swedes in Estonia. Kadriorg means Katherine's Valley, as Katherine was the Tsars wife. At the time Estonia was a remote outpost, so seeing as though the emperor wasn't going to spend much time in his summer villa, he made sure it featured gardens to be open to the public. The building is now the Museum of Foreign Art.

Up until communist times, anyone who wanted to be thought of as anyone got themselves a villa at Kadriorg, and even today it remains a wealthy, leafy suburb with beautiful houses distinct form the square uniform apartment blocks more common in Tallinn.

In the spirit of an area for the rulers, in 1938 the newly independent Estonians built a presidential palace just up the road from Kadriorg Palace. The side gates with the Estonian emblem are on the left. The front itself is fairly boring compared to the Palace, though there are the stereotypical guards who change every who knows or cares when.




The latest arrival in Kadriorg Park is the new art museum, which was finished in February.

The Kumu is short for Kunstimuuseum, or Art Museum. Its a pretty cool building, and has been built into a limestone cliff. (Limestone is everywhere in Northern Estonia). It serves as the National Gallery and the Contemporary Art Gallery. I haven't been in and had a look inside as yet, though I did go to a concert there a few weeks back. It's all glass and angles as you would expect from a modern building. One of Sirli's friends Dad built it, which was apparently a pretty stressful job. He finished on the last day possible to meet the deadline, and all the financial stuff that goes along with that.

The Greatest Viewing Ever

I have just seen greatest film\TV show in the history of the world!! I know that is a big call, but it is true. The fact is that I watched a French movie with Estonian subtitles, but I was still totally hooked. The film is called Haute Tension. I know no one reading my blog is likely to ever actually watch this, but I felt it is such a great movie that I need to alert people. If only one person actually does watch it, then I will be happy. Do what ever you have to do, rent, steal, buy, or make an online purchase to get a hold of this film. It's worth it.

The Lucksmiths

Last night I went to Von Krahl here in Tallinn to see The Lucksmiths supported by Fred Astereo. Why this is interesting is because they are from Melbourne. I think the Lucksmiths are a great band, and was a bit surprised to find that they were touring here. For the equivalent of $9 I saw these two Australian bands and an Estonian warm up act. The Lucksmiths were brilliant, One of those bands that are just brilliant live. If anyone ever gets the chance to see them I strongly recommend you do.

Estonian Manor Houses

Recently I went on a small trip out of Tallinn and visited two Manor Houses. Before the first world war Estonia was part of Tsarist Russia, though most of the landlords were actually of German origin. Though they pretty much all left in after the war and Estonian Independence.


Palmse Manor (left) is about 30 minutes east of Tallinn. It's a Baroque mansion built in the 18th century. The von der Pahlen family lived there from 1676 to 1919, though it's first mentioned in the history books in 1287, so I'm sure there has been plenty of interesting stuff happen here. Palmse was the first Estonian mansion to be renovated.



Sagadi Manor (left) was built in 1795 by the von Focks. It's also been restored, and has a few interesting displays inside. They had an old gun display with some great old shotguns and rifles. They also had a stack of old furniture waiting to be restored on the top floor. I'm sure that when restored, or perhaps even as they are, they would fetch a decent price in an antique store.




I've got a few more pictures up of both houses on my flickr page if you'd like to see more.

Re-Independence Day

Today is Re-Independence Day here is Estonia. It may seem like a funny name, but it commemorates the day Estonia announced independence form the Soviet Union. To Estonians they had been occupied since they first declared independence after beating the Russians in 1918.

It was interesting to see that every house or apartment building had the Estonian flag hanging out front today. In Australia we seem to have no pride at all in our flag. Whether that’s because we have a dirty great Union jack on our flag or because were just not patriotic is an interesting question!!

Paldiski

Yesterday I ventured to Paldiski, about 40 km west of Tallinn. During the Soviet Occupation of Estonia, Paldiski was a major military centre. In particular it was a nuclear submarine base, with its very own nuclear reactor. Once the were around 1600 people living in Paldiski. Now there are just over 4000. Since the Soviet military left in 1994 the town has been slowly falling apart.

Once upon a time the whole area was strictly off limits to foreigners, as well as most Estonians. The super secretive soviets left it out on maps. Thankfully it is now back on the maps, and is even something of a tourist attraction. For a "westerner" there is something oddly thrilling about being able to freely walk around the "Pentagon" (pictured), a former training centre for the nuclear sub-submariners.

For more pictures, go to my Flickr photo page.

Working Holiday Maker Visa

I have finally got my visa to Estonia, which will enable me to live and work here for the next 12 months. It took about two months, mainly because no one in Estonia, or any consulate or embassy had ever heard of the working holiday maker visa, despite the fact that the agreement was on the Foreign Ministries website. Eventually I was able to make contact with someone form the Helsinki Embassy, and after some research they agreed to give me the visa. Sirli and I traveled to Helsinki on the ferry. It took about five hours, but we were able to wander around Helsinki, which is a beautiful city. As far as I am aware, I am the first ever person the have a working holiday maker visa to Estonia!!

Soviet Symbols

As you can imagine, the Estonians were keen to get rid of most Soviet Symbols after independence. However there are still a few around if you look carefully. The building pictured here is my favourite in Estonia. It has an interesting design compared to most of Tallinn's drab soviet blocs designed in the 1950's. The Star at the top of the spire is great. It's so awful and awesome all at the same time!!!





















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Viljandi - Southern Estonia

Viljandi is the home of Sirli's grandparents. It is a smallish town in Southern Estonia. Its most famous sight is Viljandi Castle, which has been in ruins since the 1700's. With the fall of the castle, the town lost it's importance. Since then there's been bugger all to do in Viljandi except lie in the sun and swim in the lake, which is fine by me. You can see the lake in the picture to the left. On the otherside of the lake from where this photo is taken, Sirli's Granfather has a summer house.





Summer Houses are where Estonian's go in Summer to get away from the towns and enjoy the brief Summer. Sirl's Grandfather is lucky enough to have a pool. He also has a great garden, with lots of vegetables, flowers, berries and fruit trees growing.

The Sherrin even made an appearance, probably the first time the Kangaroo brand has been sighted in Viljandi!! You can see it just near the pool.