Estonia old and new

Bird's eye view of of historic town square

As the picture depicts, Tallinn is one of Europe's major treasures in-so-far as preservation of its historic town square and surrounding buildings. It is here that the first use of a Christmas tree is reported, a place that Tsar Peter the Great visited several times, home of Europe's first drug store, still in use today, and the center of Estonia's cultural heritage. Famed St. Nicholas church is at the top and the 15th century town hall dominates the square. This is the magnet that draws thousands of visitors every week.

Estonia Today. Old and New

This picture shows the oldest wooded structure in Tallinn, the Russian orthodox church Our Lady of Kazan built in1721 and the construction of a modern bank office tower of over 30 stories. Estonia, and especially Tallinn the capital which has about one third of the nation's population, is undergoing a rapid modernization. Yet, don't be fooled into thinking the change is haphazard or uncontrolled. Tallinn has, and will continue to, preserve its Old Town, one of the most authentic in Europe.

Pikk Hermann (Tall Herman) where the Estonian National Flag is raised every day. It is from this 15th century tower that the Nazi's raised the swastika and the Soviet's flew their hated Hammer and Sickle. The flag is raised very morning and brought down at sunset except for Mid-summer's eve also the national holiday for Estonia's freedom when it is kept up all night. In my book Our Summer in Estonia I devote the first 32 pages summarizing the fascinating history of Estonia and its journey to the freedom it enjoys today. I will not dwell on this matter on this blog, except to stay, at times I admit to tearing up at the wonderful spirit of the Estonian people as I researched their history. Long live Estonia.

My New Book About Our Summer In Estonia

BOOK COVER

This blog site will have periodic postings from my book, Our Summer in Estonia. Each year my wife Elysee and I go to a different location and rent a place for the entire summer. More about this lifestyle can be found on my website a link to which is provided in the sidebar to the right. Estonia was a wonderful country in which to stay for three months. We took up residence just outside the old city section of Tallinn, made many friends, became impressed with the Estonian people and the progress they have made since shedding the tyranny of Soviet domination, and thoroughly enjoyed to food, climate, and good value. Let me hear your views about Estonia, or send me any questions you may have about visiting the country. You can reach me through my web site. My book is available at a very reasonable $15 at Amazon.com and a link to that page is also provided.