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Estonia is the most individual of the Baltic republics. The reason for that might lie in its neighbor country – Finland.
Walking through Tallinn, Estonia’s capitol, one will meet a lot of Fins besides the native inhabitants. Helsinki and Tallinn are located exactly opposite to one another on each side of the Gulf of Finland. The 80-kilometer distance is managed by ferry within only 90 minutes.
Besides the tourists who are staying for just one day there is an increasing number of visitors who are interested in the historical part of Estonia’s capitol. The former Hanseatic town Reval was the gate to Russia. Today the cathedral hill, the defense towers and the old guild houses with there cobble stone roads are part of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of the World.
Only a few kilometers outside of Tallinn one can easily relax. The coast of the Baltic Sea offers lots of sandy beaches as well as steep granite rocks. One discovers charming manor houses and monasteries when traveling across country.
Narva in Estonia’s northeast is formed by Russian influences. Today the town marks the border between EU and Russia. One should not be scared off by the tumbledown industrial facilities. Worth a visit are for example the Hermannsfeste at the river Narva which separates the countries. On the opposite bank the gigantic fortress Iwangorod is located on Russian ground.
In the interior one finds the large Peipus Lake and Tartu which are certainly worth a visit. Further to the south one might be fascinated by thick forests, rivers, lakes and hills. Pernau, a former Hanseatic town in the northern part of the bay of Riga, is one of the most famous bathing resorts in the Baltic regions. Its popularity is especially due to its incredible white sand beach called Pärnu.
No matter in which direction one is traveling one finds a well advanced network of roads in Estonia’s; except for a few adventurous roads.
Culinary specialties are rather heavy. National dishes are Sult (veal in aspic), Taidetud Badikarind (filled veal roast) and Rossolye (marinated herring with turnips).
Some geography:
The Republic of Estonia stretches over an area of 45,000 square kilometers and has 1.36 million inhabitants. About 65 percent are Estonians. Russians are largest ethnical minority with 28 percent. Official language of the country is Estonian. In the northeast of the country most of the people speak Russian. There the Russian-orthodox church dominates the religious life. However Estonians belong to the evangelical church.
The Estonians celebrate their national holiday on February 24th. On that day in 1918 they declared their independence from Russia. |
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