Exploring Europe: Estonia and Russia

In April 2007 I hopped on a plane and headed to the Eastern European countries of Estonia and Russia. Here are some observations and thoughts on what I saw, heard, smelled, tasted, touched and experienced while traveling through these former Soviet Union countries.

Tallinn, Estonia

You can actually walk to and from the airport. About a 20 minute stroll but absolutely possible. How do I know this? My friend Marni walked there to pick me up with her co-worker. Since I had bags in tow though we took the bus back into town.

Pubs and restaurants serve this garlic bread with a twist. The dish consists of fried dark rye bread with whole garlic cloves to rub on the bread with a side dipping sauce made of dill and yogurt. Very addictive but watch how much you rub the bread with garlic. A little goes a long way and you could be breathing fire for days if not careful.

When you are in Tallinn it feels like you have gone back in time with the cobblestone streets and medieval fortress walls. The old area of the city is truly charming and you could get lost for hours down meandering alleys. Rounding a corner one day I came upon two guys strumming their guitars and singing ‘Hotel California.’

The city is known for it’s crafts. I visited glass, leather, and textile workshops. The attention to detail on all of their products is impeccable. I highly recommend leather bound journals, vases, glass ware, platters, clay pots, scarfs, socks, hats, and jewelry to take home as keepsakes or gifts.

American ex-pats and students have made Tallinn a place of interest. I met two Fulbright scholars and a handful of embassy associated folk that are either working or researching in Tallinn.

St. Petersburg, Russia

If you hold doors open for people going in and out of the metro stations it is a sign of weakness. The subway system in St. Petersburg is the deepest in the world. The underground tunnels are at least 105 km long. When you are going up and down the escalators it is like you are on a permanent tilt. Any other metro system I have experienced (London, Paris, New York, Chicago) pales in comparison to St. Petersburg.

Residents of St. Petersburg know the sun is a scarce resource during certain parts of the year. I was there in April around Easter. Everyday I had at least three layers and a coat on. On our last day there we headed over to the famed Peter and Paul Fortress. As we walked out onto a jetty just outside the fortress walls I looked left and saw a group of city residents leaning against the fortress wall, stripped down to their bathing suits, getting some sun. It was quite a site since our teeth were chattering as we observed them. Men and women would lean with their backs to the fortress wall and then flip over to get sun on their backs while standing.

Bloody Mary’s in St. Petersburg are delicious. Essentially they pour tomato juice into a high ball glass then pour a topper of vodka not mixed and garnish it with a lemon. When it arrives you stir it up and drop in the lemon. This was my drink of choice on the trip and amazingly enough never got a splitting headache. Speaking of vodka, I brought back a few bottles for friends and the label on the bottles literally translated to ‘No Hangover.’

St. Petersburg is an awe inspiring city. So much architectural and monumental beauty. The baroque period influences are everywhere. There is so much to see and learn about. The Hermitage (Catherine Palace) is probably the most famous of the buildings and museums in the city. The art collections throughout the Hermitage are unbelievable. Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Matisse, Van Gough, Renoir, Monet, Raphael…I seriously got tears in my eyes when seeing their works up close and personal.

We found a Blues Club one night when we were wandering the streets. It was called the Jimi Hendrix and was intimate and cave-like. The place was packed with Russians, Western Europeans, and us Americans. The band that played really got into some of the classic American Jazz. The leader of the band and the saxophonist came up to our table since he heard our accents. Believe it or not he had traveled to San Francisco for some gigs about seven years ago and played at Bimbo’s 365, a quintessential venue in the city. He was actually returning to the U.S. this past July for a serious of shows at the Jazz Jubliee in Sacramento…small world I say.

It would be easy to ramble on about other discoveries, small world stories, and oh wows while visiting these countries but I wouldn’t want to give too much away. Find out for yourself and consider Estonia and Russia for your next travel adventure.

–Liz

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