A Tallinnese  Moment.......                      

It was dangerous, absolutely dangerous.  I had never done it before.  It was a first time

for me, and to think, it took only three minutes to do everything.  Click, click, click and

it was done!

Our winter break at school was almost upon me and I began to play with the idea of having a full week off.  I knew that if I remained in Rome I would not do anything “monumental”,

so, I thought that perhaps a short sojourn somewhere might do me well…….fresh air,

a change of walls… all to broaden my horizons, and all of that!

A number of thoughts came to my mind but the strongest was to make a return trip to Tallinn, Estonia, to visit with my dear friends Christy and George.  George is the head of the International School of Estonia and Christy, aside from being George’s wife and faithful side-kick, also teaches English at the school.  She is also a concert pianist and poetess. I have known them for many years and knowing that they would both be leaving their positions there come the end of this academic year, I decided that it was “now or never” if I wanted to see them again in Tallinn. I needed to move quickly.

A few emails back and forth, an online link to Finnair and voilà, I was off!   

I was absolutely amazed at how simple it was for me to get a ticket online.  No waiting in

lines at some tourist agency, no dealings with a hassled tour agent and no pushy people ahead of me trying to figure out their travel plans to Timbuktu and then changing their minds ten times in the process.  It was a simple click, click, click on the computer and it was all done.  A credit card number, I discovered, can open the doors of the universe! 

This transaction was so simple that I caught myself playing with the idea of clicking on

again to the internet to see what a long weekend in Peking would cost me!  This, I felt

could become very dangerous!   I controlled myself, however, and for the moment am happy with this first attempt!  Who knows where tomorrow will lead me!

I’m afraid that if more people got savvy to the simplicity of booking a hotel room or buying an air ticket online, many tourist agencies would soon be transformed into exclusive hair salons or fast food joints!  Or perhaps another pub or pizzeria!  All essential to the survival and continuation of our civilization.

I left mid-day, Tuesday last, for Helsinki, a long lay over there and then a quick 20 minute flight over the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn.  The small aircraft went up and then immediately

came down again.  There wasn’t even time to use the bathroom!  It was freezing and

snowing and the blue lights on the airfield made it look like a giant, welcoming Christmas tree.

It was 8:10 p.m. and a smiley Christy was waiting for me.  We grabbed a taxi and speed

away to the city, a short 15 minute ride from the airport.   I was semi-exhausted, having spent the major portion of the day in travel, and also relatively famished.  I have discovered, much to my dismay, that Finnair probably has the worst plastic air-food in the world!  

Having related to Christy my frustration with Finnair food and my desire to put something “real” between my teeth, she whisked me off to the Mòòkkala, a new seafood restaurant

near their apartment.  I gorged myself on Estonian snails with a delicious black basil sauce (remember that everything in Estonia is black and medieval), all washed down with a delicious French white wine. Tallinn, of late, has become very cosmopolitan chic.  No more

gigantic dead bears waiting on restaurant steps early in the morning to be hauled in and cut up as I had witnessed on my first trip there.

The food and international restaurants of Tallinn has always remained intrinsically ingrained in my mind since my first trip there, but on “this time around” I have discovered an increased number of new restaurants with an upward curve in prices. Things seem to be going in the direction of New York designer chic.  I am very happy that I have returned to Estonia at this time for in May they will officially become part of the EU and I am sure, unfortunately, that much will be transformed.  The direction of change is already evident.

My stay in Tallinn was really wonderful.  Christy & George had prepared me for the worst

by sending me weather reports with daily temps. of -12°c. to -25°c. before my arrival.  They had advised me to bring anything warm I possessed to wear.  On the contrary, there seemed to be a break in the bad weather while I was there with temps. hovering around zero to 10°c.  A blue sky even occasionally appeared from nowhere!

My days were leisurely spent wandering the cities winding and ice covered medieval streets, discovering new and revisiting already known sites, shops, museums and restaurants. 

Some views of Tallinn….

One day after a swim and a sauna I felt like I needed a “Greek fix” and tried a new Greek restaurant in the neighbourhood, the Vasilio.  You can definitely check this one off of your “to do restaurant list”.  The only thing Greek about it was the ouzo I had at the end of lunch!  My dear friend Nicos, The Islander, would have been embarrassed eating here. I used my limited Greek, as I said, I needed a Greek injection, and the Russian waitress responded to me in equally bad Greek!  It was all very New Yorky, designery Greek chic!

My late afternoons and evenings were spent “bonding” with Christy & George, their massive dog, Ingemar, and their black cat, who I don’t think has a name.  It was really

great spending time with them again.  We talked and talked, ate and ate and drank and

drank.  Christy would occasionally serenade us on her grand piano while George would

give me music appreciation lectures.  His background is also in music.  It was all very delightful, warm and loving.

I also did a lot of sketching and photographing while there.  Below are two quick sketches.

The first is a view from my window of rooftops and the second is a quick sketch of Christy, done while she was serenading us one evening on her baby grand.

I also went to Tallinn to do a workshop at George’s school.  They had invited me a number of years ago to set up their IB Visual Art’s Program and it was great to go back and see the progress which has taken place.  Their art teacher, Edna Vahter, is a gifted young

Estonian who believes in the IB Art program and in her students.  The excitement was contagious. 

Here are a couple of photos from the workshop….

I “performed” for a morning showing her students the intricacies of marbleizing (the art of

creating faux or fake marbles).  It was such a positive encounter for both the students and

myself that at the very end, having practiced doing various marbles, a couple of students

were so enthused by their mastery of the art that they asked if they could marbleize some old, wooden cabinet doors in the art studio.  I looked at Edna and asked if this could be done.  She nodded and said “go for it”! 

In the process of marbleizing the doors, the principal, George, and a number of other staff

members wandered though the studios in amazement watching their students enthusiastically redecorating their environment.  A number of teachers even gave the

students job offers to do things in their rooms and homes!  The students were very happy with their success.  So was I.  It was a “thumbs up” happening!

And, of course, I also returned to my favourite Russian restaurant, the Troika.  A trip to Tallinn would not be the same for me without a stop here!  I went, both with Christy & George, and I also snuck back there by myself during the day to savour their exquisite pelmini (dumplings in broth) and other Russian delights.  Bring the sour cream!!!  The best Russian food this side of St. Petersburg!   This is a must for your “things to do in Tallinn list”!

I also had a new experience.  A Finnish sauna.  This is another item to be put on your “things to do in Tallinn” list.  Luckily, Christy is a member of a health club which is on the glass enclosed top floor of the nearby mega-hotel, Olimpia.  She easily convinced me that I might want to go there, take a sauna and swim in their olympic sized pool while gazing out at Tallinn below.  I am already a devotee of saunas and Turkish baths so she did not

need to do a lot of arm twisting.   This, however,  was truly a delightful experience and I hastily made it a part of my daily routine while there!  It made me feel less guilty about eating all of those pelmini in delightful and numerous different sour cream sauces!

View from the top floor of the  Olimpia

My last day was consumed with last minute grocery shopping (how can anyone resist

bringing back a couple of Estonian cured hams and pastrami), picking up odds and ends here and there…..some fine linens and some hand blown glass created by local artisans, and then a mid-day break when Christy and I wandered off to take our last sauna and swim together.

We were happy, fresh, clean and exhausted as we left the hotel complex and wandered back into old Tallinn with a brisk wind caressing our faces.  I didn’t want the moment to end so I invited her to lunch at one of my, by now, favourite new places, the Mòòkkala.

It was a great “last moment” together.  We played at Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de

Beauvier.  Am not sure, even now, who was who.  All I can say, is that “it was another

historic moment”.

Ms. Beauvier

I left very early the next morning and after a brief layover in Helsinki, which allowed me

just enough time to pick up some delicious Finnish smoked salmon, I was back in Rome

by noon.  Rome welcomed me with open arms and I am once more in her warm bosom. 

The Tallinnese Boy