Most tourists flock to Paris for the kind of bread that breaks the will of even the most die-hard Atkins devotees, but the French aren’t the only ones who take their crust seriously. The Baltic state of Estonia could mount a marketing campaign based on their thick, black rye bread. Tinged with a slight sweetness from a pinch of sugar, the sourdough-like loaves are considered so sacred, Estonians kiss them should they fall to the floor, and are said to miss their native bread more than their mothers when living abroad. I am slowly rationing my souvenir loaf as I imagine expats do.
But Estonia is not only about bakeries. The land that invented Skype is a leader on the tech frontier. Schools, universities and public offices all have free Wifi, and most Estonians do their banking, voting and file taxes via the internet. Estonia’s President has been a leading campaigner for countries to band together in the international fight against cyber warfare. The nation is home to the world’s first think tank devoted to fighting cybercrime, a NATO-approved organization.
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And, a young, emerging arts community is rising in the shadow of designers under Soviet rule, who were forced into anonymity working for big factories. My guide is art professor Gregor Taul. We collect bicycles in the compact, medieval old city of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, and make our way past the waterfront, home to an edgy contemporary museum and plans for more creative spaces. We stop at the Estonian Design House, a café and collective showcasing the work of local designers, with workshops upstairs. Gregor tells me Soviet-style is enjoying a resurgence, some of which is sprinkled throughout the café. We ride to Kalamaja, one of Tallinn’s trendy neighborhoods in the northern part of the city, popular with urban professionals and families.
The wooden houses that dominate the neighborhood are part of Tallinn’s illustrated history. When the city was connected to St. Petersburg by railroad in the late 19th century, large factories popped up around the new trade route. The houses were built to accommodate thousands of factory workers. Some of them remain, creating a wooden house district.
We wander through a totally opposite atmosphere, the Balti Jaama Market, a sprawling Soviet-style (and in fact, many elderly Russians still shop there) market behind the train station selling new and old things at eye-watering prices.
Our tour finishes back at the port, at the just-opened seaplane harbor showcasing Estonia’s maritime history with a high-tech museum and aquarium. A life-size replica of the British Short 184 is on display, in a former seaplane hangar built in the early 20th century.
Naval artillery, submarines, and simulators fill the space, along with a cinema and aquarium. The working harbor is one of Tallinn’s vital arteries, with hourly ferries carrying Estonian workers back and forth to Helsinki.
Tallinn is perfect for a weekend of exploring the city’s off-the-beaten path offerings, or spend more time, and combine it with another Baltic city like Riga or Vilnius, easily reached by car, or with a layover on AirBaltic and compare how far each have come since the Soviet days.
