Estonia - Day 1

So amazing to be back in Estonia. I think it's been 10+ years since my last visit. A lot has changed. When I first came here back in 1994, it was still very obvious that this place had once been under Soviet rule. That is no longer true. At least in the modern city center. I once remember saying that visiting Helsinki, Finland or Stockholm, Sweden were glimpes of what Estonia would have been without the Soviet occupation. Well, I was right. In the 20+ years of being independent, the Estonians have all but erased the evidence of occupation. There are modern and western shopping malls and movie theaters and I haven't seen one Lada (which was a ridiculous Russian vehicle with a motor about as powerful as the one that powers your Dad's riding lawn mower). Estonia has joined the West. Western Europe to be exact. Which of course could be a mixed blessing. My cab driver from the airport spent time telling me about Estonia's economic difficulty. Small potatoes when compared to Greece, but still hard for those who call this place home.

Old Town Tallinn is still one of my favorite places on earth. Old cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafe's everywhere, quaint buildings, beautiful flowers, etc. If you try you can almost picture the peasants selling their wares with the princes and knights riding through on their horses. It's sometimes magical to be in a place 1000 years old. Today the food in those cafes is a bit more expensive and there are WAY more tourists than I ever remember, but the place is still charming. And while there IS a McDonalds in Old Town, there is no Starbucks anywhere. Some may think that sad, but I'm pleased that Old Town has mostly maintained the "old." Of course, a Starbucks in one of those malls that is pretty close would be just fine. I guess while many toursists have discovered this little, great place, Starbucks and other western commerical endeavors have not. Something tells me it's just a matter of time. And more than likely I would just learn how to say, "grande vanilla latte" in Estonian.

My first full day has been fun. I connected with some old friends who live in Spain but are here for the same reason as I and I had plenty of time to explore some things on my own. I'm calling it the calm before the storm. The conference starts in a couple of hours. Giddy up.