Estonia - Day 1 Friday 7th September

Jagala Waterfall

Baltic Sea #1 attraction outside Tallinn!!! Look at all that water! amazing!!! We finally made it to the "biggest boulder in Europe"

Part of the wall and tower that surrounds the old city. Viewing Platform - looking out over Tallinn

We flew to Estonia this morning, arriving about midday - Mike, Louise, Josh and Me. Mike had hired a car so we went driving around the countryside. First we stopped off to see Jagala waterful. Then with all aniticipation we headed to the "#1 attraction outside Tallinn - Vilaste Waterfall". The picture says it all! We then drove out to see what was said to be the biggest boulder in Europe. We wound around unsignposted road by unsignposted road until finally when we were ready to give up we spotted a man and decided to ask for directions. Only problem was he didn't speak much English - in fact none! He drew an unidentifiable map then proceeded to get in the car to show us he way. Upon entereing the car we smell that he has been accompaning his fishing trip with ale! However, we make it to the boulder, one pen poorer as he decided that it was our gift to him for the directions, and one kiss on the cheek richer! After an event filled day in Estonian countryside we returned our car, and checked into our hotel in Tallinn before taking a stroll around the city.

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia and is divided into the 'old town', which was surrounded by a fortified wall, and the'new town' -with more recent buildings and developments. Our hotel was in the new town. 60% of people speak Estonian and 40% speak Russian and most speak a little English. The danish conqured Estonia in 1219. Between the Livonian and Northern wars Estonia was ruled by the swiss. Russia then ruled Estonia for 200 years from 1910 - 1918, when a treaty was signed by Russia giving Estonia it's independance. However, in WWII Russia again invaded Estonia and it was ruled by the Soviet Union untiul after the cold war in 1991. At the end of the 1980's the Estonians had a singing revolution for their independance. On the 13th August 1989 they formed a human chain of 530km long from Tallinn, connecting the 3 Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. However, the ex-soviet forces didn't leave Estonia until 1994.