The city of Tallinn is charming, beautiful, and full of fascinating history. Below are some of the places I explored during my time in Estonia:
Walking tour of Old Town
Alis was our tour guide for Old Town. When she realized she was with a group full of teachers, she explained that “all teachers and students are sweet, but no one is made of sugar”. ;) Alis openly expressed some of her thoughts about the current situation in Ukraine. A few minutes into our tour she stated that “gas is expensive, but freedom is priceless”. She explained that Estonia has taken in over 47,000 refugees so far.
Old Town is a mix of the past, present, and future. The oldest pharmacy in Europe began in 1422 in Tallinn and is still an active pharmacy today. I learned that the word “Baltic” means “white” representing the sea when it freezes.
The Estonia flag consists of three colors; blue is for the sky, black is for the earth, and white is for the good (peace, freedom, etc.)
E-Estonia: “The story of the world’s most advanced digital story”
In 2000, e-Tax board: Estonians are able to declare taxes online
In 2001, all schools implemented a computer class
In 2002, e-ID and digital signature: 98% of Estonians have an ID card
In 2005, i-Voting: maximizing accessibility to local and general elections
In 2008, Blockchain Technology: scalable blockchain in technology KSI is developed by Estonia cryptographers
In 2010, e-Prescription: a centralized paperless system for issuing and handling medical prescriptions
In 2013, all textbooks used in schools are digitalized
In 2014, e-Residency: a borderless digital society for any global citizen to join
In 2015, the world’s first date embassy: Estonia green-lights plan to create a first data embassy outside its borders
In 2020, Proactive Child Care: when a child is born, a population entry activates all of the following services, and the family gets all the benefits they are entitled to automatically
In 2020, Covid-19: “lockdown started on a Friday and we continued as usual on Monday” -presenter
In 2021, the world’s first autonomous hydrogen vehicle: the hydrogen shuttle Liisu, developed by Auve Tech and researches from University of Tartu, is aimed at enhancing last-mile transportation
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Kadriorg Park Gardens
Kadriorg Regular Park showcases Baroque design techniques characteristic of various European countries – Italian terraces, Dutch canals, French axisymmetrical road network and parterre, and Russian flower selection.
Construction of Kadriorg Palace and the Regular Park commenced in the summer of 1718. Peter the Great, the Tsar of Russia himself, was present, and Nicola Michetti, an Italian architect. The plan included a three-level ensemble where the Lower Gardens in front of the palace would be located on a low plateau, while the Upper Gardens behind the palace would stretch across two terraces.
KGB Museum
“In Soviet time, Hotel Viru was good enough to accommodate foreigners. It also had to be good enough for the KGB…The museum represents a collection of the stories of two worlds. In one of them, mostly existing on paper, happy Soviet people enjoyed a life of plenty and friendship, led by a single wise political party. The other world…the real one– has a nature much more diverse and complicated.”
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