Estonia? What the heck?

Estonia is a nation that many Americans have probably only heard a passing reference to. Heck, a lot of EUROPEANS are fuzzy on the details.

One reason is it's small (about a quarter the size of Kansas), and it only has 1.3 million in population, and had the misfortune to be assimilated into the Soviet Union following World War II.

People have lived in Estonia since the Bronze Age, in fact there are graves about 40 kilometers (20 miles east of Tallinn that you can visit that date back at least 9000 B.C).

Tallinn, the capital where the wedding will be, was first mentioned on a map in 1154. It was then called Kaleweny.

It took its first steps toward a true nation-state when Denmark conquered the territory in 1219. Since that time, it has been controlled by Swedes, Germans, and Russians. The country won its independence in 1918 following World War I, and then regained it in 1991 after the Soviet coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev.

Geographically, Estonia has always been desired by its neighbors because of its ports and as a link between east and west.

Estonians are part of the Finno-Ugric line of people, which includes the people of Finland, Hungary and people that live near the Volga River and the Ural mountains in Russia.

As you can see from the map, for travel purposes, you have several options. You can find a flight that goes directly to Tallinn. You can fly to Helsinki, Finland (Vantaa Airport), and then take a bus or taxi to the port, then take a 2-hour ferry to Tallinn. You can fly to Riga, Latvia. A bus from there to Tallinn is about 4 hours.

Estonian language/ Eesti keel

Want to endear yourself to Estonians? Learn some Estonian.

It's a difficult, almost impossible language, Scott thinks. There are 14 cases in the language, no gender, and no future tense (the joke is - no sex, no future). And pronunciation is paramount.

And it's even more difficult to learn because Estonians aren't used to hearing accented Estonian, like English speakers are used to hearing accented English. So if they can switch to English, they will.

The good news for foreigners is that everybody pretty much under 40 speaks English nowadays. But you're a guest in their house, so a few words wouldn't hurt your image as an Ugly American (which, compared to places like France, isn't so bad).

We would suggest the following, to show respect:

Tere (tear-eh): Hello. The first part sounds like tearing a book, not crying.
Ja: (yaa): Yes
Ei: (A): No
Palun: (Pall-un): Please. The nice thing about Estonian is it often sounds like it reads. Just put the stress on the first syllable
Aitäh: (Eye-tah): Thank you.

That's your Estonian language starter kit. We will continue lessons.

Read also: Douglas Wells, former Peace Corps volunteer brought to light the true roots of Estonian language.

Exchange rates / raha vahetamine

For foreigners coming to Estonia, dealing with a different currency can be a headache, and exchange rates fluctuate.

But no worries! This might be the best summer to come to Europe for a long time, thanks to Greece, which has been hiding budget deficits and driving the Euro down on the dollar. There's even some talk that the Euro might collapse completely. That would be ... exciting.

Estonia has its own currency, the kroon ('crown' or 'cr-own' is the correct pronunciation - 'crow-nee' is the plural).

The kroon is linked to the Euro at a fixed rate, so when the Euro drops, so does the kroon against the dollar.

About 10 years ago, when the dollar was really strong, 1 dollar would buy 19 krooni. A few months ago, it was 1 dollar for 9. Now it's about 11.7 and rising again.

We suggest if you are new to dealing with currencies, you print out some cheat sheets to help you, both in Euros and krooni, and any other country you are going to visit, before you come here.

Passports / pass

For Americans, if you don't have one yet, this should be your first priority.

The procedure is simple. Go to a photo store or shop, and get a set of passport-sized photos taken of you.

As a rule, Scott believes, it's best not to smile. Some countries you might enter might consider you frivolous or an 'easy mark' (thinking about a certain Russian border guard). So he advises to keep a neutral expression.

Go to your local post office, fill out the forms they require, and pay the fees. As Scott remembers, you can select a one-month or a three-month option for delivery. Don't delay. We're already about a 100 days out from the wedding.

Every country in the European Union requires no VISA for Americans to get in, but you have to have a passport.

Rossija

Want to really do something unique? Go to Russia. For those New Worlders coming, you are never going to have a better chance.

St. Petersburg is a 5-hour bus ride away from Tallinn, and Moscow is a direct flight. It's a great country with amazing history. You just have to know ... it's Russia, which means you'll have some punches thrown your way in terms of your expectations on how society should work, and you'll have to bob and weave.

But if you go with your expectations set at an appropriate level, are canny, and have a sense of humor, it can be a fantastic time.

Scott went to the British Museum in London a couple months ago, and has been to both the Hermitage in St. Petersburg (several times) and the Kremlin museum. He thinks they both blow away the Brits.

The art galleries and the Czarist-era palaces are amazing in their own right.

The difficulty is that you will have to apply for a VISA. There are local tour operators in Tallinn that can help. What is needed is a Xeroxed copy of your passport, and you have to fill out a form. So if this is something that you would consider, it's something you can't wait on without all sorts of expensive fees.

Eesti keeles:
Julgematele külalistele Ameerikast soovitame minna Venemaad väisama. Viisa on muidugi kulukas, aga tõenäoliselt on see nii mitmelegi külalisele ainulaadne võimalus oma silmaga Ermitaaž ära näha näiteks.

Vacation packages / puhkusereisid

For those coming from the United States, once you are in Tallinn, you might want to consider taking a holiday in the Old World. I mean, if you are flying all this way, why not spend a few hundred dollars to vacation where you have always wanted to go?

In terms of pre-determined packages, the main tour companies operating out of Tallinn's airport this summer are Nova Tours and Horizon Travel.


This summer Nova Tours is flying packages (where you are picked up at an airport, and shuttled to a hotel) to five sites in Turkey, five sites in Bulgaria, and to the islands of Crete, Rhodes, and Santorini.

Horizon Travel hasn't put out its summer catalog yet, but is sure to include the Mediterranean sites already shown on their home page.

If you are willing to take a ferry across the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki, you can catch a pretty short bus ride to the Vantaa Airport. The Finnish company Finnmatkat offers packages to the following countries this summer: Bulgaria, France, Egypt, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and Albania. Outside of Europe, there are even more.

Estonian Air is the main air carrier out of Tallinn. You can pretty much get from Tallinn to anywhere you want in Europe very cheaply and quickly and make your own accommodations. You can see from the map on their home page that there are many destinations you can fly to direct or make connections to.

There will be other packages and charters announced as we get closer to summer. For example, we have taken charter flights twice to Dubrovnik, Croatia, which is a place many New Worlders don't know anything about. But we liked it so much that we went again a few years later. There is a little fishing village just outside of Dubrovnik called Cavtat which is a slice of heaven. We've also traveled to Montenegro, Bosnia, and Albania, which all have amazing landscapes and histories. So don't think you have to go to Paris to have an interesting adventure.

If you have questions or language problems, or just need plain help getting to a particular location, that's what Kristel and Scott are here for. Contact us, either in the comments or by e-mail.

Lühidalt ka eesti keeles:
Ameerikast tulijail soovitame kõigil kasutada võimalust, et juba nii kaugele tuldud, miks mitte vaadata pisut ka Euroopas ringi. Erinevad reisifirmad pakuvad sobivaid pakette, või siis on võimalik minna omal käel rändama. Meie muidugi soovitame Horvaatiat ja Albaaniat kui kohti, kus oleme käinud, tagasi läinud ja valmis veelgi minema.

Hotel reservations

We have arranged for a special deal for guests at the St. Olav Hotel in Old Town, Tallinn. This hotel, located on Lai Street, is a five-minute walk from the reception location, and less than a 10-minute walk from the church. You, of course, are welcome to find an alternative location, but we're offering this as an option.

Eesti keeles:
Kaugemalt tulijaile oleme korraldanud majutuse St. Olavi hotellis. Hotell asub Laial tänaval, viieminutise jalutuskäigu kaugusel vastuvõtukohast ja kümne minut kaugusel kirikust.





Here's some shots from inside the hotel to give you an idea of what it is like:
Siin mõned pildid, milline hotell välja näeb:


Here is the look of one of the rooms. Each room is unique (there is even one that has a glass floor that looks at an archeological site below).

There is a special price arrangement for our guests, very affordable. Please contact us for details!.

Here are some photos to give you a taste of what it looks like. It's an interesting mix of modern and old. The building dates back to the 15th century:

Kõik hotellitoad on erinevad, ühel neist on lausa klaaspõrand. See 15. sajandist pärinevas hoones olev hotell on huvitav segu moodsast ja ajaloolisest. Üks öö kaheses toas maksab umbes 600 EEK ehk pool sellest, mis muidu sellise asukohaga tuba maksma läheks.








What we need to know from you is how many rooms you need, and what dates you will stay, so we can facilitate your reservations.

Laulatusest ja vastuvõtust / Of wedding ceremony and reception

Meie laulatus toimub Tallinna Jaani kirikus. See on minu esimene kodukogudus, kus mind on ristitud ja leeritatud. Meid laulatab õpetaja Jaan Tammsalu.

English:
Our wedding ceremony will take place in Tallinn St. John's church at Vabaduse väljak, at very heart of Tallinn. This is Kristel's first parish church, she was baptized here and went to confirmation class. St. John's is first Lutheran church in Tallinn that was built for Estonian congregation in 1851. We will be wed by pastor Jaan Tammsalu.

- : -

Laulatuse järel olete oodatud vastuvõtule Tallinna Õpetajate Majja, mis asub Raekoja platsil. Siin saame koos veeta mõned tunnid, nautida sööke ja jooke ning kaunist muusikat. Meie külaliste seas on vähemalt seitsme rahvuse esindajaid, aga saame hakkama kahes, eesti ja inglise keeles. Ja kui keegi peaks jääma mõne sõnaga hätta, siis kindlasti lahke naaber abistab.

English:
You are all welcome to a reception at the Tallinn Teachers' House at Raekoja plats, in the heart of Old Tallinn. We will spend few hours together here full of nice food, wine and good music. There will be at least seven nationalities present at our wedding, but we hope to manage in two languages, Estonian and English. In case you get in trouble with language, your good neighbors will most likely be happy to help!