While I was in Finland, my friend and I decided that we should make the best of my stay and visit some surrounding countries. I mean come on, travelling is my biggest enjoyment in life and I love a good tour/adventure any moment of any day! We decided that first we would take a look at Estonia, now mind you, it has a population of a whole 1.5 million people, about half of the population of Izmir, Turkey. I was quite skeptical and intrigued, that an entire country could be so small.
I took a ferry/cruise ship to Tallinn, Estonia which lasted about 3 hours. The ship was huge and filled with Russians, Finns, and some Estonians. Now you may wonder why people choose to go to Estonia for a weekend. I mean really what is there that is so awe inspiring? I may warmly say that the landscape is gorgeous, but it is not the scenery as stated by the people I had talked to. It is the money! Finland is a very expensive place to live, and the Estonians live quite cheaply. Let me put it into retrospective:
Note: 1 euro is about $1.40
A piece of cake from a cafe: Finland: 5-8 euros Estonia: 1euro!
Souvenirs(any): Finland: 5 euros Estonia: 0.5-1 euro.
Cider at the bar: Finland: 5-7 euros Estonia: 2-3 euros
Soup: Finland: 8 euros Estonia: 2 euros
Standing around in Old Towne, Tallinn, Estonia. |
As you can see there is a HUGE difference in the prices, which leads people from finland to take a mini vacation; spas, fancy restaurants, sight seeing, stocking up on their monthly alcohol(for Finnish individuals, this is a must, as I have observed). Another thing that caused these low prices was that as of January 1st of this year they changed their currency to the euro from the Estonian kroon. With the change they are attempting to change country-wide. While the kroon was quite cheap the prices were cheap, so whilst using the euro, they will most likely need to adjust accordingly.
Worlds Best Soup! |
The customer service, everywhere, was quite lacking and cold. At the cafe it took 5 minutes just to get acknowledgement from the waiter, the waiters in restaurants were also cold, very direct with answers and had a lack of humor. The Estonians in general from my perspective were cold and uninviting, as with any place with the cold weather, I'm sure. A huge difference from the warm and inviting Turkish culture!
The hostel, the end of the hall was our room. |
I love the colors of the Estonian Flag! |
This is Mcdonalds even! Yumminess for 4 euros TOTAL! |
I was not happy about the cold, AT ALL! |
Just the usual pose! ;) |
Of course I had to try some Estonian hookah/nargile! :D |
1 comment:
Thanks Dustin! Your writing is guiding not only exchange students but also other visitors to Estonia. Especially, advices of the prices and the customer service are the most useful ones for me :-)
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