Estonia: Fairytales, Soup, and Snow. OH MY!

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 countries most popular foods are black bread, pork and soups. And I have to say, I have never had soup so delicious as in Estonia. My favorite would have to be the salmon and shrimp cream soup! It was like the greatest sensation that cant be described, as well as very fulfilling.


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.

This was the first time experiencing a hostel, for some of my readers, they might ponder what a hostel is. The idea is set up for youth or frequent travelers, which provides them with a very cheap stay in a hotel setting. However the main difference is everything is community shared, the room, the bathroom, and the common areas. This can strike some skepticism in an Americans eyes I am sure. Immediately you say: "Strangers, WHAT?" "Will my things be stolen?" "Can I sleep in the same room as a stranger?" "How are the bathrooms, dirty?" I'm here to say that as my first experience, it was good. The room and bathroom were both very clean, the service was .... Ok I guess. I felt secure with my things being left with the public being able to get them. The thing that I/you have to remember is, everyone else in the hostel is going through the same scenario, travelling in a foreign country, taking the bare minimum; this is why everyone typically respects everyone else's privacy and possessions. There was however a very creepy guy that was sitting on the edge of his bed just staring at me while I was "sleeping" for about 10-15 minutes. Other than the creeper, I would recommend the adventure and opportunity to anyone who is looking for a cheap stay(15-20 euro). It leaves you with much more money to spend on other fun adventures!

I love the colors of the Estonian Flag!

Estonia in overview was a fairy tale land from the scenery that lacked enthusiasm from its people. 2 days is enough to see everything there is needed to see. I am very glad I had the opportunity to visit and experience it. While the temperature was negative 30 degrees and the people were cold, we stayed warm during the breaks in cafes and buildings and shrugged off the cold individuals. Visiting and travelling places are of top concern, and this is just another place to put in "Traveled/Accomplished" list.

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

Travellin' to the Ice Age

One of the greatest joys of studying abroad is being able to travel to the near countries surrounding your (already) foreign country. If you study in Europe you can take trains, ferries, and/or planes to go to the other numerous European Union countries. Same goes for studying anywhere in the world. It gives you a chance to expand your experience and compare even more places and learn even more about your very own culture and 'home-territory.'

Well I am having that very kind of experience, I chose to see a close friend in Helsinki, Finland. May I say first, the airplane tickets were next to nothing, a big selling point in my eyes! My friend is Turkish, and he has really shown his culture abroad in Finland by offering his home, his food, and his transportation. Something that I noticed about culture and social behaviors, is that no matter where you go, you will always be/show your roots from where you grew up. Its also amazing thinking about the people that want to completely and fully immerse themselves into a culture and try to change themselves. What these individuals don't know is that they will become more open-minded and diverse in thinking, but they will never fully change. Culture and behaviors are ingrained in people, and it could take 10's of years to chisel/change them, and yet still never fully.

Anyways, I left my house at 4:30AM to catch the Havas(an airport shuttle bus) at 5AM. My flight was at 7AM, so I arrived at the airport at 6AM with plenty of time to spare, given that the Izmir airport is fast and has a very organized layout. I arrived in Helsinki at 1PM after having a layover in Istanbul. My first thought, and you can laugh if you want, but I thought, "Why can't I land somewhere, where everyone speaks English." I feel sometimes like I will never be in a country where I can understand everyone.

Luckily though, Finnish people are one of the most intelligent individuals around the globe. They all know english, very well! From what I have learned from talking to friends and touring, Finnish people are safe, friendly, read A LOT, and know how to be prepared for snow! :P After walking around, I realized WOW, this place is creepily safe, for instance, I passed the "white house" of the Finnish president(woman), and there were no guards to be seen, anywhere! I asked my friend why there were no guards, I mean this is their president we are talking about, and he said 'this is Finland, its safe, there are no worries of that sort.'

Another fact that could cause this 'no worry' philosophy, is that in Finland there are no social classes. While walking around at a restaurant, a super market, an office building, a bus driver; they all make an average of 2,500 euros ($3,500) a month. There are no homeless, because the government will pay anyone without jobs or homes 900 euros until the individual can pick themselves back up.On top of this, universal healthcare, something America is currently aiming for, at least the progressive ones.

Helsinki has one of the best transportation systems in the E.U. which provides for reliable and fast moving between spots. In fact outside the house I'm living is next to a train station, so in the morning I can just walk out get on the train within 9 minutes and be off to my adventures. In comparison to Turkey, the traffic in Finland and America is much more quieter and planned. For instance, as a past experiment, I sat in a few cafes and counted the seconds between car horns; average being, 14-16 seconds. In Helsinki, like America, I hardly, if ever, hear car horns.

A few things I have seen was a huge "white church," it is absolutely gorgeous, and peaceful to sit inside. I also took note of Helsinki University, a university I was interested in when selecting a study abroad program. There was also the Russian Catholic church, built in 1854. It looks a little mysterious from the outside. It was also the first and only church in the world that doubled as a religious building and a lighthouse for the bay of Helsinki. I also found out that below the ground is like another city of shops, cafes, metros, and walking paths all over. This proves and shows how well and organized the city planning was carried out.

Over all I have enjoyed my first week here, I plan on writing more on this winter wonderland. In the mean time, I just bought tickets to travel to Estonia, where the architecture is lively and the population is 1.5 million. After a couple of days there, we will be in Finland on Sunday, and possibly think about going to Sweden! Oh the joys and wonders of discovering the new places in this place we call "Our World."