A TRAVEL LOG WITH A HAPPY, SPECIAL OFFER ENDING
Estonia, one of the newest European Union (EU) members and a place that 95 percent of our readers, I bet, know little or nothing about. So dear readers, EW is going to give you some basic travel log info to get you up to snuff and then we are going to hit you with the biggest deal of the century to get you an EU second passport through the graciousness of Estonia's forward looking government. This is one not to be missed.
OK let me get on with the travel log: Tallin, is the essence of Estonia. The capital of Estonia is a former Soviet-occupied city having a population of 412,950 living in an area a quarter the size of Singapore, It is filled with mediaeval buildings, iconic church steeples and quaint parks, as well as cafes, restaurants and lounges waiting to be discovered within its numerous nooks and crannies. "Estonia may be a cold country but the people have warm hearts which make visitors feel very welcome and comfortable. It has happened that what starts as a weekend discovery trip leads to a long stay.
Mr Aswani, who is also the honorary consul of Estonia to Singapore cme for a weekend and stayed for 12 years before going back to Singapore and applying to become Estonia's honorary consul in Singapore.
The most famous landmark in the city is St. Olav's church. It was the tallest building in the world in the 16th and 17th centuries, with its steeple reaching 159m high. It was said to function as a signpost for maritime traders to spot Tallinn far out at sea.
It was struck by lightning several times and burned down a few times too. During the Soviet occupation, it was also used as a radio surveillance point. Today, the church stands at about 123m and observation deck is open for visitors to get a view of the Old Town, a tourist attraction with numerous churches, medieaval markets and historic buildings flanked by cobblestone streets and iron street lamps.
So EW asked Mr Aswani what is the best time to visit? Year round was his reply. "In spring, you can enjoy the colourful blooms in the city. In summer, you can take long walks in the parks or enjoy a refreshlng ice tea in the summer terraces of the numerous restaurants in the Old Town square.
In autumn, capture the beautiful foliage, in winter, be amazed at the tranquility of the city when it is snowing. The average temperaure in summer is 20 deg C and in winter, it is 15 deg C. In spring and autumn, it is about 10 to 15 deg C.
Despite the beauty of the different season one should not visit during October and November which are generally not very favourable due to the rain from the autumn storms. Mr Aswani advised EW that the one item you must bring along is an Estonian phrasebook. The Estonian language is considered to be one of the, most beautiful in the world. Hence, the language is cherished by Estonians and if a foreigner says a simple "aitah" (say I-takh) for thank you or "jatku leiba" (say yat-koo ley-ba), which means "may your bread last" and is said before meals, many doors will open for you.
How do you get from the fareast to Tallinn or for that matter from the USA to Tallinn? Finnair is the answer. (www.finnair.com) operates flights to Tallinn via Helsinki from all parts of the world. The flight from Singapore to Helsinki is about 11 hours and 30 minutes, while the flight time from Helsinki to Tallinn is 30 minutes.
GETTING AROUND -- The best way to explore the city is on foot. All the main sights are within 30 minutes' walking distance in the city centre. The sights include the Old Town, the Kadriorg neighbourhood where the city's largest park, the Kadriorg Park is located, the seaside near Pirita suburb and close to the Passenger Port in the center.
Public transport in Tallinn is cheap and accessible, and costs ¤3 for a day ticket for trolleybuses, trams and buses. Go to www.tallinn.ee for more information on routes and schedules.
There are places in the city that can excite people. There are a lot of hidden corners and secret stairs in the city which are riddled with history. Aswani once stumbled upon a staircase in Luhike Jalg, a pedestrian walkway up to Toompea Hill in Old Town where the government buildings are. The stairs were flanked by art galleries, cafes and mediaeval walls. Tourists should take a walk around Old Town and see what they can discover. Go to www.tourism.raliinn.ee for a list of suggested itinera
FOOD AND WINE -- Do not leave the place without trying black pudding, a blood sausage with groats, which are whole grains of different cereals. It is the most popular Christmas holiday dish in Estonia. You can get it from most restaurants for ¤8 to ¤10.
Seafood has always played an important role in Estonian cuisine and consists mainly of pike-perch from Lake Peipus, a lake between Estonia and Russia, marinated or smoked eel and Baltic dwarf herring.
Pork is historically the most important meat in Estonia. Pork with rich gravy, boiled potatoes with dill and sauerkraut is a traditional Estonian main course.
Game such as rabbit, venison, elk (especially smoked elk sausage), brown bear and wild boar are also typical of what you would find on an Estonian dining table.
One of the most popular Estonian treats is kohuke, a small cottage cheese bar covered in chocolate.
You can find these dishes at Olde Hansa, a mediaeval restaurant, or Mekk, a modern Estonian restaurant which offers a fusion of traditional Estonian and New Nordic cuisine. The price of a meal in these restaurants is about ¤35 to ¤45.
A cool place to chill out is W i n e Library in Old Town because it has a selection of at least
250 wines from countries such as France, Italy and Spain and a wide array of food including beef carpaccio and grilled pork filet with baked potatoes. The 24-seater restaurant is a cosy place to relax over a glass of wine after work. Appetisers cost ¤9 to ¤10, sandwiches cost ¤7.60, main courses cost around ¤15, while a glass of wine costs ¤4.50.
CULTURE BLIPS -- What is a big no-no in Tallinn? Wasting bread! Because of its strong agricultural heritage, Estonians treat bread with great respect as the essence of life. So you will be frowned upon if you throw away bread or not pick it up if it falls on the floor.
Estonia is noted for it's sightseeing using technology. Estonia is a truly digital city and you can access in-depth information about most attractions via the QR codes on tableaus and leaflets. QR codes, short for Quick Response, are tiny black-and-white barcodes that store or link to data online when you scan it using your smartphone. There is free public WiFi in many cafes and the city centre so you can access such information without chalking up a huge phone bill.
Your editor has been to Estonia and found it a charming place but it didn't meet up to his life long standard of, "if I wake up and don't see a palm tree, I don't stay long" criteria. For others, the perpertual autumn weather is a blessing. Now for that special happy ending to our Estonia story we present you with:
ESTONIA NOW
Sometimes you think you've done a good job promoting something very worthwhile and then you find out you've not done such a good job.
Expat World's publisher said about it: "This is the best deal he has seen for an EU residency in his 25 years of publishing."
A lot of readers have a feeling of dissatisfaction and they want to "do something;" they are ready to act. But here are some sobering statistics that show how "not alone" you are:
Per Gramps and Bob Bauman of International Living, 6 million Americans will leave this year. The wealthy and productive. New émigrés will take their place but many million fewer. This are uniformly poorer although there are China families of wealth that want to come to Estonia. And many land in Vancouver, B.C. rather than the U.S.
In 2001 the U.S. State Department reported 6 renunciations of citizenship for the year. Now renunciations have grown to 6 a minute and the State Department is charging for the privilege of saying "No thanks."
And there are citizens from other countries that would have considered the U.S. and now are "jumping over it" and landing in what would have been for them a second tier choice a few years ago.
Is the U.S. finished and, say, Italy, roaring with prosperity? Obviously the answer is no to both. The U.S. may be the last man standing as a cascade of countries bite the dust from bad governance. To many, the U.S. doesn't deserve the accolade, but that doesn't make it not true. The question is how nasty is it going to get as the beast struggles to survive with less food - and the only food it does get comes from you or is you.
The "Six Flags" theory of survival and prosperity don't need to discuss whether a country is right or wrong or evil or good. It does suggest that folks who embrace its philosophy are more fluid than the many. And change hotels, so to speak, when service declines or the price goes up too far too fast.
For the squeamish, this is a 100% front door program. It is based on your present citizenship. Some folks don't want that, but for those who do, it doesn't get better than this.
The "Estonia" part in urging you to get Estonian permanent residency right now is, frankly, irrelevant unless you'd like to settle in a high latitude country that is not at the saturation point in its development curve - it is rising and it is well positioned to supply goods and services to both the rich Nordic countries to its west and massive Russian market to the east. Let alone to growing Poland and consumptive Germany. They're right down the coast from Estonia.
What Estonian permanent residency truly is a gateway to the 27 OTHER countries that form the European Union. Unless Estonia is your target country, permanent residency there gives you "no questions asked" permission to live in ANY EU country you choose. Plus Switzerland.
Want peace and low cost? Portugal. Want solid economy and opportunity? Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Want sunny bargains? Spain is up for grabs. Want Florence or Tuscany farms? There's Italy. Want English speaking countries? Ireland and the UK plus the Normandy and Brittany coasts of France. Everything you've read in a travel guide is yours for the taking. Not asking. The taking.
Just like every other developing country, as soon as the word really gets out, the program will be discontinued. And you will be left knowing you could have had it and could be living somewhere in Europe. And think about "somewhere" - you have the right to live anywhere. Unless you want an EU citizenship and passport, you needn't "check-in" anyplace. You can travel totally invisibly around Europe. You don't need your passport. No country even knows you are there unless you want to tell them. And even if you do "check-in" for a couple years to pick up your EU citizenship, you can "check-out" by leaving that country.
This program is everything you used to have to head for South America to find.
Start your application today and start rigging your chute and start working on your portable trade or occupation skills for you and your whole family.