Latvia and Estonia – June 2016

We made brief stops in both Latvia and Estonia on our way to Russia and we enjoyed both a lot. Many call them the “Baltic States,” but they prefer to be known as individual countries. I feel badly even lumping them together in this post. I still don’t quite understand how these two countries, quick to exit the USSR when they could, flourished so. They are both lovely, inexpensive, friendly, and inviting – they would make a great vacation trip for bargain hunters.

Estonia is particularly interesting. They ranked as having the second lowest corruption rate in the world. (How does a country coming out from under USSR dominance do that?) They’re rated the most “connected” country in the world, with free wi-fi available almost everywhere.

In 2007, a Soviet war memorial was moved from the city square of Tallinn (the capital) to a less-prominent location. Russians saw that as an outrage and have since been accused of launching a massive “denial of service” cyberattack that shut down the country for 21 days. As a result, NATO stepped up its cyber defense research center in Estonia. Some worry that because of their history of being a part of the USSR and the large population of Russians, the “Baltic” countries could be at risk of becoming Putin’s next Crimea. The locals we talked to all said “no way, we’re part of NATO, it could never happen.” I sure hope so.

On a lighter note, Estonia is famous for its Song Festival. Dating back to 1869, and based on peaceful protests that twice led to independence, this festival is held every 5 years. 30,000 people come together and sing in harmony – it’s worth a look on youtube. The next one is July of 2019 – mark your calendars!