August 12, 1998 Wednesday

The hotel taxi driver took me to the Old Town and showed me the historic points of interest. The driver was a tall, thin, angular, middle-aged Estonian who spoke some English. It was interesting, but in the afternoon I took a self-guided walking tour of the same area and got more out of it by reading the literature. The town went back to the thirteenth century. It had been overrun by all of its larger neighbors at one time or another. The latest occupant was Russia. It has only been independent since 1992 and still fears Russia. It was like sleeping next to an elephant. You never know when it will roll over.

The most striking ruin was of a church that had been damaged by wars and fire. Part of it had been restored and was used as a museum. There were several monuments of Estonia’s heroes. The university buildings were scattered about, leaving plenty of green park-like space between them.

The Estonia women were blonde, blue eyed beauties. Most of them were slim, small built and not overly tall. They show their Nordic origins. The ones who worked in the hotels were pleasant and helpful. On the street, however, the average natives appeared cold and distant. They passed me and each other looking straight ahead and with no expression on their faces. It was as if they were fearful of each other. The guide book said if you can get past their cold exterior they could be warm friends. You couldn’t prove it by my experience. Maybe they thought I was a Russian because of my beard.

The girl at the reception desk made a reservation for me at the Riga Hotel in Riga, Latvia. I also had my bus ticket.

Tartu was first mentioned as a city in the eleventh century. It was a pleasant place with a river flowing through it and walking bridges to cross over. As with most of these old country towns there were many small parks, each with its own monuments commemorating the country heroes. Many of the ancient buildings and cathedrals were in the process of being restored. It would be easier to tear down and build a new building, but a piece of their history would be lost. Besides, the old buildings and crooked cobbled streets were wonder for drawing the tourists with their ready cash.