TALLINN

The Old Walled Town of Tallinn

Welcome to Tallinn, Estonia

"Welcome to Tallinn (tal-een), Estonia," my new little friend said. 

She spoke in English but most Estonians can speak Russian, German, Finnish, French and their native Estonian.

"You look very warm all made up in wool," I teased.

"Oh yes, it can get very cold up here. We are on the same latitudes as parts of Alaska and northern Siberia. Back in 1941 we had our coldest temperature of -43.4C and the crows froze mid-flight. But our summers are actually quite warm, over 20 C, the sun shines for 18 hours and darkness never falls. I can read one of my knitting patterns outside without artificial light."

"We only really have two seasons where I come from - very hot and warm," I offered trying to sound just as interesting.

"Oh, that's nothing," Woolamiena shot back. "We have five seasons here - summer, autumn, winter, spring, and spring floods when low-lying areas become inundated and everyday trips are made by boat."

"And I understand during your long hours of darkness you like to throw off all your lovely woollen clothes and have saunas with each other," I said cheekily.

"Yes, and use a birch, or oak, or juniper whisk to flail each other to get the blood circulating!"

"Oh, I thought being naked in the sauna might have been enough!", I winked at her.

"Who's that in the lovely, red woollen vest looking at us?" she said suddenly, ignoring my remark.

"Why, that's my current wife, Michele and we call her vest a jumper."

"Why did you say she is your current wife?

"I was just being silly. Come and meet her."

"What have you two been talking about?" Michele asked.

"The weather, mostly," we said together.

"I have been admiring all the wool in your shops and laneway stalls around Tallinn and the wonderful scarves, and hats, and mittens all made locally," Michele said. "And what is that steeple and stone building across the road?"

"That's St Olaf's Church," Woolly said proudly. (We were getting on so well I had come to call her by her short form) "It used to be the tallest church in the world you know. From 1549 to 1625 the spire was 165 metres tall but rebuilding after fire has reduced its height. And the other building is called Fat Margaret Tower as a fortification and warning to would-be invaders."

"So Estonians are a pretty religious lot then?" I asked.

"Well, we Estonians have a rock solid faith in many things - such as flat tax and the advantages of a right wing economic model or that pouring molten lead into cold water on New Year's Eve can predict the New year - but we have a harder time with organised religion. Yes, Estonians are thought to be the world's least religious people," Woolly announced triumphantly.

"But there are church spires everywhere," I say.

Woolly rose up indignantly on her stockinged woollen feet and pointed to the gateway at the end of her cobbled street. "That was the entry to the old walled town of Tallinn. We have been defending ourselves against invaders for centuries. My ancestors possibly date back on this site 5000 years. There's always been someone trying to knock us down. We were an important trading port between Scandinavia and Russia and became a target for the expansion of the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades in the beginning of the 13th Century when Christianity was forcibly imposed on the local population. Danish rule of Tallinn started in 1219." Woolly was now getting her curls in a tangle just recalling this dark period of her country's history. "Finally we are an independent nation of 1.3 million people after the breakup of the Soviet Union."

It was clearly time to say our goodbyes as beads of sweat were starting to cause the colours to run in Woolamiena's scarf. We hugged and pecked each other on both cheeks and made our way towards the Town Square and she called after us, "Why do you call them jumpers?" But we thought better of trying to explain Aussie humour and just waved goodbye.