The Estonian wool knitters were happy to have a chill mist greet us this morning. We indulged a practical shopping urge and bought hand-made gloves and mittens. A blue hat for Judi substituted for the blue sky we expected, but had grey instead.
August 20 is Estonia’s national holiday, marking it’s Restoration of Independence. A little more than twenty years ago, Estonia voted in unprecedented number for a constitution following Soviet rule.
Today, Estonia’s flag flew proudly, waving a band of blue for the sea, black for the bad times, and white for liberty.
In the streets, soldiers in shiny black boots marched and sang. The sense of nationalism was palpable.
As ironic balance, we visited the Russian KGB museum at the top of the Hotel Viru. Before glastnost, this was the surveillance headquarters for the Baltic. A listening room was manned by ten KGB officers during the decades ending in the late 1980s. They disassembled equipment piece by piece for smuggling it out of the hotel when they returned to Russia. Even this act maintained the policy of denial to the very end of Occupation.
The door to the electronic transmission room remains lettered to this day, with a warning in Cyrillic and in the Estonian language, “Nothing is here.”
Of course, there must be food as part of our day. Three of us found the Bear Bar, featuring bear cutlet. Despite the theme and the sad picture outside on the marquis, the kitchen had no bear.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
notnyet 