My second son forewarned me, Estonian women are the most beautiful in the world he avers. I can confirm his comment although sometimes battling the crowds of particularly ugly cruise ship tour groups that now frequent the tiny capitol city of Tallinn it can be hard to spot any locals at all.
Arriving at Tallinn international airport we cruise through immigration in less than 5 minutes and our bags are already there. Customs similarly a breeze and a few short minutes later we are in our taxi covering the mere 4 km to our central city hotel. Would have to be the easiest international arrival ever!
The Estonians laboured under the heavy yoke of Soviet rule and was a broken economic backwater at the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now it is booming economically with a particular emphasis on the “e economy” and has been described as a Baltic tiger. Tourism is also a heavy earner as it is now a par of the many Baltic cruise itineraries and is a favourite stopoff for two main reasons. Firstly the tourist “Old City” is small and compact and easily covered in 1 day even with the masses of humanity disgorged from the cruise ships that clog the narrow laneways. Secondly it is incredibly beautiful. The best thing to do here is just wander get lost in the winding narrow cobble stoned lanes and enjoy the views.
