I just got back from a weekend visit to Helsinki and Tallinn (for those who don’t know, Helsinki is the capital of Finland and Tallinn is the capital of Estonia). It felt nice getting a break from Russia, but I wasn’t really sure how the trip would relate to my Russian studies. However, I figured there must have been some connection or else the trip would have been pointlessly included into our itinerary. I found out, though, that the four-day excursion was not a secret vacation. Rather, these three countries share a lot of history and culture with one another. Upon arrival in Finland, Helsinki’s cleanliness was the first thing that struck me: the streets were not dirty, there was not empty beer bottles and cigarettes littering the ground, no smoggy smell oppressed my senses. I also might have said at first that the people were more friendly there. But, upon further reflection, this is probably not true, as I only had superficial interactions with waiters and tour guides. This predominance of assumed niceness skewed my perspective. Also, virtually everyone in Helsinki knows English, so asking for directions and getting to know people was, for me, much easier than in Russia. Being accustomed to bustling metro stations and crammed trolley cars, Helsinki (a smaller city than St. Petersburg) felt more relaxing. Contributing to this seeming calmness were also several parks located throughout the city. Just walking through trees and on grass felt great after two months of pounding pavement and looking at apartment buildings. Apparently, Russians in the past recognized the therapeutic potential of Helsinki and during their periodic reigns over Finland established Helsinki as the capital of the autonomous republic, while also making it one of their main vacation destinations. Despite the former imperial rule, there does not seem to be any lingering bitterness against the Russians in Finland: many Russians live, work, and go to school in Helsinki as well as visit their as tourists. From what I saw and heard, they get along just fine with each other. However, this is not the case with Tallinn/Estonia, a surprise to me as Tallinn felt much more Russian/Eastern-European than Helsinki. I spent the whole of my time in Tallinn in the medieval, super-touristy Old Town, which provides an interesting contrast to nearby downtown with its skyscrapers and other modern buildings. Souvenir shops and expensive cafes were the norm in Old Town, so I did not get any glimpse of the how modern Tallinn operates. Despite missing out on contemporary Tallinn, our tour-guide gave us a brief history of Russian-Estonian relations why modern Estonians dislike Russia. I heard (and keep in mind this might not be the whole picture) was that over the years Russia dominated Estonia against the people’s wish and thus there developed a hatred of Russian by Estonians. The tour-guide, who made sure to tell us that she did not agree wholeheartedly with the rest of her fellow citizens, shared an Estonian saying that goes something like, “Hatred of Russians comes from the mother’s milk.” This is all so strange, though, because so many Russians live in Tallinn and it almost felt like I was back in Petersburg while there. I do not understand the situation completely, but I have witnessed now the inveterate resentment that has caused (or at least has helped to cause) so much war and destruction. Whether or not a potential common ground exists, it pains me that an inherited hatred arising from a bygone history of conflict prevents Estonians from seeking reconciliation. After spending a day in Tallinn I returned to Russia, unexpectedly feeling a sensation of familiarity with the place. Although it was not like coming home or seeing my family, the warmth made me glad to know that I have formed a connection with Russia, albeit only a personal, internal one. I might have felt different having seen how Estonians view Russia negatively and why, but I feel like there are incongruities between what the Estonians thought Russians were like and reality. It would be interesting to here a Russian’s side of the story, though. All in all, though, it is sad that former territorial acquisitions must continue to separate a people who might otherwise get along. Anyway, check out the new pics I put up of Helsinki and Tallinn’s Old Town. Until next time, adios.
jakecrumbs 
Yes, the sour relationship between Estonia and Russia is sad, and of course it didn’t help that the country was annexed to the Soviet Union after WWII (it is also true that Russians considered Estonians fascists – because there was a special nazi brigade consiting exclusively of Estonias, thefore victory over them was part of defeating the nazi Germany. It is of course more comlicated than thta). But what Estonias don’t say to their tourists is how many times they (either independantly or as part of another country) invaded Russian lands and tried to annex Russia’s territories (one famous example is from the 13th century, another one – from the 15th (the one that involves Novgorod but there are many more). Needless to say every time Russians kicked their asses. On top of it, when Russia became an empire, Peter the Great annexed a lot of what was peceived by locals to be Estonian and Sweedish lands – although, technically some of them weren’t – Tallin itself is an old town build by Russians! – its initial name was Iuriev – named after St. George, the paitron saint of the Prince who build the first fortress there. I bet you never hear that from an Estonian tour guide! So, yes, there is a lot that both Estonias and Russians twist in their interpretation of history.
Thanks for providing the Russian perspective, I can’t believe Russians built Tallinn!