17. Review of Estonia

I'm in Tartu, 100km away from the border to Latvia. I expect to cross it two days from now.

The sun has been relentless, but I got some good advice on how to handle that, and treat weird bites, from Ea in Gothenburg. It is always good to ask for biking advice from Dutch people. 😄

These are the new skill points:

Strength: 0

Endurance: 0

Pigmentation: +2

Health: +1 (post-covid coughing is gone, and my right wrist - that I hurt in a bad fall from an electrical scooter in Sweden just before this trip - is not bothering me anymore)

New Estonian friends: 2?

And the Estonian review:

Environment: Maybe it is unfair to compare Estonia with Finland, but I just haven't been that impressed with the things I have seen here. You barely see any beaches on the northern coast, since it is obscured by reed from Tallinn and eastwards. The mixed type forests with high grass is not suitable for camping, and the farmlands doesn't provide any lasting impressions. Rivers, streams and ponds are brown and sludgy brown. Probably caused by excessive use of fertilizers.

The old parts of Tallinn and the entire city of Tartu are beautiful, but there are not a lot of fun things to do for a single traveller.

Food: Amazing! Estonians know how to cook, and the food and desserts are leaps and bounds better here compared with Finland. Borsjt, chicken schnitzels, some kind of foam meringue things... Everything I have tried has been great.

Bicycle friendliness: Estonia is very flat, and you don't have to travel much on highways. Road quality is also good, and the signs are really easy to follow.

That being said - it was a huge culture shock to find out how people drive here. While the Finnish motorist has safety as the main objective, the Estonian motorist only cares about obtaining maximum velocity at all times. The cars don't decelerate when they go past you, they accelerate like they would if they are overtaking another car. It has caused some scary situations, but nothing too bad.

Estonian people: Great english speakers, serious, icy. Smiling, laughing and joking are strictly prohibited in Estonia since the Battle of Narva 1700. But I have also met some amazing people, especially farmers in the countryside. I got offered free apples today from a man who chopped wood in tanga shorts, and also met a funny guy in Tallinn (a czech...). Making conversation with an Estonian is not that easy though.

Estonian women are tall, blonde, exceedingly beautiful, and terryfing. I have never been in another country where I felt this out of my league before. I'm curious about what dating in Estonia is like. It probably involves a lot of silence and awkward staring, but I haven't dared to try since most of them look like models. And I don't think they would be interested in a sweaty Swedish cyclist in hiking pants and crocs. 🤔