Best of the Baltics

After checking into the hotel room at Hotel Viru, the new guests grumble amongst themselves the room is a little chilly and they are thirsty.  Two minutes later, a knock at the door, and additional blankets and bottled water are provided by the house keeping.  It was as if the hotel was listening to the conversation to ensure that each guests needs were met to show how wonderful life was in the city.  Twenty-five years ago, that was the case, in the hotel, which claimed to have only 22 floors, but used the 23 floor as a KGB listening center, to eavesdrop and spy on the hotel guests.  Some hotel rooms had concealed espionage devices, for example small holes which cameras were inserted, and the tables in the restaurant had microphones.  People visiting from the west were given “special” phones because their room phones were not working properly.  The foot traffic on each floor was monitored by an assigned clerk, and anyone wishing to rent a car was given a driver, most likely a KGB agent. 

Since 1991, when Estonia re-gained their independence, life in Tallinn has changed.  Formally known as Reval from the 13th century until 1917, Tallinn is located at the northern coast of Estonia, on the Baltic Sea.  One third of Estonia’s entire population resides in the city, which equates to 430K, or roughly the same size as Bratislava.  Within Tallinn’s Old Town, the cobblestone streets wind around churches and restaurants within the castle walls.  Outside of the Old Town, you find where the old meets the new, with new buildings popping up and strong infrastructure, Tallinn has a highly diversified economy with strength in the information technology sector and a growing tourism industry.  Skype is one of the best-known of several Estonian start-ups originating from Tallinn.

About four hours’ drive south, on the banks where the Daugava River meets the Baltic Sea, you come across the city of Riga, Latvia.  Like Estonia, Riga suffered some of the same history as their neighbors to the north.  During World War II Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940, then was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941–1944, and again by the Soviets until 1991.  With a population of almost 700,000, it is the largest city of the Baltic States, and similar to Tallinn, 1/3^rd of Latvia’s population resides in the city.  Situated in Old Town, you will find the House of the Blackheads, which was erected during the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Unfortunately, the structure was bombed by the Germans in 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999.  Apart from the House of Blackheads, the old town consists of a variety of squares with outdoor restaurants and numerous churches, along with a large canal through the city center and large parks.

The final stop on my tour of the Baltics takes me back north, across the Baltic Sea, to the city of Helsinki, Finland, which is actually part of the Nordic Region.  Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland with a population of 616,000, and the northernmost capital of the EU member state.  The city is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, or about an hour and 40 minute by boat.  Finland is home to almost 200,000 lakes, while Helsinki is a city comprised of over 300 islands.  Upon entering the harbor, you are immediately greeted by the most prominent symbol of the city, the Helsinki Cathedral.  Helsinki's neoclassical buildings were often used as a backdrop for scenes set to take place in the Soviet Union in many Cold War era Hollywood movies, when filming in the USSR was not possible.

My trip through the Baltics and Finland was a nice time.  There was great weather, with the sun never setting before 10PM, and even then, the sky was still a light blue.  The atmosphere in each of the cities was festive and good food in all places.  In my travels, every so often I come across an odd American brand in a random city which I have not seen anywhere else outside of the US.  Whether it was RC Cola in the High Tatras of Slovakia, or Dunkin Donuts in Sofia, Bulgaria, I have not seen these items anywhere else.  On trip, I came across Baskin Robbins in Riga, which I proceeded to try a cup.

Tallinn, Estonia

 Riga, Latvia

 Helsinki, Finland

Traveling through Transylvania

My initial pass through the security check point was pretty easy.  I mean, how could anyone not get pass the photo id and ticket check?  Especially in an place like Vienna, where I think they only care that you have a face.  Then it happened “Sir, your flight ticket is for tomorrow”.  Fortunately that was not me, but the guy behind.  As he ran to catch his ride before they departed the airport, all I could say was “that sucks” to the security guard.

Bucharest is the capital of Romania, with a population of 1.9 million, it lies 40 miles north of the Danube River separating Romania from Bulgaria.  Between the two world wars, the city earned the nickname “Little Paris” with is elegant architecture.  As capital of an Axis country and a major transit point for Axis troops en route to the Eastern Front, Bucharest suffered heavy damage during World War II due to Allied bombings.  After the end of World War II, the country fell under the control of communism, and the ruthless Dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu.  Ceaușescu's regime became increasingly brutal and repressive.  He maintained controls over speech and the media that were very strict even by Soviet-bloc standards, and internal dissent was not tolerated.  His secret police, the Securitate, was one of the most ubiquitous and brutal secret police forces in the world.  In 1982, with the goal of paying off Romania's large foreign debt, Ceaușescu ordered the export of much of the country’s agricultural and industrial production. The resulting extreme shortages of food, fuel, energy, medicines, and other basic necessities drastically lowered living standards and intensified unrest.

Ceaușescu’s regime eventually collapsed at the same time other revolutions in Europe were occurring.  Known as the Romanian Revolution, it was the only violent removal of a Communist government in the course of the so-called revolutions of 1989.  Ceaușescu and his wife fled the capital in a helicopter but were later captured by the armed forces. On December 25, the couple were hastily tried and convicted by a special military tribunal on charges of genocide and sabotage of the Romanian economy in a two-hour court session and immediately shot by a firing squad.

While most of the buildings survived numerous damages as a result of war, earthquakes, and Nicolae Ceauşescu's program of systematization, they have been neglected and are in the beginning phases of restoration under the new administration.  The city is slowly in the process of changing, and walking through the downtown area, you get a sense of the old and new coming together.  One thing still crazy is the traffic, especially for cars taking left turns.  With each light, it is seems that numerous cars crowd the middle of the intersection at multiple points, and then as the light changes, they somehow manage to break free of the chaos and make the turn.

Three hours north of Bucharest you will find the historical region of Transylvania in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountains, and extending into the west to the Apuseni Mountains.  The region of Transylvania is known for the scenic beauty of its landscape and its rich history, but is also commonly associated with vampires.  On the border of Transylvania, you will find Bran Castle, better known as Dracula’s Castle.  There is however is no evidence that Bran Castle was used as the setting for Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.  The castle has only small association with Vlad III, a member of the House of Draculești, who resided in the castle for only a few days.  The castle was recently put up for sale, and can be yours, for upwards of $100M.

Visiting Vienna

One hundred years ago, a group of six assassins gathered in Sarajevo with a goal that would eventually change the world.  On June 28, 1914, as Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria motorcade passed, a grenade was tossed in the direction of the car, injuring people nearby.  As the car proceeded, other failed attempts were made to take the lives of the passengers which the motorcade successfully evaded.  When the assassins thought all was lost, an inadvertent turn led the motorcade to come face to face with Gavrilo Princip, the 6^th assassin, and with his pistol in hand, shot and killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.   While the political objective of the assassination was to break off the south portion of the Austria-Hungarian Empire to form Yugoslavia, the result was the invasion of Serbia on July 28, 1914.  At the same time, Germany saw an opportunity, and invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, leading Britain to declare war on Germany, and the start of the first World War.

No other war had changed the map of Europe so dramatically; Numerous nations regained their former independence, and new ones created including Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, with the Transylvania region shifted from Hungary to Romania.  Austria would become much smaller but the capital still remained.

Known as the city of music, Vienna is consistently ranked as one of the top cities in the world in terms of living and quality of life.  Consisting of 1.8M people, the city is located about 45 minutes (55km) west of Bratislava, and apart from Rome/Vatican City, the closest pair of world capitals.  Stephansplatz square is the geographical center of Vienna, and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In the middle of the square lies St. Stephen's Cathedral with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols.  A short walk in either direction, you will find the Vienna State Opera or Rathaus (City Hall).  The city is also home to the numerous museums and parks, including the Wiener Riesenrad (German for "Viennese giant wheel").  A couple subway stops from Stephansplatz is Schönbrunn Palace, which also is home to Tiergarten Schönbrunn, the zoo in the palace gardens that claims to be the oldest one in the world.  In the zoo, you can find almost everything, from giant pandas (3), red pandas (2), Koalas (2), cheetahs (5 – 3 recent cubs), and my favorite, the two polar bears in their new exhibit.

With Vienna so close, I have really enjoyed day trips for Oktoberfest, Christmas Markets, New Years Eve, or just spending a summer day at the zoo or walking the city have been very nice.  One must not forget to try a piece of Vienna at the Sacher Hotel across from the Vienna State Opera House.  The Original Sacher-Torte has been the most famous cake in the world since 1832 and the original recipe remains a well-kept secret of the hotel.