Monday, June 30, 2008

HEAD AEGA

It is time to say "Head aega", literally "(wishing you a) good time" to Tallinn. Tomorrow we leave Estonia, having spent three wonderful months here. As with any other trip or experience, we have regrets that we have not been able to do as much as we might have, but we also have fond memories of what we did see and experience. I will bring with me a lot of pictures in my camera, and a lot more in my head. I will also bring home a new screen saver, a view of Tallinn taken from the Pirita pier just as the sun is setting across the water.

There are the famous icons on this skyline. The tallest structure in the middle is Oleviste Kirik (Church), a starkly Lutheran structure built by the folks in the lower town to show the rich guys on the hill that they could build a taller church steeple (and you wonder why modern Estonians are so competitive?). To the left of Oleviste is the Toom Kirik, or the Dome Chuch that has all the coats of arms of the noble households of the Baltic Germans. Further to the left you can see Pikk (Tall) Hermann where the flag still proudly flies. To the left of the tower is St. Nicholas Church, the incredibly ornate Russian Orthodox church with its onion-shaped towers. Moving further left is the steeple of the Holy Ghost Church (where my parents were married), and more to the left is the tower of the old city hall, Raekoja (Radhus in German). To the left of this is one of the protective towers of the Old Town. The twin towers belong to Karli Kirik, or Karl’s Church, which is like the national cathedral, where the important national ceremonies take place.

But the most prominent structure on this skyline is not a church or a tower. It is a smokestack! There it is, to the right of Oleviste Kirik – a huge, ugly beast intruding into the peaceful gentility of the Old Town. Every old picture of Tallinn I have seen shows this stack belching smoke, including a picture taken by my dad from exactly the same place sometime in the 1930s. Below is a paining done in 1967 that shows the stack in all its glory.

The power plant that fed the stack is long gone, but it is impossible to eliminate this stack from the picture, for it is now a historically protected monument! A smoke stack, for heaven’s sake! Oh, well. It's nice to know that with all the change occurring in Estonia, at least some things will remain constant. I look forward to seeing that smokestack on the skyline the next time I come, and I hope this will be soon. Head aega Eesti!

-- Aarne

8 comments:

AndresS said...

Aarne - your blog was very enjoyable. Filled with interesting historical and personal stories. Hopefully leaving Estonia doesn't mean the end of your blogging.

Anonymous said...

Unk and Libby - Maybe I'm just an old softy, but some of this stuff really gives me goose bumps. :) Thanks for sharing all your experiences with us, I for one am glad that I can consider myself as part of those memories.

Love you guys, and see you at Christmas time?!

Bilbo

E.V. said...

Such a good blog--keep it up, Unc and Libby!
Love,
Ems

Dasanjos said...

You spent only 3 months in Estonia??
You have a wonderful blog, and your writing stile is so good and easy to read.
If you want to write about something else, let us know so we can follow up!
Head Aega!

Emerson Experiment said...

Aloha from Hawaii--my son is doing some research on Estonia (specifically the Singing Revolution) for National History Day here in the US. I was wondering if you could point us to some primary sources, people or documents directly reporting/witnessing the revolution as it unfolded? I've got lots of secondary sources but we'd love to get in contact with people that were there or part of it?

Would you be able to help?
Please let me know? my email is fia.emerson@gmail.com

Thank you so much!
Fia

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Nende {elundi neerumaksast munarakud annetavad luuüdi, munandit ja on 100% tõsised kontaktandmed .. email; Clevelandclinicmanagement@gmail.com
sest meid on palju
patsiendid, kes vajavad praegu neeru siirdamist.
Otsige võimalust müüa oma neer raha rahastamiseks
Me ostame teie
  neeru 800 000 euro eest
Maks: 600 000 eurot
Munasarjad: 300000 eurot
Luuüdi: 500000 eurot

ja meil on ka Vib / aids ultra vibros 11 ravimeid, mis võivad neid ravida või võimaldada pikemaks puhkuseks

Saatke meile e-kiri

EMAIL; Doctormichaelapa007@gmail.com
E-post; Clevelandclinicmanagement@gmail.com

Whatsapp: küsige minult

Tervitused

Michael

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