Travel & Holidays in later life

Reg Butler, on a tour of the Baltic capitals, discovered that the 3-hour morning ferry from Helsinki was crowded with Finns on a day trip to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

At the information desk of the huge vessel, they said all the other 15 daily crossings were equally packed. Most Finns would just go briefly ashore and return on the next ship. Or maybe they'd return early next morning. 

The explanation isn't a thirst for sightseeing, culture or a desire to see how the former Soviet satellite is coping with a decade of independence. 

Instead, the big attraction is the ultra-low cost of cigarettes, alcohol and a night on the town, including non-stop striptease till 6 a.m. One bar in the local "What's On" magazine advertises the curious mixture of billiards and striptease.

Aboard ship or ashore, standard international cigarettes like Dunhill, Rothmans or Marlboro are ridiculously cheap. But shore prices are set to increase steadily until they reach European Union levels. 

For travellers from high-taxation Finland, a carton of 200 and a bottle or two of vodka can save the cost of the return ticket. So the rest is all profit and fun. 

Ashore, our tour group revelled in the low drink prices. Our evening meal and breakfast were included, but a cafeteria lunch set us back just a few pounds. Even in thetop restaurants a main course was not much more expensive. 

The local guide filled our ears with stories about the big changeover from Soviet rule to independence. The keynote in June 1988 was the outbreak of the Singing Revolution.

The Estonians have a long tradition of folk-song and dance festivals. On the city outskirts is a purpose-built Song Festival Ground where up to 30,000 singers in folk costume take part in a big parade and song-fest every summer. Another 100,000 people come to listen. A dance festival takes place in another stadium.

In 1988 the Song Grounds turned into a political rally, night after night, ending with over 300,000 Estonians voicing their demand for self-government. That was about one-third of the ethnic population, impossible for Moscow to ignore.

The Estonians say "We sang ourselves free." It was a Singing Revolution without any victims, though some people got sore throats. 

Estonia certainly has plenty to sing about. In May 2002  Estonia hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in  Tallinn. The main local theme that promoted the Contest was "A Modern Fairy-Tale" based on Estonia's rapid rise into one of the most successful independent states in Eastern Europe. It's a decade-long story with a happy ending since breaking away from Soviet rule.

Today's sightseeing can't avoid the historic political background. The city centre is pure medieval. Perched on a hill called Toompea is a castle like an inner town, the base for over 700 years of foreign rulers. The Danes, Germans, Swedes and Russians all had their turn.

Consider these other Baltic destinations

HELSINKI - go when the sun shines

LATVIA - Varied weekend in Riga 

LITHUANIA - The bumpy road to Vilnius

Estonia - the Bradt Travel Guide by Neil Taylor - a good down-to-earth guide, written by an expert who makes frequent return visits to Estonia.

Lonely Planet: Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania - A collaboration of three authors to cover each of the three Baltic States.

Baltic Capitals - A perfect buy for a multi-capital journey that features Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and the very off-beat Kaliningrad, and including a brief glossary for each language. 

Baltic States Insight Guide - a comprehensive survey, to be published from April 2005.