🌎📍Tallinn
History
Walking around the streets of Tallinn, I was struck to see so many buildings, gates, and artifacts from the era of the Crusaders in the Middle Ages. As someone who has always enjoyed studying History, I really felt like my High School History lessons and textbooks were coming to life right in front of me, as I walked around castles built as early as the 9th century.
I have already visited quite a few Medieval towns before — yet, the Medieval buildings were always located in the outskirts of the city, and the artifacts were kept in a museum. Tallinn, on the other hand, stood out to me from all the other places I have visited because the Medieval buildings and walls are all immersed in the middle of the city.
Unique characteristics
The photo on the left exemplifies this striking Medieval presence right in the middle of the city. It was taken at 11:30pm (yes — it gets dark super late at this time of year here), while the Dialogue group and I were heading back to our hostel after going to a local bar. On the street of the hostel, I passed by several medieval structures built in the 13th century, such as the structure illustrated in the photo on the left.
In which other cities would you bump into 18th-century structures on your way back from the bar on a Friday night?! Only in Tallinn…
For lunch, the group decided to have lunch two days in a row at the Central Market of Tallinn — it has plenty of delicious and affordable options that satisfy everyone's cravings and dietary preferences. It is definitely a great (and quick on-the-go) lunch spot, especially our tour days, as it is close to a ton of important Estonian historical sites.
The photograph on the left was taken on the 21st floor of the Tallinn TV Tower, which possesses an observatory with a spectacular view of the entire city and the ocean.
Pro tip: they also have a nice café on the last floor of the Tower with this awesome view.
If you like a good adrenaline rush: visitors have the possibility of hanging off of the edge of the building and walking 360º around it on a path without glass or any type of protection.
Business
If you're already impressed with Estonia, you just wait. I was absolutely blown away to hear how technologically developed the whole country and its citizens are.
The DOC group watched a presentation at the e-Estonia showroom, a government office created in order to, among other things, share the success story of Estonia’s strong IT sector. I speak on behalf of the entire group when I say that we were ALL in awe of Estonia's such efficient use of technology.
Did you know that, in Estonia, you will take approximately 18 minutes to open your business, from your mobile device or computer?
What about that 99% of services in Estonia are available online — all services except 1. marrying/divorcing and 2. buying/selling homes?
If you’re interested in becoming an “e-Resident” of Estonia and starting your paperless company in the EU, click here.
The DOC group attended an event called Latitude 59º, which featured more than 150 startups, 200 investors, and 2500 attendees — among the guest speakers were Kersti Kaljulaid, the president of Estonia, and Péter Halácsy, the co-founder of Prezi. This was an awesome opportunity to study more about business in such a developed country as Estonia, and to network with highly respectable businesspeople about how their respective businesses succeeded in such a competitive market. Pro tip: the event also had really good food trucks!
