May 27, 2008, 5:11 GMT
Tallinn The kajaks glide gently across the waters of the Finnish Bay with a tourist group that has been underway on the Baltic Sea for three hours. All have rosy cheeks from the sun and wind and all eyes are directed at tour guide Bert Raehni who is showing them the Estonian capital Tallinn from an unusual perspective.
'A guided tour of Tallinn from the waterside', is what this trip promises and it takes in all the important sights. 'The old quarter of Tallinn has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and years before that it was the first complete city in the former Soviet Union to be awarded the status of a listed monument,' explains Raehni as he paddles the group back to the harbour.
The tourists are fascinated by the silhouette of the Estonian capital, an impressive vista of towers in all shapes and architectural styles. Baroque cupolas, Gothic spires, medieval gables and onion-shaped towers compete for attention. Tallinn or Reval as it was known until 1918, seems like a giant open-air museum. Yet despite the flair of its old houses and alleyways and rich Hanseatic legacy this city is not living in the past.
The centre of Tallinn has been painstakingly restored but at the beginning of the 1990s, when Estonia gained independence, the glass towers of banking houses and hotels mushroomed too. Nowhere in Estonia is the sharp contrast between past and present more evident than here.
Students in velvet-trimmed robes or traditional garb try to lure tourists into medieval-style restaurants while a few streets away their high-heeled contemporaries flock to the city's fashionable bars, buy bus tickets using their mobile phones and flip open their laptops wherever they can find a hot spot with free access to the internet.
'Nevertheless, one of Estonia's greatest assets is its unspoiled natural landscape,' says Raehni, who recommends that guests venture outside the capital to get to know the countryside beyond.
The rugged coastal landscape in the north-east of Estonia is best explored by sea kajak and for those who are interested there are tours to the border of the Lahemaa National Park around 70 kilometres east of Tallinn. The forests and moorland around here are full of elks, bars and wolves, dragonflies whirr through the air and the oak trees on the wayside are adorned with bright ribbons to denote their sacred status.
The landscape has a Scandinavian feel to it which explains why Estonia tends to appeal to active holidaymakers who enjoy riding, canoeing or cycling. Not surprisingly, there are plenty of operators catering for this demand. One of them is Aivar Ruukel, who lives on the edge of the Soomaa National park, around 120 kilometres south of the capital. His home is a watery world of swamps and fens with thick forests and flood plains.
The first thing that strikes visitors to the bank of the Raudna River are the odd-looking boats lying hereabouts. These are 'Haabjas,' the single log dug outs which are probably the oldest type of water vessel known to man. They are propelled using a long paddle.
Aivar Ruukel is a member of the Estonian Historic Ship Society which organizes trips around the country in preserved watercraft, using an old clinker-planked wooden trawler on the central Vortsjaerv lake or a Hanseatic barge for river excursions on the Emajoegi river.
This waterway leads to Lake Peipus, Europe's fourth-largest lake which separates Estonia from Russia. This expanse of freshwater is lined with row upon row of wooden houses interrupted here and there by an Orthodox church or a jetty.
The men set off from these berths on fishing trips and when they return, the catch is nailed to walls of the houses and sheds to dry out in the fresh air. The practice has been handed down through the generations along with the knowledge that fish treated in this way are some of the most delicious to eat. A good place to try a fish dish served with the local hot tea is the 'Fish and Onion Restaurant' in Kolkja.
Life on the banks of this lake has changed little over the centuries and tourists in search of peace and quiet will appreciate the profound stillness of these parts where the only noise is the singing of birds and the rustling of beach tree leaves.
Estonia's second-largest city of Tartu along the Emajoegi, some 30 kilometres west of Kolkja, offers a lively contrast. The cafes, restaurants and galleries around the town hall square are thronged with visitors. Around 100,000 people live here, a fifth of them students.
The medieval Lutheran Church of St. John hints at the glory years of Tartu as an important trading city on the border of western Europe and Russia and its role as a member of the Hanseatic League. The house of worship lies only a brief distance from the university and is renowned for its 1,000 terracotta figures.
During the summer holidays, the streets of Tartu are emptier than usual. On such long days when it never seems to get properly dark at night, Estonians feel the urge to take to the boats themselves and spend their holidays exploring the country's watery byways.
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