Tallinn

Estonia is a good deal more prosperous than Latvia. Post independence, the Estonians focused on building ties with Scandinavia, especially Finland with Helsinki a mere 80kms away across the Gulf of Finland (Estonian is also closely related linguistically to Finland). The connection has paid off and now Estonia is clearly within the affluent Nordic orbit.

While the world watches with interest the developments in Ukraine, the Russian land grab  has sent deep shivers down the spines of eastern European and Baltic countries. Latvia in particular, with Russians making up 40% of the population, is very nervous. Not that they expect a similar land grab, but it is almost now inevitable that the Russians will throw their weight around in this part of the world. The weak EU response has really alarmed people here and in particularly Germany's conciliatory approach to Russia (even though Poland is a more important German trading partner than Russia). Moreover, the economic sanctions imposed on Russia are in reality having the greatest impact on the countries closest to the restless bear.

Tallinn is lively city with a small but stunning Old Town. Much smaller than Riga, it does not have the magnificent 19th and 20th century districts of Riga but what it lacks in one respect, is more than made up for by the eclectic mix of old buildings and stylish modern architect in the districts immediately surrounding the old centre.