Tallinn, Estonia & TLC

On Sunday afternoon in Tallinn's town square, two people born on the same day of the same year got up from their table and danced. They were inspired by a couple that were at least twice their age who had already been dancing for a few songs. They told their waitress that they were going to dance the kaerajaan.

As to the quality of their rendition of kaerajaan, the Americans decided to believe the waitress when she said it was great. And did it matter? Just to think of dancing Estonia's national dance on one of Estonia's independence days was grand.

On 20 August 1991, Estonia formally declared its independence as a nation. Fifteen years later, I visited Estonia's capital city with two co-workers and a friend. We took an early morning, 90-minute ferry from Helsinki, arriving in time for a mid-morning coffee and breakfast to energize us for a walk through the medieval streets, past the Orthodox and Lutheran churches and many Hanseatic buildings.

It took all of three hours to walk the town, we then stopped for a lunch and went to the town square to see what sort of independence day celebration might ensue. Before anyone took the stage, most of the seats in the square were taken, but we were able to get a table at one of the bars with a view of the stage. And so we sat and awaited the show as we savoured our Ale Coqs.

The show began with an adorable, seven year-old girl singing the Estonian national anthem. Maybe it was the beer, but tears came close to my eyes as I listened to her song. After this, Estonia's president, Tallinn's mayor and another military figure took their turn on the stage, with other patriotic songs interspersed among the speeches.

I did not understand a word of Estonian, but I appreciated the importance of national pride to a country has mostly been subject to larger powers throughout its history. And I thought of a comment from one of the Estonians I had met that day: In 1917, Estonia declared its independence from Russia; in 1991, Estonia declared its independence from the USSR; and in 2004, Estonia joined the European Union. In any case, let's hope that the EU is a more beneficial larger power than tsarist Russia or the Soviet Union ever was.

After the speeches and patriotic songs, the melodies took a definite festive turn. It was at this time that the aged couple were dancing something like a polka, but not identifiable to us or to the wait staff in our restaurant. This, of course, did not inhibit my desire to try to dance to the music. And so, Rita and I danced what we believed to be the kaerajaan. Does the name of the dance matter? I think not.

After the dance we learned more about Estonian and Russian culture from our servers (Maria and Trinu, or SDG), ate our dinner, and then walked back to the ferry. On the ferry to Tallinn, I spoke to an Estonian girl the whole time and I never got to the observation deck. So, Rita and I made a point of visiting the deck on the way back. There is little in this world quite so pleasing to me as being on a boat and feeling the wind in my face. Even more so when the weather is pleasant!

The long Sunday in Tallinn came one day after a very long day in Helsinki, and that after a late night, and, I think, I felt the consequences on Monday morning. I had nasal congestion that lasted until recently. It didn't help when, after dinner at Aino's on Monday, I went to Fazer's for dessert. Truffle ice cream and a cinnamon roll, to be exact. And then I learned of TLC's passing on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I decided to leave a day early, so I stayed at the office until after 7:00 to make sure that the work would get done in my absence.

Of course, our Finnish counterpart chose a night like that to invite us to dinner. No matter, we went to Porvoo for a lovely dinner overlooking a lake. Porvoo is Finland's second oldest town, almost 700 years old, and it includes many cobblestones, as previously mentioned, great views of the lake from the hilly city centre. Despite wondering whether I would have time to pack and sleep off the cold before my 5:30 AM taxi-ride to the airport, I decided to imbibe a few glasses of wine along with my escargot and lamb dinner... Later on, when reception woke me up with a call at 5:37 to let me know that my taxi was there; I sort of regreted the over-exertion.

TLC
Despite the full days in Helsinki, I managed to get to Chicago in time to join friends and visit the wake of our friend, Tracy. Here, I'm not sure what to write.

Suffice it to say that I still expect a response from her from an email I sent on Monday morning (Helsinki time). She was thinking about flying to Puerto Rico to visit me; she might have joined another friend, and the three of us would have enjoyed San Juan in style.

And let me add that every summer was more enjoyable for her part in it. And now, as summer 2006 comes to an end, more than just a terrestrial season has passed; a life has ended, a body no longer moves on this earth, a personality no longer contributes to my life.

I'll conclude with the fact that good memories and thoughts of her have swarmed in my mind in the last five days, from Burger Time to Boise, Idaho. Her spirit will be carried onward in the memories of the likes of me and her other, dearer friends. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for her response about Puerto Rico...