Tallinn - Boring Capital of the World

I went to Tallinn because I was planning on going from there on to Russia. And even though that part of the trip didn't work out (frigging Commies!), I still went to Estonia because I had already paid for my flight. I didn't realize that if I had just not gone, I would have lost my money, but I would have still something that is infinitely more valuable--my time. Because Tallinn is the most boring place that I have ever been to in my entire life. And I go to school in Waterloo, where mullets are still in style.

Parts of Tallinn are charming. The streets are cobblestone, there is lots of snow and the buildings are quite historical. In fact, their city hall dates back to the early 15th century. But after being in Israel for half a year, that seems super-modern to me. And other than the initial impression, the boringness of Tallinn soon sinks in. In fact, I was so bored that I even went to see a couple of movies. I finally got to see Closer, starring my former fellow Hebrew University student, Nathalie Portman. I wasn't terribly impressed, and am not sure why she's nominated for the Oscar for it. I also saw Team America, which despite its horrible political-incorrectness, found it hilarious. Haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I also saw a wonderful ballet, a production of Romeo and Juliet. The dancing and sets were wonderful, and the ticket was SO cheap! Only about $3.50. Tallinn was super expensive in every other area (basically as much as London), so it was a nice treat to have inexpensive theatre.

Funny thing about Estonia: the cinema concession stands sells alcohol, as do the mall food courts, almost all grocery stores and maternity shops (I was kidding about that last one. But I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.) On the few times when I bought a cider (it was cold, and I needed something to warm me up!), I first poured into my mug because I'm used to it being illegal to drink in public, non-licensed areas. But then I realized that they don't really care in Estonia. I was sitting in a mall (to escape the cold), near a bunch of guys drinking beer. When they got up to leave, they left behind their beer bottles. A lady at a nearby table saw that there was still alcohol left in one of the bottles, so she got up, took it over to her table, and drank it herself. Apparently she wasn't considered about sanitation issues. Ewwww. But I guess that if I'm actually going to India, I'm going to have to be a little more flexible about that type of thing. Can hardly wait.