I was lucky to have a window seat and no one next to me on the flight from Berlin to Tallinn. At first, it was completely overcast and I could only admire the clouds from above. Over Estonia it cleared up, and the endless tundra of the northern countries, the jagged shoreline of the Baltic sea with endless little islands and eventually Tallinn became visible. Even from above one could see the mix of decline and modern development, ruins and villas, new highways with old cars. It was my first time in Estonia and I was not sure what to expect. And, boy, was I pleasantly surprised. What a lovely city Tallinn is.
The architecture is a harmonious mix of old buildings with thick stone walls and modern houses, cobblestone roads, shops and high-rise buildings. The streets are in a good state and buzzing with old cars, new vehicles and the tram that is omnipresent. The drivers are polite and pedestrians actually stop when the traffic light is red. Such a contrast to the chaos on our South African roads.
The Old Town is full of historic buildings with one restaurant, hotel, night club and souvenir shop next to the other. I was booked in the Old House hostel, very basic but full of character with furniture and wallpaper from the fifties or sixties, and beds that also feel that they are that old 🙂
On the first day I walked around the Old Town and harbour area and did the holiday/touristy thing. It was amazing to see how many artist studios, cafés, pubs, galleries and historical sites there were. Every little nook and cranny had a souvenir stall with wonderful Babushkas, knitted warm scarfs and beanies, colourful felt slippers and glass art or Amber jewellery etc, etc. And everybody could speak English! The positive multicultural vibe was so refreshing.
That evening I met 27 other people from 20 different countries in an Indian restaurant who were in Tallinn for the same reason as me. We came to take part in a 10-day therapist course in Tantra massage. Out of respect for the subject matter and some readers I will not go into detail here. Suffice it to say that Tantra massage is not about sex, Kama Sutra or any other kinkiness, and there was no intercourse, but it is about the sexual nature and energy that we all have in us and how to release this energy, not only for pleasure but for healing, spirituality and as a positive life force for everything that we do. The teaching is based on the Tantric and Ayurveda traditions from India and our teacher was a Yogi, not an old Indian with a long beard but a modern Israeli about my age or a bit younger. It was an intense and invigorating course and so beautiful to see how blockages were released and lives literally changed in front of your eyes. It was such a blessing to have been part of it.
Thank you Liina, Katri, Johannes, Aanika, Eva, Tine, Kanicha, Ülle, Sabina and Nataśa and all the others. Thank you Soma, our teacher, and Liisa, his wonderful wife with the most amazing smile.