Further proof that Tallinn is the ultimate blend of a capital city and a small town. When I had two hours before a dinner, I strolled through Old-town to Nimeta Baar. Nimeta, or "No Name" is a Scottish expat bar I frequented some ten years ago and played on their soccer team when the ground wasn't frozen solid. Ran into an American who I probably last saw at the same bar. He had moved back to the States sometime in-between to work with a software company for a year and a half. What's great is his company let him move back to work remotely by broadband and help cover European time zones. Then ran into another American who originally came here on a business school exchange program and a Scot I knew who was just visiting as well. Somewhere around eighty percent of the expats I knew ten years ago are still here, for darn good reasons.
Apparently, despite the weather, I am here at a good time. Tourism exploded in recent years, and in the summer Old-town becomes a suburb of London or something. This summer should be even more extreme, with Easyjet.com offering $50 round trip tickets out of London and Berlin. Prices are noticeably different than ten years ago because of tourism, EU entry and uneven growth.
While Old-town has managed to curb development to retain its medieval feel, the changes in the Skyline and streets are dramatic. The good people are still largely the same and living a great life.
