Wednesday 30 September 2015

There’s a New Motorcycle on the Road – and it’s Estonian!

The Estonian made Renard motorcycle

I know a few motorcycle enthusiasts out there who should appreciate this article.  The new Estonian-made Renard motorcycle is now available retailing at €45,000 each. To learn more about this exciting new product, click here: http://estonianworld.com/technology/theres-a-new-motorcycle-on-the-road-and-it-is-estonian/ Source: Estonian World

Tuesday 29 September 2015

Estonia Ranks No.1 in the 2015 International Tax Competitiveness Index


The latest figures are out and Estonia has been found to have the most competitive tax system in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The International Tax Competitiveness Index scores the 34 member countries of the OECD based on the following five categories in order to rank the most competitive tax codes in the industrialised world.


To read the full results, please click here: http://taxfoundation.org/article/2015-international-tax-competitiveness-index?mc_cid=0475683e0e&mc_eid=3b6d74cb96


Monday 28 September 2015

Remembering the Victims of the MS Estonia Ferry Disaster

Twenty-one years ago Europe suffered its worst ever maritime disaster during peacetime. 852 people lost their lives whilst travelling on board MS Estonia as she sailed from Tallinn to Stockholm on the night of 27th - 28th September 1994. Today we remember these lost souls.

Memorial in Tallinn.

The Broken Line monument in Tallinn.


50 Countries with the Most Powerful Passports. The Ultimate Passport Ranking.



The top ten world passports are:

1. Sweden
2. Finland
3. Germany
4. United Kingdom
5. USA
6. Denmark
7.Canada 
8. Spain
9. Belgium
10. Netherlands

I have dual citizenship with Estonia and Australia. Not a bad combination to have.

To read the full list, please click here:

Saturday 26 September 2015

Great News! Kohver Released and Back Home in Estonia | News | ERR


Abducted Estonian security officer Eston Kohver has been released after 13 months of wrongful imprisonment in Russia. His family and Estonia are relieved to see him finally free!  Welcome home Eston!

To read the full ERR story, please click here: Kohver released and back in Estonia | News | ERR

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves expressed his joy at seeing Eston Kohver released and thanked all those involved in ensuring his safe return to Estonia.

http://news.err.ee/v/eston_kohver_crisis/689cef9b-41c8-4d74-a455-d801784a485f/president-thanks-allies-for-solidarity-and-support


http://news.err.ee/v/politics/98092dd1-d376-4109-b788-d58bd68dc9f0/kaljurand-kohver-thought-he-was-forgotten-about

Tuesday 22 September 2015

A Look Inside the Estonia Pavilion at Milan's Expo 2015


If there is one place I've been keen to visit recently it's undoubtedly the Estonian pavilion at the Expo 2015 in Milan. For months, Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds had been tempting me with highlights of cultural events and I soon found myself planning a road trip to Milan. My youngest brother came to visit from Australia last week and I thought a trip to Milan would be the perfect opportunity for us to catch up and have some fun at the same time.

The Expo 2015 in Milan runs from 1st May to 31st October 2015 and has 145 countries participating. Fascinating pavilions from numerous countries can be found at the Expo but I was very surprised to find that Australia did not feature among them.

After reading so much about the Estonian Pavilion it was great to finally check it out for myself.


The Estonian pavilion known as “Gallery of Estonia” is designed to present Estonia as a young, dynamic and rapidly developing country in northern Europe. The pavilion features more than thirty Estonian companies, Estonian music, Estonian design and a street food restaurant called "Rye Restaurant" serving Nordic cuisine inspired by local nature. The pavilion is a melting pot of high-tech and low-tech, presenting Estonia as a dynamic country where ancient traditions and unspoilt nature meld with technological innovations such as digital signature and e-residency.

The Estonian pavilion consists of three floors.
The ground floor has the Rye Restaurant and power generating swings.

Gift shop.

The first (middle) floor is an exhibition showcasing themes which are important to Estonia.  
It also features Estonia's innovations and achievements.


Estonia is the largest exporter of wooden houses in the EU.
These timber booths contain a wealth of information about Estonia and its people.

The top floor of the Estonian pavilion is dedicated to nature.

Here you will learn about Estonian flora and fauna.
Visitors are encouraged to sit down and enjoy the sounds of nature. 
Wildlife videos can also be viewed.

The Estonian Rye Restaurant is located on the ground floor.


The Estonian sport of kiiking has proven to be a crowd favourite. 


Kiiking in action. Not for the faint hearted. 

On 16th September 2015 Kaspar Taimsoo became the new Guinness World Record holder for kiiking. He broke the record at the Estonian Pavilion.

If you can't make it to Milan to visit the Expo, this video is the next best thing.

For more information about the World Expo, please click here: World Expo 2015

Most Popular Baby Names in Estonia for 2014 | News | ERR


Estonian Ministry of the Interior has published a list of most popular baby names of 2014. Rasmus and Sofia continue to top the chart.

Whereas the top five of the boys names is very much unchanged, with the exception of Oliver being overtaken by Markus, in the girls category Eliise (perhaps inspired by the popular pre-Eurovision song contest entry "Für Elise" by Traffic) has undergone a great rise and is now the second most popular name for a little girl.

New in the list for boys, compared to 2013, are Karl, Hugo and Kirill, pushing Kaspar, Gregor and Mattias out of the top 25. Trends for girl names are only slightly more variable, Diana, Annabel, Emilia and Emily making room for Lenna, Elisabeth, Marleen and Nora.

Top 25

Boys:

Rasmus (91), Artjom (89), Robin (83), Martin (80), Oliver (74), Romet (71), Sebastian (70), Robert (68), Artur (64), and Maksim (63), Markus (60), Marten (60), Karl (58), Kristofer (58), Oskar (57), Daniel (56), Hugo (56), Henri (55), Mark (54), Nikita (53), Kirill (52), Sander (52), Kevin (51), Aleksandr (50), Daniil (50).

Girls:

Sofia (102), Eliise (74), Maria (73), Mia (71), Lisandra (60), Mirtel (59), Sandra (58), Emma (55), Laura (55), Darja (50), Arina (49), Milana (48), Alisa (47), Anastasia (47), Lenna (47), Liisa (47), Anna (45), Viktoria (45), Elisabeth (44), Polina (44), Marta (42), Aleksandra (39), Marleen (38), Hanna (37), Nora (37).

Source: Most popular baby names of 2014 | News | ERR


Truffle hunting dog makes unexpected discovery in Valga forest | News | ERR

A group of mycologists and truffle hunting dog Rocky found a new species of truffle, never seen before in Estonia, in Valga county last Thursday.

Truffle hunting dog makes unexpected discovery in Valga forest | News | ERR

Monday 14 September 2015

Remembering Estonia’s WWII Refugees


With Europe currently facing its biggest migrant crisis since the aftermath of the Second World War, it’s time to look back and remember the plight of our Estonian parents and grandparents who fled their homeland to escape the terror and brutality of the Soviet occupation. Many countries generously opened their doors to take in these refugees who went on to lead productive lives in their new adopted countries.

2015 marks 70 years since the end of world War Two but for countries like Estonia who remained occupied by the Soviet Union, the repressions were only just beginning. Of the people who managed to flee Estonia by 1944 the majority of them took refuge in nearby Finland, Sweden or Germany. Thousands found themselves in displaced persons (DP) camps in Germany which became their temporary home for a number of years.

After World War II Europe was in a state of total ruin. Approximately sixty million people had been killed; nations torn apart and between 11 million and 20 million Europeans were left displaced. Germany was occupied by the Allies and divided into four zones – British, American, French and Soviet. Millions of people were left homeless and had to rely on foreign aid for survival. Germany had approximately 200,000 Baltic people registered as displaced persons in 1945 with 33,000 of them being Estonian. 


In 1945 military missions in the British, American and French zones established displaced persons (DP) camps to provide temporary shelter, nutrition and healthcare to refugees. Hundreds of camps existed all over Germany and in parts of Austria and Italy. Later in 1945 the running of the camps was handed over to The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and then later to the International Refugee Organisation (IRO) in 1947.     


The original plan for the displaced persons camps was to repatriate people to their country of origin as quickly as possible. By the end of 1945 the military authorities managed to repatriate over five million displaced persons but soon realised it was not possible to do the same with the Baltic peoples. Even though the war was over, their countries were still occupied by the Soviet Army and returning home would mean persecution, deportation or even death. 

When people first arrived at one of these DP camps they often experienced a sense of relief. The camps offered a degree of security; a roof over their heads, regular meals and the possibility of being reunited with their lost loved ones. But people couldn’t afford to be complacent; they lived in daily fear of being extradited to the Soviet Union. Many Estonians had hoped that the American Army might go and liberate Estonia from the Red Army but this never happened, in fact it was never on their agenda. For the Estonians living in the displaced persons camps, all they could do was wait and see what their future held. They had no choice but to manage the best way they could.

Zoo Camp, Hamburg

People were grouped together according to nationality in DP camps. Upon arrival people registered their details and were given a DP identification number. For example my grandmother Hertha’s number was 064057.  Accommodation varied from camp to camp, buildings such as military barracks, schools, hospitals, private homes, hotels and even airports were used to house people.

Camp life was very culturally rich, in particular for the Baltic peoples. As many of the DPs who fled the Baltic States were intellectuals, farmers, craftsmen and artists, they brought a lot of useful skills with them to the camps. They established their own newspapers, workshops, theatres and training centres etc. that created a sense of community within the camps. The workshops produced some very fine handcrafted goods made from wood, leather and textiles.  Embroidery was also very popular. 

Zoo Camp

In the beginning, when DP camps were first established, the living conditions were quite dire. Sometimes DPs had to use accommodation that was previously used by forced labourers or that was either very basic or substandard. Overcrowding was often an issue, food shortages were common and if camp life wasn’t challenging enough, people were faced with a new peril - the outbreak of tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis was rife is some camps. Zoo Camp in particular which was located in Hamburg had many cases of tuberculosis which resulted in numerous deaths.  The buildings these people lived in were originally built by Blohn & Voss Company (a shipping and engineering firm) to house forced labourers who worked in their factory during the war.  The timber structures were often damp and cold, prime conditions for tuberculosis to set in. The Baltic University had its origins at Zoo Camp until the students were relocated to nearby Pinneberg where the stone buildings were much better.

An art class at the Baltic University

Not all DP camps struggled with health and welfare issues, for example Geislingen Camp located near Stuttgart (American zone) was described as “the Hilton of DP camps”. My distant relatives Heino and Aili Lestal lived at Geislingen after the war and said the conditions were very good.  Aili, now a spritely 91 year old woman living in Canada told me Geislingen was a purely Estonian DP camp consisting of approximately 2000 people who lived in confiscated German houses. Each family occupied one room, Aili said, enabling them to have their privacy. There were 17 people living in the house where Aili lived; her future husband Heino lived in the house next door.

Many people found love whilst living in the camps which would have come as a welcome distraction considering the perils they faced. My Estonian grandparents met and fell in love whilst living in Zoo Camp in Hamburg then married shortly after arriving in Australia in 1949. Heino and Aili married at Geislingen and spent their “honeymoon” and New Year’s Eve on board the “Vollendam” as she sailed to Australia in 1948.


The announcement of new mass emigration programs offered by countries experiencing labour shortages triggered an out flux of people living in DP camps during 1948 and 1949. Belgium was the first country to offer large scale immigration, seeking 20,000 coal miners. The UK and Canada also offered a number of opportunities but required sponsorship. 

The Australian program, known as the “DP Group Resettlement Scheme”, was viewed favourably by the IRO and DPs for several reasons. Unlike other schemes which required DPs to have personal sponsorship from a friend or relative already residing in the prospective country, the Australian government took on the role of sponsor themselves hence making the process a lot easier for applicants. In addition to this Australia not only accepted single men and women into the programme but also welcomed families too. This provided peace of mind for those who feared being separated from their loved ones. The United States were late to adopt a refugee policy and had several exclusions. For example, they wouldn’t accept anyone who suffered from tuberculosis or who had served in the German Army. Many DP’s preferred the Australian resettlement scheme compared to others for one very distinct reason – the country was very far away from Europe and its turmoil.

Upon departing DP camps people were issued with a “Good Conduct Certificate” stating their name, date of birth and the date they first started residing at the camp. The certificates also confirmed that they had not been convicted of any crime or misdemeanour.

My great-grandmother's good conduct certificate.

My Estonian grandmother Hertha had dreams of immigrating to America but unfortunately her application was rejected. She later joined my grandfather in Australia and it was there where they started their new life together. When they first arrived in Australia they had to stay at the migrant reception centre in Uranquinty in rural New South Wales. There they learnt about Australian culture and learnt to speak English. All migrants had to fulfil a two year work contract to the Australian government then once that was complete they were granted residency and had complete freedom of movement. Many migrants later took up Australian citizenship and permanently settled in Australia whilst others left and were reunited with family members in other countries.

My Estonian grandmother and uncle sailing to Australia on board the SS Dundalk Bay.

The mass migration schemes after World War Two were a great success. They enabled people not only to rebuild their lives and live in peace but also to contribute positively to society. They brought with them their skills, knowledge, culture and cuisine. Things we still enjoy today. Australia has benefitted greatly from its migrant population and everyone lives in relative harmony. Many countries took in refugees, here are the total resettlement figures: Venezuela 17,000, Belgium 22,000, Brazil 29,000, Argentina 33,000, France 38,000, UK 86,000,  Canada 157,687, Australia 182,159, United States 400,000.

This article has also been published on Estonian World:
http://estonianworld.com/life/remembering-estonias-wwii-refugees/


Oscars: Estonia Nominates '1944' for Foreign-Language Category



Estonia Nominates '1944' for Foreign-Language Category Oscar. The movie depicts the Second World War in Estonia in 1944 through the eyes of Estonians fighting on both sides - the retreating Nazis and invading Soviets.


Friday 11 September 2015

Arvo Pärt Celebrates 80th Birthday | News | ERR



The most famous Estonian and most performed living composer in the world turns 80 today.
Click here to read more: Arvo Pärt celebrates 80th birthday | News | ERR

Thursday 10 September 2015

A Visit to Nõo Church and Cemetery

During my recent trip to Estonia I was keen to get back to my roots and visit Nõo once again. For generations my family lived in this tranquil village which is only a short 15 km from Tartu. St. Laurence Lutheran Church holds great interest for me as I had never been there before despite so many important family events having taken place there over the centuries. It was a nice feeling walking through the front door knowing my ancestors had done so, many times before me.

St. Laurence Lutheran Church in Nõo.

Main entrance.

St. Laurence Lutheran Church is one of the oldest churches in rural Estonia. 
It is believed to have been built sometime between 1250 and 1260.

A view from the loft.

Upon arrival at St. Laurence I was warmly greeted by Malle, the church warden, who kindly showed me around and even allowed me to climb up to the spire. It was a bit nerve-racking with the limited light and safety rails but I'm glad I did it. 

Malle invited me to step behind the altar where I discovered that congregation members had inscribed their names over the years. 

I was hoping to find a relative's name but there were so many and it was difficult to read them all. The names towered well over my head. Many were over a century old.  

A few kilometres down the road I found Nõo cemetery. 
If I were to find the final resting place of my ancestors it would be here.

Main entrance.

Map.

Cemeteries can be sad places but I actually enjoy visiting them. I always feel at peace walking around the tranquil grounds and connected to my family history despite the times. 

Grave searching has become a bit of pastime for me in recent years.
I was thrilled to find a Lestal family plot.

The Lestal family have had a long association with the von Knorring family who formerly owned Luke Manor. The von Knorring plot is located only a few metres from my family's.

For those of you who have never heard of Nõo (and its unlikely that you have unless you are from Tartu), here's a bit of trivia. In 1965 Nõo's was the first school in the entire Soviet Union to be given a computer, the Ural 1. It seems unbelievable - but true!

Monday 7 September 2015

Sharing My Travel Experiences with Expat Focus Magazine




I feel very honoured to be invited for an interview with Expat Focus magazine. It was great to share my travel experiences and discuss my blog.

You can read the full interview here:
 http://www.expatfocus.com/c/aid=2286/expat-experiences/germany/tania-lestal-munich/