tallinn, estonia

sorry for my lack of posting!! these past two weeks have been our midems weeks, and EVERYTHING was due. but now that everything has been completed and turned in, i have some vacation time on my hands so i'll continue where i left off. my medical practice and policy class departed the overnight ferry from stockholm (i can safely say that travel via boat is not my favorite mode of transportation) and arrived in the sunny and frigidly cold tallinn, estonia.

we began our day in tallinn by visiting an estonian clinic. like many european countries, all estonian residents enjoy almost universal access to health care - only 4.1% of the population in 2008 was without health insurance. estonian health care relies mainly on public financing. tax revenue is generated with a 21% income tax on residents and a 33% social and health insurance tax on employers. the family doctor that we visited also reported that like the scandinavian countries, estonia also uses the gp as a gatekeeper in the public health care system.

st. nicholas' church

st. olaf's church, the tallest
building in the world from 1549-1625

the building that was the local
headquarters of the kgb. a plaque on the outside of the building reads, "this building housed the headquarters of the organ of repression of the soviet occupational power. here began the road to suffering for thousands of estonians".  

from the clinic, we visited the north estonian regional hospital for our final medical visit. here, we were met by the head oncologist and surgeon of the hospital who gave us a slightly different story about the health care system and how it is run. he told us that gp's are not as widely used as the gatekeepers of health and that specialists are largely sought out first. while the visit was interesting, no doubt, it ended on a bit of a sour note when he voiced his opinion that women are not the right people to be surgeons or head doctors because their place is at home with their children. seeing as 26 of the 32 students on the trip were females, and many of us from small, liberal arts colleges where these opinions are heard as something from the distant past, his opinions did not go over too well. everyone left relieved that that was our last visit but a little put off.

the danish king's garden (aka, the birthplace of the danish flag, the oldest flag in the world). according to legend, king valdemar II of denmark and his troops camped here as they were losing their battle with the estonians in 1219 when suddenly the skies opened and a red flag with a white cross floated down from the heavens. the danes took this as a holy sign and were spurred on to victory. however, our tour guide explained that the more likely story goes that the danes were drinking (obviously) and the estonians, as a joke, carried the flag on horseback through the town. in their less-than-sober state, the danes saw a flag that appeared to be flying through the air on its own.

for dinner that night we headed into the old town for dinner at olde hansa, a restaurant paying homage to tallinn's golden age. decorated as the home of a rich merchant with waiters and waitresses dressed in 15th century servants' attire, we feasted on a variety of meats, cheeses, nuts and vegetables and drank wine and beer from ceramic goblets while a group of troubadours played flutes and lutes in the background.

alexander nevsky cathedral

the next morning we had our wrap up session, where we reflected and commented, as a class, on our visits and experiences. while everyone's observation were more or less the same, it was really interesting to see and share, first-hand, these other systems, cultures, and places, and reflect upon them in relation to our own.

quinoa risotto

the rest of the day was spent walking around tallinn. the old city is beautiful, brimming with medieval facades churches, and fortress walls. and while not a single cloud in the sky could be spotted, their air was SO cold, that after an hour and a half of walking, i was seriously concerned that my feet had gotten first-degree frost bite. luckily, our student tour guide saw the looks of pain on our faces and saved us by leading everyone into a nearby cafe where we healed ourselves with warm drinks and pastries. after i haf fully recovered, i wandered around the town for a bit and enjoyed another really nice meal (i had had a fab lunch the day before that was cheaper than the cheapest meal i could ever find in denmark). 

tallinn's parliament building

the house of blackheads, aka: the world's
first frat house. this was home to the
brotherhood of blackheads, an association
of local unmarried merchants, ship owners
and foreigners from the mid-14th century
until 1940. this house was known for their
extravagant parties.

after roaming the streets for a bit longer, we nibbled on some of estonia's signature chocolate (white chocolate with blueberries) as we flew back home to good ol' copenhagen.