Back for more tourist punishment and no doubt more amber jewellery shops. With a bit of luck there will be nearby bars for the less jewellery fascinated contingent to twiddle their thumbs in. That’s a great expression isn’t it, “twiddle“. Twiddle is actually onomatopoeic, the sound of the word itself evokes a light, twirling action or twiddling. You can twiddle just about anything, toes, fingers, a pencil all sorts of stuff. A word of warning however I suggest you restrict your public twiddling to socially acceptable twiddleables.

The Estonian History Museum revealed a fascinating inventory of circumstances which leads one to the conclusion that Estonia has only been “in control” of it’s destiny for a very short period of it’s long history. Having been conquered and bartered away by just about every nearby nation over the centuries. Estonia has managed to achieve total autonomy (for the second time) and achieved this result by singing not fighting. This last and musical battle was at the end of the Russian period which, having visited the KGB museum, was obviously a “difficult” period to say the least.

One of over an estimated two million Amber Shops.

Despite very pretty castles and big guns Estonia was regularly visited by early backpackers who were reluctant to leave, including the Russians.

Below, KGB through wall “Spy Cam” at the KGB museum on the 23rd floor of Hotel Viru and a babushka, a kind of spy camera in grandma form who’s job it was to record the comings and goings of visitors. Officially the Hotel Viru has 22 floors the top floor being referred to, in part, as the KGB smoking room.

By the way, despite a marathon search I am sad to say the illusive piece of fossilised tree resin was not found. This much valued gemstone (by at least one member of our contingent) has been made into a variety of decorative objects from antiquity to the present. Being a joint owner of forty acres of sap bearing trees surrounded by rocks I look forward to doing a bit of sap harvesting when we return. If we could find a market for irregular shaped sandstone jewellery then we could really clean up.