What to do in Estonia as a student?

*DISCLAIMER* I am writing this post as an Estonian studying in Tartu, so for those of you in Tallinn, some of the points I mention are irrelevant.

I will not cover Estonia's surface area etc, you can see those facts here

FOOD & DRINKS
I mean... who doesn't love to eat?

  • FISH
    • Since Estonia is located like it is (by the Baltic Sea), we tend to eat a lot of fish. We also have a lot of rivers and lakes, so we get some of our fish from fresh water sources.
    • The most popular fish everyone must try is HERRING
      • (a small fish that is usually eaten with skin on, you can find those in cans with either just oil or oil and spices)
      • RÄIM in Estonian
    • Pollock, flounder, catfish and other white fish
      • Quite plain by taste, but usually cheap, too (great when on a budget!)
      • Can be found both frozen and fresh
      • VALGE KALA in Estonian (white fish)
    • Salmon and trout
      • Quite poplar all over the world and most of those fishes are imported from Norway
      • LÕHE JA FORELL in Estonian
  • CHRISTMAS FOOD
  • Traditional foods to eat on Christmas Day/Christmas Eve include:
    • Sauerkraut
    • Blood sausage
      • Made with animal blood (or imitation of blood), barley, butter and meat, sometimes bacon is added
    • Potatoes
      • Usually boiled
    • Meat jelly
    • Pork
    • Sour cream
    • Broth and flour based sauces
  • But nowadays some families don't go the traditional way and eat other things (just fancier than usual) :D
  • CARBS (STARCHY PRODUCTS)
    • Potatoes
      • Really popular
      • Really cheap
      • Eaten mostly with pork and/or sour cream (or any broth, flour and milk based sauces)
      • KARTUL in Estonian
    • Buckwheat
      • Cheap
      • Usually served with broth, flour and milk based sauces
      • As a side dish
      • Usually served as a savoury dish, but can also be used in bakery and desserts
      • TATAR in Estonian
    • Rye
      • Used to make Estonian bread (the dark kind)
      • RUKIS in Estonian
  • DRINKS
    • Kali (kinda like rootbeer)
      • I suggest you try the A le Coq one :)
    • Vana Tallinn (40% or more alcohol)
        • Liquor with spices
        • Has different versions (cream, marzipan etc)
    • Beer
      • A le Coq 
        • Popular brand, produces both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (and cocktails in a bottle)
        • Made in Tartu
      • Saku
        • Also produces both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
        • Made in Saku 
      • ÕLU in Estonian
    • Liviko
      • Viru Valge 
        • A popular, not too expensive VODKA
      • They also produce the Vana Tallinn I mentioned
!!KEEP IN MIND THAT LEGAL DRINKING AGE IN ESTONIA IS 18!!


PLACES TO VISIT
  • Tallinn
    • Telliskivi loomelinnak
      • Lots of cute, bohemian style stores and boutiques 
      • Might be quite expensive for a student on a budget
    • Open Air Museum
      • In Rocca al Mare 
      • You can get there by bus no. 21, get off at "Rocca al Mare"
      • Estonian life 100+ years ago
    • Old Town
      • Town Hall Square
      • Old Thomas
      • Churches
      • Nice place to enjoy a walk
      • Lots of tourists
      • Expensive to eat
  • Tartu
    • Shooters
      • Famous night club - bar
      • Offers student discounts
      • Great parties
    • Emajõgi
      • (the river)
      • Just walk/bike along the waterside and enjoy the good weather
    • University of Tartu museum
      • Adress: Lossi 25
      • Since Tartu is a city famous for it's university, it's good to know a bit about the history of this old uni
    • University of Tartu Old Observatory
      • Uppsala 8
      • https://www.tahetorn.ut.ee/en 
    • Old Town
      • Cute cafes
      • "The kissing students" (the fountain)
      • Cobblestone roads
!!A lot of museums are closed on Mondays, but open every other day of the week!!

Hope you found this post interesting, if something else pops in mind, I will update this post :)

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