Oh cripes, I almost fell off my chair. I TOLD YOU ALL THERE WAS A STATUE OF LENIN IN TALLINN. Ok let me take you back.
Id just come back from Finland, tail between my legs and I was checking out Tallinn, I walked along the waters edge to that BFO ugly soviet monument, the one on the way to Pirita with the tall concrete tower and the cemetary behind it. Now I was armed with my trusty Lonely Planet guide where I had just been reading about Narva, the town on the border with Russia which is populated by almost exclusivly ethic Russians. Only some ten minutes before I read this line
"… and the castle grounds are the refuge of Narva’s statue of Lenin – the only fully intact one left in the Baltics"
Fair enough, it was troubled times and aint nothing a revolution crowd loves to do more than a "Saddam drag" of a former leaders statue.
SO Im waking back to town via a small bike track which goes behind Maarjamäe Palace, the Estonian history museum and from a distance of 100+ meters WHAT DO I SEE SITTING IN THE BACKYARD? I made my way through the scrub and took these shots so i could get a third umpires opinion
HERES A FUN FACT, that baldy head is none other than good old Lenin! Sitting outside in Tallinn! Thats not what my guide book just told me! so i crapped onto anyone who would listen to me and its not that people didnt believe me, its just a) not interesting to say… most people and b) whipping out my laptop to show the proof is just weird.
So imagine my surprise and happiness when I come across this entry in my new favourite "English Russia" blog! No Way! I didnt even see the half of it, they have Stalin too! Rock on! Far better than the crap they have downstairs in the occupation museum. Finally, VALIDATION that im not insane. Just tragic and sad but not insane.
I share the blogs view of WHY ARE THEY HERE AND NOT PRESERVED but not from a soviet good memories of the old days way, just because these are important historical artifacts which should be looked after, you gotta remember the bad with the good too ya know.
Heres the location on the map. Next time I go to Tallinn im going there to ask what the deal is. WHATS THE DEAL? Thats what im going to say.