ClimateLaunchpad asked former Startup Estonia intern Jörgen Martin to tell us why we should come to Estonia. In this post he shares some of his favorite things to do in the autumn. For those of you coming to the EU Finals on October 7 and 8, the message is loud and clear: don’t forget to bring a sweater. A fluffy cardigan and a taste for adventure will get you far.
Four reasons to put on a fluffy cardigan and visit Estonia

Photo of Tallinn’s old city by Juan Antonio F. Segal, CC 2.0 Some rights reserved
I have been away from my home country Estonia for a little more than a month now and I’m missing autumn. I once considered this season to be the most awful. But now, well, I long for it. So I’m not going to write about the things Estonia is most known for: the beautiful medieval Old Town of Tallinn or its super digital society. Instead, I am writing about a fluffy cardigan and the nasty season which in its own magical way can be most enjoyable.
1. Take a lonely walk in the woods

Photo by Anita, CC 2.0 some rights reserved
The weather in Estonia has sharp contrasts between seasons. The beginning of September has always represented a time when things quiet down and people get back into the groove of working and studying. Autumn has traditionally been the time when you put on your fluffy cardigan and walk alone in the woods with no people around. It’s a time when you hear only the sound of the wind blowing through the trees and rain dripping onto the ground. It makes you feel kind of small. Especially when you are more used to walking under city lights.
2. Join the hipsters in Kalamaja

Wooden houses in Kalamaja. Photo by Sten Martin
Autumn is a great time to put on your fluffy cardigan and have a slow walk in Tallinn`s hipster neighborhood of Kalamaja. The neighborhood is packed with cute wooden houses and has the coziest cafes. Walking in one feels like you have stepped into your own warm room that you have been missing for a long time. It starts lightly raining, but it is not the dripping you hear this time, but the smooth buzz around the cafe reminding you that it is autumn. Bring your laptop and drink a large latte before diving into working mode.
3. Black Nights Film Festival

Photo by Hanaava – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, CC BY-SA 3.0
Put on your fluffy cardigan and wander around the city of Tallinn. See that nature and people move together. You are disturbed only by a few rushing steps and passing shadows. However, once you enter a theater, cinema, concert hall you understand. The shorter days mean that people are spending more time inside. That’s the time to visit the Black Nights Film Festival, enjoy a show in one of the nine theaters in Tallinn, or catch an exhibit in one of the city’s many museums.
4. Visit Estonia’s adorable towns

Photo by Guillaume Speurt, CC BY-SA
Put on your fluffy cardigan and visit one of the small adorable towns in the region. It is amazing to experience how the rhythm of life is completely unique in every town and how it drastically changes when autumn arrives. You can end up in a city which is as busy as a beehive with a constant hum of activity. You can wander on a deserted beach and get peace from the sound of waves.
You can end your wanderings with a cup of tea. It is magical to witness the change of the seasons and even more magical to live it.