This year, the TNC takes place in the amazing city of Tallinn

A city that as so much to offer:

Architectural details

Scenic views

...and a radiation bunker

If you litter, it is not only forbidden, the punishment also is quite severe

In Estonia, they focus on the important things

For a Dane, it is of particular interest, that these days, it is celebrated that the Danish national flag allegedly fell from the sky in Tallinn exactly 800 years ago.

There is a permanent place to mark the event

and a temporary exhibition to celebrate the anniversary

and even the Danish queen Margrethe II was here in Tallinn on Saturday

An importan part of the the newer history of Estonia is the soviet period in which the Viru hotel was built,

and they have preserved the top floor occupied by the KGB office with transmitter, telephone tapping equipment and much more.

From the same era, there are other important concrete structures, ...

An impressive, yet strange structure is his thing built for the 1980 Olympics but it consists of so much iron and concrete that you suspect the soviets possibly intended for it to double as a bunker of some sort.

Next to that, we have the venue of TNC19,

which can be recognized from a long distance by its chimney. Judging from the size of the mesh, they are not sure it will all stay there.

It is the former power station, not converted into a hipster-style curlture center and conference facility.

KultuurKatel

There is a special back entrance for the more obscure side meetings

Inside, some exhibitors have put their stuff up and gone home

...some are stil installing themselves

The guys from Huawei are very serious, though. They are installed, present and so ready for business.

Back in the city, there is a place where you would expect all the finnish people to gather

if you don't believe me, just look at the flag.

Finns are everywhere. Tallinn is probably their home away from home. If you don't recognize Harri Kuusisto and Jani Myyry from Funet, it is because they have still not put their napkins on their heads.

You bump into to TNC people everywhere, also at my dinner table: Garvan McFeeley from HEAnet, Jakob Tendel from DFN, Michel Wets from SURFnet and at the very right my colleague Claus Gohr from DeiC.

Time to get to bed and be ready for the big opening day tomorrow

Martin Bech, DeiC, martin.bech@deic.dk