G IS FOR GRANITE

But there is a naturally occurring patch of the famously hard-wearing igneous rock near Tallinn, and several chunks of it played a cameo role in the turbulent events surrounding Estonia's declaration of independence from the USSR in 1991.

At the intersection of Toompea and Falgi streets in the centre of the capital, about 100 yards from the seat of the Estonian parliament, a large granite boulder sits as an impassive reminder of the nation's struggles.

The inscription reads:

"Estonia's road to freedom from the decades long occupation by the Soviet Union was complicated and full of hazards. On 18 January 1991, after the bloody events in Vilnius and Riga, all access roads to Toompea were blocked with boulders and concrete blocks.

On 20 August 1991, during the attempted coup d'etat in Moscow, The Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia passed a resolution about the state sovereignty of Estonia. The Republic of Estonia was restored without bloodshed and casualties.

This boulder was one of the blocks on the road to Toompea. It was turned into a memorial in August 1993."