The Munich to Moscow Meander - Part V:

ESTONISHING TALLINN!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Another deluxe coach bus from Riga almost straight north into Estonia...

View Munich-Tallinn in a larger map

After a few hours sleeping and eating and looking out the window I arrived in the Estonian capital, Tallinn!

As I checked into my hostel I began to realize that Tallinn is much more of a party town than where I had been so far, at least in the old town. So after setting my stuff down and freshening up I went out to explore the old city.

Tallinn has one of the best-preserved medieval old towns in all of Europe, definitely in a league with Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber.

One enter through the olde medieval gates...

Watch out for the horse and carriage with love and marriage aboard!

Wind through the narrow old streets...

The town hall lies at the heart of the old town...

With a large square adjacent for public executions...

Or more wedding carriages...

The Estonians here are really serious about their medievality. This restaurant often had street performers...

With the help inside in period clothing...

The thing I love about any of these old medieval towns is that there is usually a wall surrounding the city so you can't really get lost, you just explore the alleyways and see where they lead...

Many of the houses are very old. Tallinn managed to survive most of the wars of the last millennium without too much damage...

For lunch I actually went to a more modern cafe recommended by the hostel. The prices were decent and the food was outstanding. Some of the best of my trip.

Duck borsch (a Russian soup with beets)...

And a lamb sausage with pumpkin puree and fresh herbs...

There was also some amazing home-made bread. And they had free Wi-fi. In fact Estonians are proud of having one of the most Wi-fi-friendly countries in the world. I seemed to always be able to connect.

There were some fine views of the city, including St. Olaf's church, which, between 1549 and 1625, was the tallest building in the world!

In the other direction is the tower of the town hall and the skyscrapers of modern Tallinn...

As neighbors to Russia, Estonia has always had a good-sized Russian population and so the Orthodox Church is a prominent landmark in the city...

Even in the rain, the city had a charming atmosphere...

In addition to the medieval stuff there is also some Art Nouveau...

And some even more modern art...

 Yet the city is full of beautiful little corners and views just waiting to painted into a picture...

Despite some dereliction during the Soviet era, the crumbling old houses give the place an air of authenticity...

And the old town really comes alive in the evening...

The town hall and main square...

Inside the town hall is restaurant that only serves soup and meat pies. Each for €1. Inside, however, everything is how it would have been in the Middle-Ages. There is no electricity, only candles and a wood-burning stove....

The servers, in period dress, talk to you like they are still in the 1300's. If you take their picture they'll say things like, "What kind of sorcery is this!? Begone!"

But you couldn't find a cheaper meal with a funner atmosphere...

They had to kind of cheat with electricity in the bathrooms, but I was cool with that...

One drank from mugs made from pottery and then returned them when finished...

I've never seen so many Irish pubs in my life as in old town Tallinn. There were tons of young Brits, Germans, Finns, Spaniards, and everything in between going pub crawling and bar hopping. For me, once the good light is gone, it's beddy-by time. So I said goodnight to the city and went back to the hostel...

The next day I climbed St. Olaf's for a grand view of the city...

And out to sea (looking towards Finland)...

Tallinn is a popular cruise port as well...

During the day there are swarms of cruisers following a tour guide holding a paddle with a Princess, Carnival, or Aida logo. For this reason, Tallinn seemed to me to be the most touristy of the three Baltic capitals...

I paid a visit to the harbor...

There were a ton of jellyfish...

A view to the ferry port where I would be leaving from tomorrow...

For lunch I went back to that great little restaurant I had found. I ordered the duck stew and it came gift-wrapped!

I have to say, opening your meal like a present is a very exciting thing. I think we should do it more frequently. With mashed potatoes on top and a dark rosemary infusion, this stew was excellent...

In the evening I enjoyed sitting and watching the setting sunlight on the old town...

And the golden sunset...

The lights came on and the last of the cruise ships left port...

Night had come...

In my two days in Tallinn I had gotten to know the old town like it was my own neighborhood. I love that about traveling.

On Sunday morning I was up before dawn in order to make my ferry. I walked past the old town watching the Saturday-night party-goers straggle home.

I found the harbor covered in heavy fog...

I boarded my ferry and said goodbye to Estonia. I was on my way to church!

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