Tallinn, Estonia

Let me start off the post by saying I’m making up for the short post yesterday. There is much information today because my memory is not so good and my blogs are a scrapbook of sorts for me. I wish I had my uncle Bill’s memory. 

So again, please scroll through quickly, or not, as you choose. 

So excited about today. We checked with the hotel last night about the best way to get to the harbor. He suggested leaving our car at the hotel and taking a tram which goes right to the ferry terminal. He said it would take about 45 min. Take tram 1 to the central terminal and then get on either 7 or 9 to go to the harbor. Breakfast was at 7 am. We packed our backpacks and rain jackets (50% chance today) and headed down to the restaurant about 5 minutes early and they were open. We ate our typical breakfast of cold cuts and boiled eggs 🥴. 

There was supposed to be a kiosk around the corner for us to get a day pass for the trams. We didn’t see it and the #1 tram was just across the street so we ran over to ask him where to buy a ticket. He said no ticket? I said no. He threw up his hands and then gestured for us to get on. So we were off to central station with no ticket 😬. 

It took a lot longer than we expected to get to central. There were many stops. About the time we were getting close, the tram stopped and a lengthy announcement was made in Finnish. Everyone started to get off so I asked the lady standing next to me if she spoke English. She did and told me there was a bus broken down ahead and the tram wouldn’t be going anywhere for awhile. She said we could catch a bus to central. She would show us. When I told her we didn’t have a ticket she said the orange buses don’t check. There was an orange bus just ahead that was about to leave. She started running with her little boy and we quickly ran behind her. We hopped on the bus and when it got as close as it was going to get to central she told us this was where we should get off. Then it was about a 5 minute walk to the central station. After one wrong turn (my fault) we made it to the station. 

We now had 15 minutes before the doors closed on the ferry and we still had to buy a ticket, find the tram stop, get on the correct tram, and get to the harbor to check in. Once again we were asking someone if they speak English. And once again, a gracious lady found out where we were going and walked us over to a kiosk to get tickets. We found the tram stop and hopped on board with 10 minutes to go. It wasn’t far and had few stops so we arrived at the harbor stop with two minutes to spare, ran to the terminal, got checked in, where she told us the gate was about to close so hurry upstairs and to the right. But we’re not there yet. My ticket won’t open the style. Had to get an agent to let me through. We ran up the escalator and over to the gate as they were closing it. Whew!!! Are you tired yet? It’s only 8:30 in the morning.

On the ferry yay!

Leaving port

Casino on board 

I planned a walking tour of Tallinn, Estonia for us. Mapping it out. So, here we go:

First glimpse of Estonia 

Another ship on the sea 

We’re on Deck 8. We crossed the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland) on the Eckerö Line, a two hour, 15 minute crossing. Of course it's raining so we donned our raincoats before leaving the terminal. It was windy and rained off and on all day; hood on, hood off. It was a disaster of a hair day.

Museum of Estonian Architecture

Many different cobblestones today 

And steep paths

Beautiful colors 

And chestnuts 

The Rotermann Quarter is an area that consists of former decaying factories and warehouses established in the 19th century by the industrialist Christian Abraham Rotermann.

Neglected during much of the Soviet era, in 2007 the district underwent a major redevelopment and is now home to properties that are prime inner-city redevelopment territory.

The local architects got creative by not demolishing these industrial buildings, and just modernized them by adding additional floors and glass windows, which look like glass cubes or spinners.

These sleek architectural buildings now house swanky bars, cafés, boutique shops, offices, and restaurants

I stopped in this bakery and asked if I could take pictures. She said of course! Bailyn I thought you might enjoy these. 

Looked around this little flea market. I found some wool socks with red birds on them and didn’t buy them. I’m kicking myself now. 

Beautiful flower market 

The iconic Viru Gate serves as one of the chief entry points into the Old Town. Its two picturesque, skewed stone towers are one of Tallinn’s major sightseeing attractions and among the most photographed locations that you’ll encounter when exploring Tallinn on foot.

The pair of towers that make up the gate date to the 14th century and are surrounded by a stretch of the city wall dating back to the 16th century.

FUN FACT: Although Tallinn began life as a fortified Estonian trading post, its urban history only commenced in 1219, when it was conquered by the Danes who built a castle on Toompea Hill. The name “Tallinn” is an abbreviation of the Estonian name Taani Linnus, meaning “Danish stronghold”. However, Tallinn officially bore the Teutonic name of Reval until Estonia’s first period of independence in 1918.

Beautiful hand crafted wood products made in Estonia. They are ash, oak and birch. 

Next up is St. Catherine’s Passageway, which was my favorite place in the Old Town. It is an enchanting medieval alleyway joining Vene and Müürivahe streets with uneven stone walls and overhead vaulting. I love how it gives you the feeling of stepping back in time.

The passage runs along the surviving wall of St. Catherine’s Church, which was built in 1246 and was formerly the largest church in the city.

You can watch artists work with stained glass, ceramics, leatherwork, millinery, and jewelry and check out their wares. 

We went into several of the shops including the stained glass shop. She had glass that looked like honeycomb that I really liked. I wanted to buy a piece of it but she dug into the box and pulled out three small pieces to give me. I kept asking if I could buy some but she shook her head no. She didn’t speak any English. 

This is her shop. 

You can still notice several gravestones here, some dating from the 14th century. Nowadays, the passage is home to an ensemble of arts and craft workshops.

Out of all of the Old Town’s remaining towers, the Fat Margaret’s Tower is definitely the most outré. This 16th-century tower’s suggestive name comes from the fact that it was the largest part of the city’s fortifications with walls measuring 4 meters thick.

It was initially constructed to defend the harbor as well as to enthrall visitors arriving by sea. Later, the tower was transformed into a prison.

The Three Sisters are three adjoining medieval merchants’ houses that are probably the most captivating and best-preserved of the Old Town’s gabled merchants’ houses.

The houses were built in 1362 and were functional mercantile areas, complete with loading hatches and winches to hoist sacks of goods up and down. The houses’ original owners were mainly guild members, town councilors, and burgomasters who used the houses to entertain foreign guests.

Recently, the houses have been converted into a single luxury hotel in tasteful citrus colors.

TRIVIA TIDBIT: Beginning in 1710, Tallinn was part of the Russian Empire for the next two centuries. By the early 19th century, it had established itself as the most fashionable bathing resort in the region, with the elite of St. Petersburg society taking up residence in town for a large portion of the summer. During the Soviet occupation, Tallinn experienced a vast influx of predominantly Russian-speaking workers.

No visit to Tallinn would be complete without seeing the famous St. Olaf’s (or St. Olav’s) Church.

The church was first mentioned in 1267 and named in honor of King Olaf II of Norway, who was canonized for massacring pagans in Scandinavia. Its eye-catching 124-meter spire is a major Tallinn landmark and the church holds a proud place in the city’s history.

According to local lore, the citizens of Tallinn wanted the church to possess the tallest spire in the world in order to attract merchant ships and boost trade. The church’s original 159-meter spire reputedly made it the tallest building in the world until a lightning strike burned it down in 1625.

Remarkably, the church was struck by lightning 6 or 8 times and burned down twice between then and 1820. The church underwent extensive renovation in the 19th century and as a result, features a rather drab interior.

FUN FACT: The KGB used St. Olaf’s Church’s spire as a radio tower and surveillance point from 1944 until 1991.

I don’t know 🤷‍♀️. Hell Hunt is the first pub in Estonia and was established in 1993. I cannot confirm nor deny it, and I am assuming that this pub opened its doors a couple years after the communist regime ended in 1991.

This 15th-century House of the Blackheads served as the congregation place of the Brotherhood of Blackheads, an association of unmarried merchants and shipowners.

I really like the building’s Renaissance facade with its elaborate stone portal and ornately decorated door.

The Tallinn Blackheads also served a military purpose and proved themselves as redoubtable adversaries during the Livonian Wars. The Brotherhood survived until the Soviet invasion in 1940, and today the House of Blackheads serves as a venue for regular chamber concerts.

The building’s unusual name comes from St. Maurice, the organization’s patron saint, a dark-skinned Moor whose image can be seen on the front door of the building.

The Great Guild Hall is one of the most historically significant Hanseatic era buildings in Tallinn.

The Gothic building dates back to 1417 and has retained its original appearance through the centuries, although the windows were restructured in the late 19th century.

The Great Guild Hall served as the home of the most powerful of the city’s guilds, uniting the German-speaking mercantile elite into an organization that effectively controlled Tallinn’s commerce. Its doors were closed to smaller merchants and artisans, who were instead forced to form lesser institutions.

Besides being the gathering place for its members, the Great Guild was also the focus of many of medieval Tallinn’s social events. It was often rented out for wedding parties and court sessions and used to be the starting as well as the endpoint of most festive cavalcades.

Today, the building is home to a branch of the Estonian History Museum whose collection of historical artifacts covers Estonian history from the Stone Age to the mid-19th century.

The 13th-century Holy Spirit Church (or Holy Ghost Church) is really an attractive little church in Tallinn.

A small Gothic building with stepped gables, the church served as the Town Hall chapel before becoming the principal church of Tallinn’s Estonian-speaking population.

Its whitewashed exterior and stepped gable are topped by a striking Baroque tower. The ornate clock set into the wall above the entrance, with carvings dating from the late 17th century, is Tallinn’s oldest public clock.

The interior of the church is as spectacular as its exterior and features a treasure trove of religious artifacts and architecture.

The Holy Spirit Church holds a particularly special place in Estonian history as the first Estonian-language catechisms were formulated here in 1535 following the Reformation. In the early years of the Protestant Reformation, the city converted to Lutheranism.

unique Estonian fashion 

The gently sloping Town Hall Square is undoubtedly one of the best things to see when visiting Tallinn. The square lies in the heart of the Old Town and has, for centuries, served as a marketplace.

The cobblestone square is surrounded by an ensemble of pastel-colored medieval houses. Being one of Tallinn’s marquee attractions, the square has become a trademark of both the city and Estonia as a whole, featuring on countless souvenirs and tourist posters.

One of the most august buildings lining the Town Hall Square is the Town Hall Pharmacy, famed for being one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe. The building’s exterior dates back to the 17th century, but there is evidence that a pharmacy existed on the site as long back as the early 15th century.

The Town Hall, which dates back to 1404, is one of the most hallowed symbols of Tallinn. It boasts an elegant arcade of Gothic arches and a slender Baroque steeple. The narrow windows and crenelated parapet complete the building’s dignified facade.

notice the waterspouts in the form of green dragons just beneath the roof

16th-century weather vane in the form of a stout, spear-wielding sentry near the summit of the steeple.

Jaan Kross (19 February 1920 – 27 December 2007) was an Estonian writer. He won the 1995 International Nonino Prize in Italy.

The next stop on our self-guided Tallinn walking tour is St. Nicholas’ Church. This Gothic landmark was originally erected in the 13th century but almost all that remains is from the 15th century.

There is a stone skull and crossbones carving at the entrance to the chapel, near the church’s main door. It was closed so we didn’t get to see this and I thought it was rather odd for a church. Stone carving, an important element in Estonian architecture, was largely done in dolomite and sandstone.

The building has served as a museum since it was extensively restored during Soviet times after being damaged by Soviet bombing raids in World War II. It is home to most of Tallinn’s medieval artworks – many of which were destroyed in the Protestant riots of 1524.

According to legend, however, St. Nicholas’ Church escaped being ransacked due to the quick thinking of the church’s warden, who sealed the door with melted lead.

Another side of the church 

Rosemary water with our lunch. Kim asked in a shop where to find a good restaurant with local cuisine. They recommended Ravintola Pegasus. 

I had the beef stew. Jo Anne this is the Estonian version of boeuf bourguignon. It was delicious and brought back memories of our stop in the little cafe in Paris. 

Kim had the roasted pork belly. He wasn't impressed with the kale. It was tough, which I’ve always found to be the case with kale unless it’s fried or roasted until crisp. 

Our first time to have dessert on the trip (other than all the chocolate we’ve been comparing from the different countries, but that’s research 🤣). I had the gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cake with strawberry sorbet and coffee sauce, with the thinnest shards of chocolate shavings. Oh my! I’ve no words. 

Kim had the bread pudding, which wasn’t at all what he expected and not worth the expense. 

We didn’t leave a bite. 

One of the veritable highlights is the imposing Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn’s most striking Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

It was built in 1900 when Estonia was under Czarist Russian rule as a reminder to the mainly Lutheran Estonians of their subordinate status during that era. In the late 19th century, Czarist Russia was carrying out a fervent campaign of Russifiying (is that a word?) its outer territories

Loathed by most Estonians at the time for being a symbol of Russification policies, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was planned to be demolished in 1924, but the plan was never executed.

The cathedral is dedicated to the Prince of Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky, who vanquished the Livonian Knights on the banks of Lake Peipsi in 1242.

The cathedral’s Neo-Byzantine exterior is richly decorated in mosaics and icons and its bulging black domes and golden iron crosses are visible through most of the Old Town.

Toompea Castle’s placid pink facade belies its history. The castle complex is now home to Riigikogu (Estonia’s Parliament), but for some 700 years, it belonged to various occupying foreign powers.

The castle stands on the former site of a 9th-century wooden fortress that was conquered by the Danes in 1219, who built the stone fortifications around the hill, much of which still remain.

The structure has been modified by everyone who has conquered it since then and the Parliament building which was built in 1920-1922 is the sole expressionist parliament building in the world.

The northern and western walls of the castle, include three defensive towers, the most laudable of which is the 50-meter tall Pikk Hermann, dating from 1371. These crumbling towers were often depicted in old Soviet films, especially fairy tales.

Window for a painting 

If you’ve ever seen any pictures of Tallinn, chances are they included a mural saying “The Times We Had.” This mural can be found at Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform.

The Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform is on the hill’s eastern side and from here you are accorded a stunning view of the Old Town’s rooftops and Tallinn’s modern skyline which lies in the background.

Juhan Smuul (18 February 1922 – 13 April 1971) was an Estonian writer. Until 1954 he used the given name Johannes Schmuul. Smuul was one of the most recognized writers in Soviet Estonia and was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR, chairman of the Estonian Writers' Union, secretary of the board of the Union of Soviet Writers.

Lovely fall chocolates

Arriving back at the ferry terminal 

We had an hour to kill (no running to catch the ferry on the return 🤣) so we stopped in this flea market. It was much nicer than the one in Reykjavik but still only took us about 15 minutes. Mostly we were trying to get away from the Russian merchants who really wanted to sell us their goods. 

Our ride back to Finland. Kim went into the WC on the ferry and there was a man asleep on the toilet, snoring. We walked by later and you could still hear him snoring in the hall. 😂

4 trolleys 

1 bus

2 ferries 

24,247 steps

11 miles

38 floors

As the sun sets over Tallinn, we bid farewell to Estonia and a day filled with the history of the most significant medieval port in the Gulf of Finland.

"What does it mean to be an ambassador of the King? It means reflecting his message, his methods, and his character wherever he’s placed us." PDT

head ööd (good night in Estonian)