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I had no idea what to expect of Tallin. I had seen a few images in the magazine that I got from the consulate, and a couple browsing in book shops.

What I found in reality has blown me away. A friendly beautiful city, full of churches, a vibrant nightlife and cheap though rising prices. I recommend getting here as quickly as possible before it becomes expensive.

The old town - where I have spent all my time so far is a very compact, hilly and windy charming area. It abounds with bars and cafes, and to be honest lots of tourists. I can't tell where most are from but I think predominantly German and Scandinavian.

All around the city, the once boarded up and battered buildings are being restored to what must have been their former glory. There are still about 10% of the buildings in the sorry state - which in some way adds to the charm of the area.

I'm failing in my duty to learn the names of the churches and sights. Maybe I've seen so many that I no longer can hold the names for more than a few moments.

The ferry from Stockholm was an interesting affair. Met Jeron from Belguim - married to an Estonian, met Duca from Finland and his Estonian Wife Ita... there seems to be a theme. They told lots about Estonia - and Ita's daughter Miriam tried to teach me Estonian... which was a nearly hopeless task as every word is so difficult to say. The cabins were really good, ensuite hot showers, and I slept well.

So what have I done in Tallin? I met Sophia in the dorm of the hostel and had just arranged to go get some dinner when the other occupents of the room walk in. It was Steve and Irder - whom I had met in Stockholm and had hoped to bump into in Tallin - didn't expect to see them sharing a dorm though! So had dinner with Sophia and then met the guys at a bar - great talking with them again and if I get down to Romania before the 24th I'll see them again... I don't think it's going to happen - I travel slowly.

It's nice to be finally writing on the days that I'm actually in the places I'm writing about... haven't managed that since New Zealand. Well now that I'm back up to date I hope to be able to continue in this way :)

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