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Published: July 28th 2016
Tallinn
City WallsUp at 4.15am for our flight today and after 185 days on the road we now work like clockwork in getting ourselves ready. Packed and checking out before we needed to but our taxi was already there so things were looking good. The hotel even prepared us a packaged breakfast which we didn’t have the heart to refuse, as we knew it was going to be bad - stale sandwich, my favourite. Had wanted to get the Metro out to the airport but that doesn’t start running till after 5am and the bus would take too long so we were forced into taking an expensive taxi. Flat rate of 38 Euros is painful but it was a 45 minute drive. Today’s taxi driver was great and we had no performance at the airport when he dropped us off.
Soon as we arrived we checked in our luggage and got ourselves to our gate for a short wait and then we were off. The 2 hour flight to Vienna wasn’t a drama except it sounded like there was a cat onboard but we figured
it was a small child, but after we got off we discovered someone did have a cat onboard. It was in a cage but that was a first for us and it had Michele wondering if the next time we go on holidays she can take her Chickens with us. When we got into the terminal at Vienna we looked up the departure board to see which gate our next flight was going to leave from and discovered it had been ”cancelled” – damn. This was a first for us and I guess after all the flights we have done, it had to happen eventually. Flight transfer desk was closed and trying to get help from anyone was a bit difficult but eventually got passed around a dozen times and ended up at The Austrian Airlines counter. The flight was with Adria Airways, booked through Aegean Air, but somehow Austrian Airlines were the ones to help us. The good news was that they could get us on the 8.30pm flight with Baltic Air the bad news was that it was only 11.00am and so had 9 hours in the airport. Due to the inconvenience they also gave us a 24
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The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral as seen from the St Mary Tower Euro voucher to use at the cafes for food, but when a cappuccino costs 5.50 Euro, it really wasn’t much of a help in covering the cost of dinner here.
Soon discovered Vienna Airport is large and has next to no seats and you can take your dogs through, again Michele was contemplating how she could have her chickens with her, and how she could be feeding them corn. We thought about heading into Vienna by train but we hadn’t planned on this and weren’t sure where to get off and what to see. There would be an added cost to this and also we will be back here next month so decided to sit tight in the airport for the day.
Finally got on our plane and in the air at 9.00pm for the two hour flight to Tallinn.
Day 186 Friday 22nd July 2016 – Tallinn Arrived at Tallinn Airport at midnight local time and everything was closed up, I think that ours was the last flight in but there were plenty of taxis and they are metered and only
Tartu
The Leaning House cost us just under 8 euros to the hotel. Booked in and got to the room still a little wired so it was about 2.00am before we got to sleep.
Went to breakfast in the hotel about 9.00am and were greeted by a huge scrum of about 100 people and were lucky to be standing near a table as people finished. The breakfast was great and there were so many choices including pickled herring (yum yum). After a few cups of coffee to kick start us we headed out the door and across the road into the old town. This is a beautiful area with the fairytale look unfortunately as the day went on so did the crowds and we soon realised that there were 3 cruise ships docked in the port. We managed to avoid the worst of the crowds except for the lookout areas on the city walls.
It was interesting just wandering around looking at the buildings and doing some window shopping and looking at the markets. We did buy an alarm clock from the 70’s that we suspect has been given a new face featuring Yori Gagarin but it looked
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Inside the Bastion Tunnels so kitsch we had to have it. Walked into the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which is the onion domed Russian Orthodox church built in the late 1800’s, which was a little bit of a let down after the one in Almaty. After the long walk we staggered back to the hotel late in the afternoon for a short break.
Hit the streets again to look for somewhere for dinner and discovered the streets were quiet so it is a good time to look around without the crowds. It is also good because it is still light till after 10pm and you can photo well into the night. Had dinner at a place called Hell Hound who’s decor Scott described as Scan-dustrious, I think he has been watching too many reno shows on TV, although he would say that to me every time he walks into the lounge room when I am watching them.
Day 187 Saturday 23rd July 2016 – Tallinn After the huge feeding frenzy yesterday over breakfast we decided to try and keep ahead of the pack and made sure we were there when
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St Olav's Church it opened at 8. Of course a lot of other people had the same idea but it was nowhere near as busy as yesterday and so I was able to get my 3 cups of coffee. We have decided to splurge on the “Tallinn Card” today which for a one off fee gets you into heaps of museums, churches and sites over one or two days. For the two day option it costs us 42 Euro each which is fairly costly but it will force us perhaps into running around and seeing somethings we wouldn’t normally see.
First up today was my number one site which is the Lennusadam Seaplane Hangar museum. The Seaplane hangar was built in 1917 and was a bit of an architectural wonder for its day as it is 3 huge concrete domes connected together and is actually a really beautiful structure. This now houses part of the Estonian Maritime museum, which has a large collection of sailboats, buoys, guns and a fabulous centrepiece of the 1939 submarine Lembit. The submarine managed to survive the second world war and sits inside the hangar almost in pristine condition. Not only can you walk around,
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View from the top of St Olav's Church Tower under and on it but you can walk through the sub as well and Shelley was so enthralled by it all that she managed to suppress her claustrophobia and clamber inside with me. The museum had lots and lots of things for the kids to do and out the back sitting in the harbour was the 1913 Icebreaker “Suur Toll”. Like the Lembit this icebreaker was in great condition and was great being able to clamber through it and even get down into the engine rooms and boilers. Must have spent over 2 hours in this museum and to prove how good it was even Shelley enjoyed it, although maybe she just tells me that to humour me. From here we went on a huge exhausting walk all over the city trying to get value for our money on the card and rather than have me moan about it endlessly I will hand this on to Shelley to blog.
So glad we had this Tallinn card because we probably would not have done the Tallinn Town Hall and Tower but what a great surprise. First we walked up the stone spiral staircase in the tower which when
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Town Hall Square markets we finally made it to the top gave us great views over the town square and beyond. The tower was added to the building in 1627-28 so the building has been extended and altered over the years. Then into the Town Hall itself which certain parts date back to about 1322, it continued to change through the centuries. The original hall spire was built in 1627 and changed shape in 1781, it was destroyed in World War II but luckily it fell outwards saving the building and was rebuilt it 1952. Inside there are tapestries from 1500’s plus some copies of originals in the Citizen’s Hall and beautifully carved benches in the court house section. We walked up into the attic to see the incredible roof construction and a display on the restoration works.
Next was a quick visit to the Holy Spirit Church a medieval Lutheran Church started in the early 13
th Century and it has somber woodwork and paintings with bright late 19
th century stain glass windows that seem to be at odds with the rest of the décor.
Last was the Kiek in de Kok which translates to “peep into the
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Kiek in de Kok kitchen” not what you were thinking, but personally a “kick in the cock” sounds more fearsome than “I can see you haven’t done the dishes”. It is an artillery tower which now houses a museum of weapons and models of the old city layout, you wind up the spiral staircase to each level to see exhibits. The tower reaches 38 metres in height and the walls are 4 metres thick and still have cannon balls from 1577 embedded in them. While here we booked to do the Bastion Tunnels for tomorrow.
It was now time for a rest before heading out to dinner unfortunately I have not been able to work out what is a traditional Estonian dish yet other than pork and potatoes cooked in many different ways that all seem to be just roasted, so we went for something that definitely does not come from here, Spicy Noodles. Decided to have an early night and went back to our room but around 10pm we thought we would go for a walk. The sun had only just dipped below the horizon and there was plenty of light still and it was good to be out of
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City Walls our stuffy room. Across from the hotel is a huge concrete bunker of a building that was built for the sailing competition in the 1980’s Moscow Olympics, I had actually thought it was a World War 2 German U-Boat Bunker, it was so huge and ugly. Went for a walk along it and discovered the concrete bunker is now the place where all the Tallinn youth come to drink and hook up before going out for a night on the town, glad it still has some sort of social use although it would be nicer if it was greener.
Went to pick up a beer at a service station on the way home, but was told they couldn’t sell them to me after 10pm. Still not sure that selling alcohol at a service station is such a good idea, but unsure what use a time limit does. Went back to our hotel and it was a bit weird for us trying to get to sleep at 11pm with light streaming through our windows, I guess if you live up here you get used to it.
Day 188 Sunday 24th July Tallinn
Town Hall 2016 – Tallinn
Felt wrecked in the morning but was still up for the 8am stampede into the breakfast area. Got our stuff together and then headed into town for a big, big day of sightseeing. First on the agenda was the Hellemann Tower and walls there is a modern spiral staircase leading up to the walls which is good but they are badly lit and there is people going up and down at the same time so a bit dodgy. The main reason to do it was to walk along the city walls but if you miss don’t worry there are better things to do in town with better views.
We quickly stopped at the Museum of Photography to look at an exhibition on bicycles and motorbike mainly from the 1920’s. One of the highlights today is the Bastion Tunnels tour which starts from the Kiek in de Kok Tower. In the 1700’s work was begun on huge Bastion walls that were to encircle the city, they were never fully completed as what was proposed was enormous. The parts of the walls that were completed were connected by tunnels so that troops and
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Down pipe on the Town Hall supplies could be moved rapidly from one point to the next, and although a lot of the walls were demolished the tunnels remain as a tourist attraction. When we arrived we were first shown a short film on the history of Estonia that led to the building of the fortified town of Tallinn, then it was into the tunnels. These have had a long history and the tour starts from the modern uses back to the medieval sections more recently opened up. In the 1990’s after the break away from the Soviets the homeless moved into the tunnels as it is a constant 7 degrees while outside in winter can be -20 degrees so it offered shelter. Then 1980’s the punks of the town were being persecuted by the Soviets who did not want any expression of individuality so when the raids on their hangouts happened they fled into the tunnels. Moving further back in 1936 the tunnels where used to train for gas and bomb attacks and electricity, ventilation and communications were added, they were used as shelters during the bombing of the town in the World War II by the Soviets. A surprising fact about Tallinnn was that
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The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral it was bombed by the soviets in March 1944 whilst it was occupied by the Nazis and over 500 people were killed and 5000 buildings were destroyed, but to this day Russia still denies that they bombed it, unsure who they blame. Then we entered the older sections that had been hidden behind a wall with a section being underwater that is now accessible and contains a stone carving museum. It was very interesting and worth booking to do the tour which takes about 1hr 15mins.
St Nicholas Church was next which is a museum containing many religious artefacts but the main drawcard is the painting Danse Macabre by Bernt Notke from the late 1400’s. Unfortunately, not all of the 30 metre painting has survived, there are other versions of this theme but this is truly fascinating to see and we may even see the one in Slovenia.
But enough of this gentle wandering we have another church to visit and it has a tower to climb so onto the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin (Dome Church). It is a beautiful church in its own rights with the white washed walls covered with
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Looking down on the old streets noble families’ coats of arms. It mainly dates from the 15
th century with the 69m tower being added 1779 and so it was up the tight stone spiral staircase to a platform at 28m (140 steps) containing the bells and picturesque views over the old town.
Walked around the Toompea Castle and Parliament Building and then onto the Estonian History Museum Great Guild Hall. This hall is where the wealthy merchants and artisans meet and partied, it was built in 1407-1417 but now is a museum. Not a lot to see but still an interesting slice of history into the power of this group of men.
Now for the biggie, well climbing that is, the tower of St Olav’s Church, first we walked around the church which was a little on the plain side after the others we had seen. Then looked at the tower which is 123.7m high and about 60m to the viewing platform, we are lucky that it is a clear day as this church’s towers have been hit by lightning 10 times and the church has been burnt down 3 times. Now Scott’s family has not had a good history
with lightning and his knee is still acting up so he sat this one out but I decided to push myself. I am still trying to overcome my claustrophobia so into the very narrow stone spiral staircase I went, there were moments of doubt especially without Scott’s support but I became determined. The crowd reached a wooden platform and from here it was a wooden stair/ladder to the outside platform and it was slow and no one could see why. When I got near the top there was a young woman looking very scared trying to get down so I moved across and then saw the stair was packed. I pushed through hoping we could all move along to be confronted by a wooden platform about 70cm wide and a couple with backpacks on who refused to move because they thought they had the best spot to take photos. I said we need to get through grabbed the railing as he squeezed forward lean over and got hold of the railing on the other side straddled across but she would not budge, I finally got her to turn side wards so I could get past (the man behind me was
not so polite and told them what he thought). The breeze hit my face and I realised how high I was and the totally amazing views. We all walked in one direction slowly giving enough time for quick photos and to take it all in as we made our way around the tower. As it was the idiots at the beginning did not have the best view just made it dangerous for everyone else. There were a few places where the platform got to about 1 metre wide so you could pass with care and getting very personal with other visitors. If you do it remember to look up at the tower and how warped it is or was it just I was dizzy from the height. Finally made it back down to Scott who I think was very relieved to see that I survived without a meltdown.
Last stop was the Estonian Maritime Museum in Fat Margaret’s Tower not sure why it is called that other than it is a large squat tower. The museum is nicely presented but the English information is sporadic and more for local interest or maybe I am officially museumed out.
Stopped at Hell Hunt for a cold drink and then onto the noodle place for dinner before collapsing in bed.
Day 189 Monday 25th July 2016 – Tallinn to Tartu Don’t worry this is a very short day. After our breakfast took it easy and slowly packed before getting a taxi to the bus terminal for the 2.5 hour journey to the town of Tartu. Managed to get on the 12.10pm bus for an uneventful smooth trip to Tartu through very pretty green but flat countryside.
We arrived at 2.30pm and as the bus pulled in saw our hotel across the road so no need for a taxi. We got into our room and started getting ready to walk the town when Shelley gave me one of the biggest laughs of my life. She was in our short hallway next to the front door and was sorting out stuff in the small cupboard when she turned around and glanced herself in the full length mirror behind her, she let out the biggest scream and leapt thinking someone was standing there. Gee I don’t find
her that scary, even first thing in the morning. After that good laugh we went for a walk around this University town, the part we are staying in is modern with shopping malls but only a few blocks away you get into the older part of town. Later in the afternoon we stopped in the plaza and got something to drink and then looked around for dinner and found a nice little Italian place, still no Estonian food, although we could get Georgian, Bulgarian, Japanese, Indian, Tibetan and of course Italian.
Day 190 Tuesday 26th July 2016 – Tartu Fantastic breakfast to start the day and then hit the streets to see what Tartu had to offer. First on the agenda today was getting tickets out of town for tomorrow, and we had a choice of 4.05am in the morning or 6.20pm at night, so it was a really easy decision to go the 6.20pm at night. We then headed off and looked over the Town Hall, University Building and St Johns Church, before heading uphill to Dome Hill. Tartu was once protected by a large fort that encompassed Dome
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Statue and fountain in Town Hall Square Hill that was built in the 5
th and 6
th Century, but it slowly evolved into a university and parklands. The highlight is the ruins of a huge Cathedral, which you can climb, but after all the climbing over the last few days we decided to give it a miss.
Wandered back down the hill and into town and took some photos of the leaning house that sits in the main square, apparently half of the building sat on the old city walls and the other on not much at all and so naturally she started to lean. Thankfully it has now been pinned in place so it won’t topple and it has become sort of a tourist attraction. Spent plenty of time checking out the shopping malls and parklands before having a short rest in our room. This town has lots of museums including the following:
1. KGB Cells Museum – Where the KGB used to torture people
2. Estonian Literary Museum – for the Estonian Literary buffs
3. K.E Von Baer Museum – Founder of modern embryology
4. Oskar Luts House Museum – The
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City from the Town Hall Tower “Estonian Dickens”
5. Estonian Agricultural Museum – Which has live animals
6. Tartu Toy Museum – One for the kids
7. Estonian Sports Museum – Love my sports
8. Paper and Print Museum – Watch out for paper cuts
9. Song Festival Museum – I am guessing no Led Zeppelin here
10.Postal Museum – enough to make you go postal
I know what you all are thinking “Wow, just got to get to Tartu to see these museums”. Certainly an impressive list and there is even more that I didn’t include, and I am sure they are all fantastic but we are feeling a bit museumed out and as much as I would love to learn about embryology we made a vow to give museums a miss for a couple of days. The one museum I was tempted on was the beer museum with a guided tour of the local brewery, but wouldn’t you know it, it wasn’t open today – perhaps they knew I was in town.
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Twag
Thomas H. Wagner
Tallinn and the Baltics
I was in Tallinn too in 2011. It is great to see how the 3 Baltic countries have developed after leaving the Soviet Union and how they have preserved their old cities. I also can recommend the castle in Kuressaare but it was unfortunately closed when I was there. I also was in Riga, Vilnius, Kaunas, Siauliai, Kaliningrad, Danzig and Marienburg/Malbork and this is a very interesting region.