Advertisement
Published: August 9th 2007
The Old Town to the Sea
And ME! It was warm on Monday - about 5 degrees. That's St Olaf's Church tower in the background. You can climb it in the summer.....Okay, so I didn't believe it either.
Estonia. How do I describe it? It's.....odd. It's an Eastern European country trying desperately to haul itself out of the post-Communist malaise and into Scandinavia. Tallinn is a city that is obviously developing quickly and there is clearly a great deal of wealth making it's way into the pockets of the locals. Despite this and the removal of most of the obvious monuments to Communism some parts of the city still feel as if they are still within the border of the Soviet nation. I think some of the people think they're still there too. I took a great deal of pleasure in seeing more than a couple of Trabants still cruising around the city! Brilliant!
Estonia has really had something of a troubled history as a nation, for while there have always been Estonians, they have had no more than 40 years of independence ever! From the 1200s, when a significant settlement at Tallinn was first recorded, they have been occupied by the Teutonic Order, the Swedes, the Russians, the Nazis and the Soviets, among others. It wasn't (by their own admission)
Tall Hermann's Tower
It's very tall. No idea who Hermann is though! until the late 19th century when the Estonian nation began to realise a desire for real independence and until the collapse of Tzarist Russia in 1918 they didn't have a chance to make it a reality. Sadly, it lasted a mere 21 years until all their hard work was undone by a particularly swiney piece of diplomacy called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, that allowed for the German occupation of parts of Poland and the Soviet annexation of everything further east. The first year of that occupation saw upwards of 10,000 Estonians deported to the gulag archipelago (bear in mind that we're talking about a total population of less than half a million) and the apparatus of Soviet government inflicted on this tiny Baltic nation. As a result, they welcomed the Nazis as liberators of a sort for the middle years of the war and they dreaded the return of the Soviets in 1945. The Estonian Museum of Occupation in Tallinn describes the rough time Estonia had during this period and it's interesting how much stock they placed in the Soviet repression of the Hungarian revolution in 1956. It was almost as if they had thought that before then there was some
Fat Margaret
Nice name right?! hope of regaining the independence they had clung to through the 20s and 30s, but afterward they made the best of the Soviet. These days, it was noted on a citywide bus tour, there are very few people who would be unhappy if all the constructions and institutions of Communism were simply razed to the ground. It seems though, that some sense has prevailed and while many buildings in the new town are succumbing to modernist development, the architectural merit of Stalinist and Brezhnevite is being recognised both in the central city and the apartment districts of Mustamae and Lasnamae.
Anyway, enough history. Well, enough of the lesson. Time to talk about Medieval Tallinn. Much of Tallinn's old defences still stand. Something around 1.5 kilometres of the original 2.4 kilometer wall are still standing and are easily accesssible to the average tourist. The most significant of these fortifications are Tall Hermann's Tower, Fat Margaret's Tower and the appallingly named Kiek in de Kok. Say it out loud with me, go on. Tall Hermann's Tower was build by the Livonian Order (or the Knights of Christ of Livonia, the Teutonic Order) in the 1300s as a means to observe the
Kiek in de Kok
Worst name ever.... surrounds from well above the old town. It's now part of the palace at Toompea (more below) and is the flagstaff for the flag of the Republic which is raised at dawn every day. I really pity the poor bugger who has to do that at dawn in the middle of an Estonian winter! Fat Margaret's Tower is a part of the Water Gate to the Old Town, a few hundred metres from the port at Sadama. As a defensive structure, there is simply no equal in Estonia - it's walls are four metres thick at the base! These days it plays host to the Maritime Museum and possibly the most unfortunate name in the world! Finally, Kiek in de Kok is the main cannon tower that looks out over Freedom Square (Formerly (in order of conqueror!) Haymarket, Peter the Great Square, Independence Square and finally Victory Square). The building now contains a museum dedicated to the fortifications of Tallinn and the military history of the wars fought over this nation over the last 800 years or so. The Estonians do seem to have a knack for giving things interesting names and Kiek in de Kok houses the largest cannon
made
in Estonia, named the "Bringer of Bitterness." On that note, I might add, Kiek in de Kok doesn't mean what you think it means, and in fact translates to Peep in the Kitchen, as soldiers garrisoning the tower could see into the kitchens of neighbouring houses.
And this segues us nicely into the rest of the Old Town of Tallinn. Built on a hill said to be the marker of the grave of Kalev, legendary founder of Estonia, it is a warren of streets and small squares winding in amongst the shops, hotels and residences. Raekoja Plats is the main town hall square and the medieval town hall still stands over the area. It has an excellent tower which can be climbed during what seems to be a 3 day stint in September and some quite stunning iron gargoyle waterspouts. Much of the old town is filled with restaurants, cafes and (oh the awfulness) souvenir shops. It is a real mishmash of architecture, with medieval structures standing side by side with later work. There has been no modern exterior development in the old town and it has been beautifully preserved by the authorities.
This seems like a
Toompea Palace
The Seat of the Government of the Republic. good time to talk about food. Much of the appeal of travelling to Estonia was to go somewhere with a coffee culture not unlike that which we (foolishly?) left some months ago. Jen and I were both in need of a holiday and this trip was going to be as much about chilling out as it was about experiencing another culuture and a uniquely different nation. It has to be said that aside from our unfortunate propensity for buying fizzy mineral water instead of the flat stuff, we ate and drank like royalty in Tallinn. I managed to get my first long black (probably by accident - Jen just ordered two coffees and got long blacks - a feat that couldn't be repeated!) in six months and it was wonderful. Tallinners also really go in for cake and we had some wonderfully decadent cakes with our afternoon teas. The dark cherry cheesecake from the cafe near Kadriorg was simply fantastic! The other highlight was a dinner at one of Tallinn's medieval restaurants. Olde Hansa is well known in the city and despite arriving at a nudge after 6, we still had to wait for a table. It took us nearly
Aleksandr Nevskij Again
From atop Kiek in de Kok. Stunning. 3 hours to have dinner as the restaurant doesn't seem to cope when it's that full but it was worth every minute. The food was absolutely divine. Turns out I like sauerkraut (!) and that it goes very well with saffron roasted duck and onion jam. The dark honeyed beer was also very drinkable. Jen rather enjoyed her several glasses of spiced white wine too....
The best thing we saw on a menu though (and couldn't order) was the big breakfast - bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes and toast with coffee and OJ. Nothing abnormal there you'd think - it also came with a cucumber sandwich and a pint of the local beer. Not odd at all.....
I should also point out that I have started a ranking of places that serve the best Eggs Benedict in Europe. So far, the front runner is Pegasus Cafe (judged best restaurant in Estonia by the national Gastronomy Society) on Niguliste in the Old Town of Tallinn. It is also currently the only restaurant on the list. Never fear though, I shall get there in the end.
Much of the Tzarist influence in Tallinn is long gone, however two significant structures
Niguliste
Or the Church of St Nicholas. Oh, and Jen. This was Friday, that's how cold it was.... remain. The palaces at Toompea and Kadriorg are the most majestic buildings in the whole city and both are quite beautiful, in the manner of Imperial excesses of that period. Kadriorg was built by Tzar Peter I as a summer residence after his conquest of Estonia in the Great Northern War. He wanted to use Tallinn as a seaport for Russian access to the Baltic and visited the city often. Despite the fact he did not live long enough to see it finished, the pink monstrosity was completed by Catherine, his wife, and named Kadriorg in her honour. It's quite a stunning palace and I am amazed at the beautiful condition it's in. It houses part of the Estonian national art collection and included a fantastic exhibit of portraits of Tzars and their wives, almost all called Peter and Catherine. The photo here is of part of the magnificent two story ballroom that forms the centre of the palace. Kadriorg sits in large grounds, dominated by a swan pond which was wholly devoid of swans while we visited, and we both imagined it would be quite beautiful if there were leaves on the trees. That'll teach us for travelling in
Raekoja Plats
The Medieval Town Square, replete with Indian Restaurant. winter.
Toompea Palace, the seat of the parliament, sits atop the old town built into walls originally contructed by the Teutonic Order in the 1300s. Sadly, we weren't allowed to go it, tours are few and far between, but it was still a beautiful building. The expressionist building built around the existing governors mansion, which has been on the site for several hundred years in one form or another, has housed the parliament since 1922. Ulitmately, it's effect is the way it dominates one side of the Lossi Plats (Castle Square) opposite the stunning Aleksandr Nevskij cathedral. Speaking of which, I should probably mention it! Built in 1900 as the cathedral for the Orthodox religion in Estonia, it's the first Orthodox building I've been in. Jen noted afterward that any Calvinists in the crowd would have been horrified. (We went to the Loomskirik shortly afterward and a more spartan church you could not imagine!) The Nevskij cathedral was stunning, the walls were covered in frescoes and mosaics and those that weren't were adorned with gilded icons and candles. It was also being decorated for the sunday morning Easter service as for the first time in a long time, the
Town Hall
Complete with excellent tower and gargoyles! Orthodox
and Western Easters coincided. Sadly, we weren't allowed pictures. Perhaps the most telling sign of the history of Orthodoxy was that the little gift shop attached sold images of the so-called rightful ruler of Russia, Tzar Nicholas II and his family.
So there are a couple of Soviet sights worth a mention. On the sunniest day of the weekend we pottered out to Pirita, where Tallinn's best and brightest have made their homes (the drive was not dissimilar to the 17 mile drive we took out at Monterrey) to the Tallinn Teletorn. The TV tower, built in the late 70s to provide TV relays of the yachting for the Moscow Olympics, is a masterpiece of Soviet engineering. The views over the city are simply amazing and it's incredible to realise how astonishingly flat Estonia is. (As something of an aside, much of what I saw of Germany and northern France from the plane is flat! Oh the novelty) The tower remains decorated in the prevailing Soviet 80s style and is quite awful as a result. Jen and I ate a most interesting lunch on the observation deck (dodgy salads. Very odd!) and marvelled at the fact that it
Old Town
The epitome of an Old Town. Just not the Tallinn Old Town! appeared to be snowing 200 metres up.
The second great Soviet sight in Tallinn is the suburb of Lasnamae. Sometimes known as the 'Bedroom of Tallinn,' the Brezhnev-era apartment blocks house one-third of the cities population (estimated at about 400,000). There are two or three styles of apartment blocks, all built in the 50s and 60s mostly to accomodate migrants from other parts of the Soviet Union. Many native Tallinners could wait years for a state assigned apartment, while migrants would be housed quickly and effectively! Post-1991, the state sold the apartments back to their residents and it is estimated now that mortgage payments on one of these three room apartments can take up around one-third of the average Estonian's monthly income!
On top of all this is the development in Tallinn. The Viru Keskus shopping centre proved to be the best point of reference in the entire city. It also houses the Tourist Information Centre, but like so many places in Tallinn, they didn't seem that keen on having us there. This has to be the one thing that came through during our entire stay in Tallinn. The Estonians are really not that into customer service! Partly,
Dominican Monastery
800 year old cloisters in the Old Town. The solitude was amazing. I'm sure, it's a language thing, but so often we were left wondering quite what we'd done wrong! Anyway, back to the city. It seems that much of the Soviet architecture of the 50s and 60s is vanishing from the centre of the city and being replaced by the steel and glass monstrosities that populate city centres the world over. I shouldn't be so unfair actually. According to one of the city tours we went on, during the 90s, Tallinn was known for it's new and inspiring bank architecture. Yep. Banks. It's not all bad. The development of the central city has meant that it's becoming a haven for more modern commercial enterprises and eateries. If only they could reduce the number and prominence of the casinos and strip clubs! Ah, the economy of stag dos.......
Overall, I'd have to say that Estonia is a fascinating country and we've decided that we'll definitely return at some point in the far and distant future. There is a great deal to interest both of us outside of Tallinn as well as within. I think next time though, we'll go when it's warmer. I'm told it's positively tropical around September. If you've
Kadriorg Palace
Ahhh....Tzarist Excess... ever got the chance, even to stop in Tallinn for a day or two, definitely take it up.
Finally, I'd like to give double props to Lufthansa for providing four most excellent pan-European flights. They run what rates as the most comfortable fleet I have ever had the pleasure of flying on and their staff are really lovely. Props also to Terminal 2 at Frankfurt Airport, but those points must be taken away as Terminal 1 is quite a bit less pleasant and I can tell you that by 9:00 last night I was thoroughly fed up with being manhandled by German airport security. However, it has to be said that it's definitely one of the more pleasant airports I've ever set foot in and I will certainly be happy to travel there again.
So that was my first ever trip to the continent. I'd rate it a reasonable success I think. Hope you all had a good Easter,
Talk soon,
Al and Jen
Advertisement
Tot: 0.076s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 9; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0403s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Cessna152
Jason Smart
Nice journal. Sound like you had a great time in Tallinn. It brought back memories of my own trip there last May. We also did Riga and Vilnius. Out of the three, I preferred Riga, but Jodie, my girlfriend preferered Tallinn.