Tallinn, Estonia

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I saw a post once, an advertisement on Facebook I believe, showing photos of Tallinn in Estonia. This captured my attention immediately and I knew I had to go . So when my uncle (a travel enthusiast also, it must run in the family!) asked me if I wanted to go, I jumped at the chance, this was amazing!**fact of the trip** Wi-Fi was founded here in Estonia! I bet you didn't know that!We found cheap flights, leaving the UK early Friday morning and returning late Sunday evening giving us just over 2 full days to explore. The hotel was a reasonable price too, perfect for a city break, as the less money we spend on flights and accommodation, the more we had to spend on exploring. We stayed in St Olav Hotel which was very close to the city centre, however it was also above a night club. As we weren't there for the nightlife and we wanted to be up early to explore, this wasn't ideal. Despite this, the hotel was comfortable enough and offered breakfast too. One other slight drawback on this hotel was no elevator, which meant carrying our luggage to the rooms up a few flights of stairs. Due to us doing a weekend break, we only had hand luggage so it wasn't an issue for us but if you are travelling from afar or staying longer and have a suitcase bear this in mind if you choose to stay at this particular hotel. All in all, for the price and the comfort (despite the nightclub) this was good enough for us. ​As time was in short supply, my uncle had an itinerary planned from prior research he had done. I had only one request - that we see the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.As the flight was early and only around 2 hours in duration, we arrived at our hotel by 11am leaving us virtually the whole day to explore. Being your typical eager tourists, we went to the room, put our bags down and went out straight away. I am not the best at navigating around so my uncle did that part for us and so we set out for the cathedral. Alexander Nevsky CathedralThe Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Old Town, Tallinn, is an orthodox cathedral, which was built in 1900 from a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky. This building is the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Estonia, and was dedicated to the Prince of Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky. Its location, right in front of Toompea Castle, was deliberate as this is the same spot that Martin Luther had previously stood, and was done to show and remind the Lutheran locals who was in charge.The towers in the cathedral hold the most powerful church bell ensemble in Tallinn, with 11 bells, which includes the largest one in Tallinn that weighs 15 tonnes. This ensemble plays before each service. <br style="color: #525252; font-family: Karla; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;" />To get to the cathedral, we went up an authentic cobbled side street on a rather steep incline. We had a few shops to the left of us and Toompea Castle to our right. At the end of the street was a large open space resembling a plaza, in which the magnificent Alexander Nevsky Cathedral stood in all its glory. The size of the building was immense; I knew it was big but I didn't realise just how big it was. Older buildings generally show signs of wear and tear but the cathedral was pristine, the colours still as vibrant as ever. Tallinn Old Town and Old Town SquareTallinn Old Town, specifically the lower town, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. The Old Town is divided into two areas, the Lower Town (All-linn) and the Upper Town (Toompea), which were once separated by gates, making them almost like two different cities. In the heart of the Old Town is the Town Hall Square which is probably the biggest tourist attraction in Tallinn. Dating back to 1322, there has always been a town hall in Tallinn with a town square next to it.I fell in love with the Old Town and its medieval heritage which still shows even today. As my Uncle and I strolled through, we were astounded by the huge variety of restaurants, bars and shops which were all typically Eastern European. When we came to the Old Town Square, each perimeter was lined with restaurants, all with outdoor seating overlooking the square. On our second and last night there, we ate in one of these restaurants. Not being very adventurous with food, I opted for a plain chicken and pasta dish but one of their delicacies which can be found in most of the restaurants was Bear steak. If you’re an experimental foodie then this town definitely gives you opportunities. Whilst eating here, we had a direct view of the town hall which was impressive, both during daytime and at night. From dusk it was lit up, highlighting the town hall's features, showing it in all its glory. The atmosphere was typically like I would imagine that of a plaza to be; Music playing in the bars and locals enjoying a meal and a few drinks. It wasn’t at all rowdy and people were generally just enjoying the company of others; I could have stayed there all night just soaking it all up.Viru GatesThe Viru Gates in Tallinn were part of the complex defence system of the Tallinn city wall which was constructed in the 14th century. It had a total of 8 gates, with curtain walls connecting them. These gates are often the first glimpse of the Old Town that visitors get. In the 1880s, most of the gate was removed to make room for traffic however, the two towers remain and are now a symbol of the town.When standing outside the gates looking through, we could see Viru Street. This is one of the busiest streets in all of Old Town and features pretty cobbled pavements alongside shops and restaurants.Despite there not being much to say about the Viru Gates, they are worth seeing for their ancient heritage. To me, with each tower's turrets, they look like something out of a Disney princess film. Something like Rapunzel! Look at the photos below and you'll see what I mean.Toompea HillToompea Hill is a historical, limestone hill in the central part of Tallinn which leads up to Toompea Castle. Covering over 17 acres of land, it is 400 metres long and 250 metres wide making it around 25 metres taller than the regions close by. This magnificent hill has made it onto the listing of Tallinn UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In addition, Toompea Hill is home to many foreign embassies in Estonia with the parliament and Government of Estonia at the base.Legend has it that when the 'mighty King Kalev' died, his widow built up a tumulus mound on his grave which is now known as Toompea Hill. Apparently, the widow, Linda, sat on top of the hill and shed tears for her Husband, which pooled together to create Ulemiste Lake. Although the history behind Toompea Hill is fascinating, for me it was all about the views. We didn't go to Toompea Castle but we did walk to the top of Toompea Hill where there is a view over pretty much the whole of Tallinn Old Town. This was really impressive, I felt on top of the world and as a people-watcher, I could have stayed there, just watching the town go about its business.All in all, Tallinn was a massive hit for me. All I need to do is look through the pictures and I'm back there as if it was yesterday. I'd definitely revisit and if you love culture, then this is a place to go. The culture and heritage is so well preserved. To date, this is probably my favourite European City that I've visited.

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