Tallinn

While our group was based in Helsinki, Finland (see prior post), we took a long day trip across the Baltic Sea to visit the medieval heart of the city of Tallinn, now the capital of Estonia. What a delightful place! Read on and check out the gallery.

It was a long day – after an early breakfast in Helsinki we boarded a massive ferry for the two-hour cruise across the icy Gulf of Finland (the part of the Baltic Sea that separates Scandinavia from the main body of Europe, and whose eastern end reaches St. Petersburg and Russia; see the map at bottom). Large enough to carry massive trucks, the upper decks were essentially one big shopping mall, with food courts and lounging areas. I found one door to get out on deck to take in the brisk air and watch the blocks of ice passing by.

Although Tallinn (now the capital of Estonia) is a modern city of half-million people, and is known for its hi-tech startups, its old medieval district is delightful and well preserved (and highly welcoming to tourists). We enjoyed a two-hour tour from a local guide and then another two hours to explore on our own. I particularly enjoyed wandering the cobblestone streets, surrounded by historic buildings, churches, and businesses.

At the center is a large cobblestone square, anchored by the Town Hall built in 1404. It is still used today (620 years later!) for special functions and ceremonies.

Several government buildings are located in old town, including the Parliament building, and various embassies. The sidewalk in front of the Russian embassy was lined with protest signs and an informal memorial to Navalny.

We passed through another gate and climbed the hill to the inner/upper section of the old town, which gave us an opportunity for a view across the historic district and toward the harbor.

It’s amazing to see this medieval village so well preserved, especially given the history of this city. With signs of human habitation dating back 5,000 years, it was a small city at the beginning of the 13th century when it was captured by a Danish king in 1219. It was ruled alternately by various other countries for several centuries, finally declaring independence in 1918 after the Russian revolution. Unfortunately it was then occupied by the Soviets, then the Nazis, then the Soviets. Finally, in 1991 they became an independent nation. They are now one of the ‘tech’ capitals of Europe (Skype was started here, for example). For more about the fascinating history of Tallinn, see Wikipedia.

In the next post, you can read about our travel far to the north of Finland, beyond the Arctic Circle, to Lapland… where it was definitely still winter, and we hoped to see the Northern Lights. In the meanwhile, be sure to check out the Tallinn gallery!