Estonia > Medieval Tallinn

Rain pounded on the tent fabric during the night. Unfortunately, it hadn’t dried. Even when the alarm went off, it was still raining. There was no choice but to pack the tent away wet. At the earliest, we wouldn’t be able to open it to dry for another two days.

Estonia - The entrance gate to the old city of Tallinn

In cities like Tallinn and Helsinki, this would be difficult. Carefully, we fold up the tent and load the luggage into the car. From the Riga Bay, we drive north. The route takes us straight through the capital, Riga—right in the morning rush hour. Slowly but surely, we reach the other side of the city and continue on the main road toward Estonia. Halfway along the route, we cross it. We use our navigation again to select a restaurant for a drink. We drive into a small village. At the indicated location, we cannot find a restaurant. A little further on, however, there is a small café. We order coffee and a hamburger sandwich for lunch. By coincidence, there are two other Dutch people sitting on the terrace in this village—remarkable, since over the past few days we’ve hardly seen or heard any fellow countrymen. At two o’clock, we enter the suburbs of Tallinn. Following a long main road with many traffic lights, we reach the city center. Our hotel is just on the edge of the old town. We can park Brutus in an inner courtyard behind the hotel. Fortunately, the underpass is tall enough. In about fifteen minutes, we walk to the old town. Tallinn has a relatively small historic center, consisting of the higher Domberg and the lower town. The old center is still largely surrounded by the ancient city gate and watchtowers, giving the area a distinct medieval character.

Estonia - The view over the old city of Tallinn

On the terrace of the oldest café in the city (as they claim), we order a drink. Afterward, we walk via the Town Hall Square, the old pharmacy, and the Long Pikk Street to St. Olaf’s Church. We climb the 60-meter-high tower spire—a challenging ascent. From the tower’s balustrade, we have a view over all of Tallinn. We can see our hotel and trace the route we walked. From here, we also see the old city gate and, on the other side, the higher Domberg area, where the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is located—our next destination. Through the city gate, we walk along the old city wall. Following an uphill path, we reach the elevated Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Inside the Orthodox cathedral, chanting is audible—it seems a baptism is taking place. Mainly women are praying before the gilded iconostasis. From the Domberg district, we have a panoramic view of the city. In a café built into the city wall, we enjoy a beer. The terrace, about ten meters high, is only accessible via a steep stone staircase in one of the towers. We finish the evening with dinner at one of the restaurants in the center—Italian tonight.