Tallinn

So its about time I write a little something about my trip to Tallinn. It was a bit impromptu but was definitely a worth-while experience. We set out from Helsinki around 10:30am, making it to Tallinn just before lunch time. We went to the tourist information point where the chap their gave us some good advice. (He then asked where we were from "erm, 2 from Austria, 2 from Germany, one from England, and one from Ireland", bet thats the first time he'd heard that). So then we went to Hessburger for lunch and to discuss what to do with the day. Strange how many of the Finnish companys were also in Estonia, like Hessburger and the R-Kioski's (although only called R-Kiosk in Estonian).

So we decided to be typical tourists and do a couple of bus tours of the greater Tallinn area. However we started by exploring the old town a little. This was all fairly pedestrianised and had a wonderful charm. Reminded me a lot of Bratislava actually. We saw the old main square with the town hall before heading back to do the first bus tour.


After that we decided to split up for an hour before the next bus tour. Me and Hilary headed for St. Olav's Church, where we were told you could climb to the top and get some great views of the harbour and old town. They werent wrong. It was quite a climb (not too high, but the steps were of old brick and steep with just a rope for a handrail), but once at the top you could indeed see out over the ocean and get to appreciate the beautiful old town with its old outer wall, and all the different churches.

Then it was back on the bus for a tour in the other direction of the town. Whereas the first tour had taken us round some of the forested areas with some interesting houses, the second tour took us to the side of town where most of the people seemed to live, with its huge soviet-style apartment blocks. Although the tours didnt show many 'sight-seeing hotspots' as such, the commentary was good, giving interesting facts and storys that helped me understand a bit more about Estonia's culture and history. Without these tours the day would have simply been about looking at pretty buildings.


After the final tour, we split again, and this time me and Hilary headed east to look at the old russian-orthodox church, which was rather spectacular. We then found our way to some of the viewing platforms on that side of town, which also gave very pleasant views. After this, however, it was time to head back for the ferry. On the return to Helsinki, we had the pleasure of witnessing one of the beautiful sunsets, which I've come to love about Finland.