Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Keri's Travel Blog
Tallinn is the capital of Estonia. It is situated on the Gulf of Finland, 80 km south of Helsinki, and about 250 km west of Saint Petersburg. During its history Estonia has been under German, Scandinavian and Russian rule. It was occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War. And is now an independent state with a population of around only 1.4 million.
Tallinn was founded in 1248, and due to its strategic location, it became a major trade hub. Tallinn's Old Town which we docked nearby is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The old town sits on a hill overlooking the Gulf and presents an impressive sight with its medieval wall and watch towers still mostly intact.
Various prominent old church spires, civic building towers and domes dot the skyline. The town is not large and we easily covered most of it by foot in a couple of hours. Many of the streets are cobbled with what seem to be river stones rather than specially cut granite or other stones. Very ******* the feet if you are not wearing comfortable walking shoes.
Tallinn unlike other towns on our travels is hilly, and thus the streets take on a different character: lots of little stone stairways and paths leading to the upper levels of the town. The buildings and houses in the old town pretty well resemble the styles and architectures we've seen elsewhere in the Baltic.
We took a Hop On, Hop Off bus ride which travelled out some 5-8 km from the old town to where the Russian tsars had a holiday home. Built in the style of a Baroque Palace, but in miniature (still large by normal standards) it sits in a beautiful park setting, with lots of wooden houses in the immediate neighbourhood. These were apparently also built as holiday homes by wealthy Russian families from St Petersburg. Today they are occupied by middle class Estonians, and the palace is a museum that we visited.
Often dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe, Tallinn is the birthplace of many international technology start-ups, including Skype. It is also HQ for EU’s IT and cyber security agency. Beneath Tallinn’s historic façade beats the heart of one of the world’s leading digital cities. Free Wi-Fi abounds, operating at speeds which should make Australia blush with embarrassment.
Tallinn is a major cruise ship destination on the Baltic run and in peak season it can host up to seven ships in one day. Thankfully we are travelling before peak and were the only cruise ship in port. Lots of people including us were foraging through the various street markets for warm woollen hats, scarves and the like. Although we have had sunshine during the days, the air can be bitterly cold.
We enjoyed a few hours of wandering, sightseeing and the obligatory delicious coffee and cake – a delicious black forest gateau type creation. And so it was a leisurely waddle back to the ship and onward to the next port of call, and the pinnacle of the trip for us at least – 2 days in St Petersburg the "Venice of the North".
I’ll write more from there … in the meantime I hope you enjoy the above and photos I’ve posted from Tallinn.
Adios
Keri
Tallinn was founded in 1248, and due to its strategic location, it became a major trade hub. Tallinn's Old Town which we docked nearby is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The old town sits on a hill overlooking the Gulf and presents an impressive sight with its medieval wall and watch towers still mostly intact.
Various prominent old church spires, civic building towers and domes dot the skyline. The town is not large and we easily covered most of it by foot in a couple of hours. Many of the streets are cobbled with what seem to be river stones rather than specially cut granite or other stones. Very ******* the feet if you are not wearing comfortable walking shoes.
Tallinn unlike other towns on our travels is hilly, and thus the streets take on a different character: lots of little stone stairways and paths leading to the upper levels of the town. The buildings and houses in the old town pretty well resemble the styles and architectures we've seen elsewhere in the Baltic.
We took a Hop On, Hop Off bus ride which travelled out some 5-8 km from the old town to where the Russian tsars had a holiday home. Built in the style of a Baroque Palace, but in miniature (still large by normal standards) it sits in a beautiful park setting, with lots of wooden houses in the immediate neighbourhood. These were apparently also built as holiday homes by wealthy Russian families from St Petersburg. Today they are occupied by middle class Estonians, and the palace is a museum that we visited.
Often dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe, Tallinn is the birthplace of many international technology start-ups, including Skype. It is also HQ for EU’s IT and cyber security agency. Beneath Tallinn’s historic façade beats the heart of one of the world’s leading digital cities. Free Wi-Fi abounds, operating at speeds which should make Australia blush with embarrassment.
Tallinn is a major cruise ship destination on the Baltic run and in peak season it can host up to seven ships in one day. Thankfully we are travelling before peak and were the only cruise ship in port. Lots of people including us were foraging through the various street markets for warm woollen hats, scarves and the like. Although we have had sunshine during the days, the air can be bitterly cold.
We enjoyed a few hours of wandering, sightseeing and the obligatory delicious coffee and cake – a delicious black forest gateau type creation. And so it was a leisurely waddle back to the ship and onward to the next port of call, and the pinnacle of the trip for us at least – 2 days in St Petersburg the "Venice of the North".
I’ll write more from there … in the meantime I hope you enjoy the above and photos I’ve posted from Tallinn.
Adios
Keri
- comments