Simply could not get enough of this camera-friendly Nordic sunshine while in Tallinn, Estonia, in late August! Thought to share a few of my favourite glimpses and nuggets about Tallin’s Old Town, some picked up from our walking tour with EstAdventures, some by meandering on our own.
Below, a sweeping view of Tallin Old Town’s roof tops and spires. Across the water, a 3-hour ferry ride away, lies Finland. Apparently the ferry doesn’t really need to take 3 hours, but it does so that it can maximise sales of (relatively) cheap booze to daytripping Finns!
On 20th August 1991, Estonia declared (a local might say reclaimed) independence from the Soviet Union. Large boulders such as this one below were placed at major road intersections, set up to be obstacles to the tanks that Estonians feared would roll in from Moscow.
Today, a gigantic and magnificently ornate Russian Orthodox church sits right across from the (pink) Estonian Parlianmentary building. Some locals view this as a spiteful reminder of Mother Russia’s influence given 1) Those who identify themselves as native Estonians are more likely to be Lutherans, who worship in spartan church halls; and 2) the Russian government — who is said to provide financial support for this church — spent so much of the Communist regime suppressing religion.
An evocative outdoor theatre in Old Town.
Evidently, what people did before they had Aunt Agony columns and blogs and Twitter as ranting platforms. I love the little detail of the 3D-effect of the painting on the door.
The little lighthouse above the sign for the Maritime Museum.
A few steps from the Maritime Museum, a boy wearning a gas mask (I have no idea why) sits on the memorial that marks the tragic sinking of the passenger ferry “Estonia” in 1994 while enroute between Tallinn and Stockholm.
This little al fresco set up of an Italian restaurant took my breath away — to the extent that I took a photo of this rather than the leg of jamon on display in the window! I don’t know much about design, but I really do like the look of the wooden wine crates being used as flower pots.
Doesn’t the lovely light against the medieval walls make you want to go?
World Wide Wabs 
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