Tallinn, Estonia

 Tallinn, Estonia, is the last spot on my Baltics leg of this European trip. My private room in Fat Margaret's hostel was ... alright, but may be encouraging me to book hotels in the future instead. I also committed my first travel blunder on this trip here. After a leisurely wake-up, I ended up grabbing a sandwich and drink to eat in a park beside a church before joining my walking tour. I had started to notice small bubbles under my screen protector on my phone, so I reached into my bag to get my credit card to iron them out. And guess what wasn't there... A bit of panic set in; I thought back to the last time I used it (coffee machine in my hostel earlier). I gave up on my walking tour and headed back to my hostel, scanning the road with every step I took. I knew no one had used my card since I get alerts on my phone with every overseas purchase, so I started brainstorming a contingency plan if I needed to cancel it. After arriving back at my room and tearing apart my bag, I worriedly asked the person at the front desk—and there it was (I had left it on a couch). Crisis averted, and cortisol levels stabilizing.

Tallinn Old Town

Since I had missed the "storytelling" tour due to being the Absentminded Professor, I ended up on a regular walking tour of the old town. In a weird, "it's a small world" moment, I learned that two other travelers in my tour group were from Toronto. Not only from Toronto but also from Leslieville. One of them was a teacher in the TDSB (at Wexford High School). What's more, they originally met at the Only (my local bar beside my apartment). I actually met her during a staff social there when both my school and hers were having drinks. Crazy!

Some things I learned about the town on this tour were:

- Like the other Baltic countries, it had been taken over by various countries throughout its existence and gained freedom in the 90s, after the Soviet Union's collapse. They have a Freedom Square with a military parade every February 24th (although they don't have an army, but a "defense league"). In 1911, there was a statue of Peter the Great, but they decapitated it during the first revolution. During Soviet rule, it was known as the Red Square, then a parking lot in the 90s, and eventually became a freedom monument.

Freedom Monument

- Old Towers: Built in the 14th century, the square Virgin's Tower was used as a jail for prostitutes in medieval times. It was a square tower useful against bows and arrows. The round tower was the Kiek in de Kök (translating to "peep into the kitchen" in German) and provided good defense against cannonfire.

Kiek in de Kök 

- They had a big brother attitude towards Finland, and Estonian is a Finnish-Hungarian language, so they can understand Finnish pretty well. They also adopted the same national anthem tune (but with different lyrics).

- My guide attributed the colors of the Estonian flag to: Blue - blue sky and hope for tomorrow, Black - dirt under fingers from when they were not free, and White - their craving for independence.

- After the Soviet era, people bought land outside the church, and as the city and tourism grew, the city slowly bought back all the land from civilians. Except for one spot where a stubborn citizen refused to sell. In defiance, he placed a Soviet-era grain truck in the middle of the grass as an "eyesore," but to me, it adds a bit of whimsy and a refreshing "fuck-you" attitude.

It's my land and I'll leave a car if I want to...

Food-wise, Tallinn was hit and miss for this pescatarian. I had an amazing plant-based burger (VLND Burger Vanalinn), a fantastic full breakfast with avocado substituted for the meat (Kohvik Must Puudel), aaaannnnd a half bite of chicken dumplings (I assumed "boiled dumplings with grilled vegetables" was vegetarian, but quickly realized it was not). However, even though their food was less than enjoyable, the ambiance of the Headless Chicken Tavern was on point. It was a Lord of the Rings-themed bar, brought to my attention via Instagram reels from my friend Kurt back home. It had a sweet One Ring chandelier and fantastic decor, with soft Howard Shore scores playing in the background. It also turned out to be the meeting place of a group of larpers, which is even more intense than anything dorky I do, but was interesting to eavesdrop on.

And in the darkness bind them

Telliskivi Loomelinnak (Telliskivi Creative City)

As I was pretty old-towned out by this point in the trip, I decided to indulge my other travel passion: finding cool street art. I visited the artsy and hip area of Tallinn called Telliskivi. I may not be cool enough to be here, but I enjoyed it anyway. I snapped some great graffiti, hovered around the Banksy exhibit in town (but refused to go in and pay for a Banksy exhibit, as I believe his work is meant to be enjoyed outside, ideally by happenstance), and checked out some awesome vinyl and vintage shops.

Telliskivi art

I grabbed a coffee and cinnamon bun from a fantastic roastery called The Brick Coffee Roastery, where I met a cute stray dog (or maybe he lives at the coffee shop?). Obviously, I had to share some with him. I also wanted to take him home with me.

Good boy.

Kadriorg Park

I swung through the food and vintage market (Balti Jaama Turg) and grabbed takeaway sushi before leaving this area of the city to head to Kadriorg Park. This was a beautiful area of Tallinn, and I passed by the harbor to get there. The park was originally meant as a summer residence for Peter the Great (Russian Czar). The residence is now an art gallery that I viewed from the outside. I took my takeaway sushi, grabbed a great bench spot, and people-watched in this city park.

Dinner in Kadriog Park

After my bench dinner, I explored some ponds and fountains, a cool sundial, a children's amusement park, and a Japanese Garden (throwback to Summer 2023!). My last evening was spent wandering back through old town with a walking drink. I enjoyed my time here and encourage you to venture outside the old town as well. Also, try to avoid the massive hordes of descending cruise shippers (I was originally confused why it was so much busier than the other old towns, but was reminded of this fact, and indeed, by 5 pm, it was much more chill). See you next time, Estonia. I'd love to explore more.

Last stop on the Baltic Way