Tallinn is easily accessible from Helsinki via a two-hour ferry ride. What surprised me was the ferry itself. I’ve only been on small ferries plying the Hong Kong – Macau route, as well as some inter island ones in Australia and New Zealand. Those were pretty much straightforward. You have seats and an outer deck and that’s it. This one is huge and resembled a sailing department store. You have restaurants, shops selling signature brands, and then some slot machines. Am I really on a boat?
Tallinn is a popular daytrip
option for tourists and locals in Helsinki alike, and I don’t see why not. Regardless
which way your ferry sails, you see a lot of people with cases of beer and
booze in tow, strapped to their strollers. I suppose that those are duty free
up to a certain extent. Otherwise, why hoard them, right? That’s just one of
the peculiarities you’ll get to observe during the trip. The abundance of
Mainland Chinese groups is also a hint on how popular the city is in the Baltic
tourist circuit.
I didn’t take public
transportation in Tallinn, but seeing the price boards I can say that it’s
significantly cheaper than public transpo in the Finnish capital. After docking
at the port, you can have a peek of the city center from the giant glass window
before passing through Customs. Alleys and roofs, this is what Tallinn is all
about, I concluded. The walk from the port to the old town will not take a lot
of time. As long as the sun is shining, the leisurely stroll along the marina
is guaranteed to be a pleasant one.
The first tourist attraction
that greeted me was this tower that looked like a church, judging from the
white cross at the front lawn. This one is right beside the gate of the old
town. Cobble stones and arches. Welcome to medieval Europe! The template is
rather similar for most of these old towns. Snubbing the small museum by the archway,
I headed to yet another church, whose tower is accessible with a fee that goes
up depending how high you want to climb. I begged off it and just took some
photos.
The narrow alleys might become
too crowded with the coming and going of tour groups, but wander about and you
are meant to find your own alley that gives off the same medieval feel as the
rest. The main square is not that big but always teeming with activity. Of
course, it serves as an obligatory stop for camwhores from various parts of the
globe. What you should watch out for, though, are the performers who usually
come in the late afternoon. Toss them a coin to show your appreciation.
You can easily spend a day
inside the old town’s walls, discovering another interesting corner with every
turn. There are several places that might be of interest for you, though. There
is a hilly area to the west that enjoys abundant green cover. There you will
find a museum, but what most people seem to enjoy is the view from there. I am
not sure how the area is called but it has these monk statues, around three of
them. Exit one of the gates and you end up at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
The cathedral reminds me so
much of the one in Sofia, which if I remember correctly bears the same name.
That one is way bigger, though. People tend to linger in front of the church or
on the benches across the street. The hills also play host to a medieval church
called St. Mary’s at Toomkirk. There was a wedding being held when I was there
so the alleys were a bit crowded. But my favorite part is still the Kohtuotsa
viewing platform, where you can enjoy the skyline of Tallinn, both the medieval
and the modern.
It started to rain really hard
when I was there. We all sought refuge in the one souvenir shop down the stairs. Again, what I love about the view here is the juxtaposition of
the red roofs from long ago to the several modern facades of buildings
in the horizon. I guess we could say that in this regard, of preserving the old
and having it coexist in harmony with the new, the Estonian capital has been
successful. Of the three Baltic capitals I’ve visited, this one appears to be
my favorite so far.
[TALLINN] Sail In, Sail Out
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