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Tag Archives: Tallinn

A Tantalizing Side Trip

18 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by lexklein in Estonia

≈ 14 Comments

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Estonia, Hanseatic League, Tallinn, walled cities

Tallinn, Estonia seems to be a new darling in the travel world, and I felt compelled to add it to our itinerary when visiting St Petersburg, Russia this month. Like another popular walled city, Dubrovnik, the Old Town of Tallinn has something of a Disney-esque, fairy-tale quality at first glance. In spite of a few kitschy, historically-garbed locals and an overabundance of souvenir shops with near-identical merchandise, Tallinn lives up to its accolades.

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There are hundreds of perfect little shops, charming cobblestone streets, and dozens of appealing restaurant and lodging options, all concentrated in a small, very walkable area. And luckily, there is also some interesting history behind this picture-perfect façade. On the shores of the Baltic Sea, the Old Town started as a medieval trading city (then called Reval) in the 13th century and developed as a center of the Hanseatic League, a group of European trading cities.

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Today, the stone walls and buildings are remarkably well preserved, and Tallinn’s Old Town is deservedly a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An upper town, called Toompea, sits above the Old Town on a limestone hill; now as in the past, this part of the city houses the administrative center of the city and country. The capital city’s current Parliament building is part of the original town castle here, and the impressive Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, among other structures, graces the hill overlooking the Old Town.



We were glad we jumped on a bus to see some other parts of Estonia’s capital. We passed first through City Center, which was not particularly noteworthy but offered a view of more modern-day Tallinn. A sizable chunk of the city’s inhabitants lives east of the city in a bedroom community called Lasnamäe; here there are very large, bland apartment blocks, many built in the ‘70s to the ‘90s, all anchored in a grim, multi-layered limestone shelf.

Circling back to town, we passed through Kadriorg, a beautiful old neighborhood of colorful wood villas dating back to the 19th century. Kadriorg Palace is yet another palace built for Catherine I of Russia by her husband Peter the Great; this one served as a summer retreat for the royal family and with its natural parkland and many museums, the Kadriorg area remains one of the wealthiest and most picturesque parts of Tallinn today. The Kalamaja neighborhood likewise features quaint painted wood buildings, but here in this gentrifying former fisherman’s area, the overall feel is shabby-chic, fun, and artsy. Home to many students, this part of town contains a number of hipster cafes and bars and is also an easy getaway from the throngs in Old Town.



Tallinn offers a tantalizing array of narrow, twisting streets, medieval towers and walls from which to view the city’s colorful rooftops, details like heavy wood doors and iron adornments, a vibrant Christmas market in the main town square, lively coffee shops and bars, a sparkling ice skating rink near the center of town, and dining options from upscale to simple local eateries.

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Two days is plenty to take in all the city has to offer, but it definitely merits more than the day-tour stopover many people make it from Helsinki. If your travels take you to either St Petersburg or Helsinki, consider hopping a train or bus (6-7 hours from St Petersburg) or a ferry (2 hours from Helsinki) to this appealing old-world city.

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I’m a restless, world-wandering, language-loving, book-devouring traveler trying to straddle the threshold between a traditional, stable family life and a free-spirited, irresistible urge to roam. I’m sure I won’t have a travel story every time I add to this blog, but I’ve got a lot! I’m a pretty happy camper (literally), but there is some angst as well as excitement in always having one foot out the door. Come along for the trip as I take the second step …

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FINALLY made it out of the U.S. for the first time in 2 years. 😀🌴☀️
Road trip final stop: Grand Teton National Park. We may have saved the best for last. The Tetons startled us every single time we rounded a bend and saw them jutting up from the sagebrush. The park gave us these amazing peaks, wildflowers, horses, huge skies filled with every kind of cloud, and our own cozy little national park cabin. We’ll be back here for sure! #grandtetonnationalpark #tetons #wyoming #roadtrip #hiking #horses #cabins
Road trip stop 8: Yellowstone National Park. The north and northeast sections blew me away - full of wildlife and lemon-lime fields under dreamy skies. The western parts had their moments; the geothermal features were better than expected, but the traffic even worse than anticipated. All of the crowds were for Old Faithful, probably my last-place pick for things to see in the park. #yellowstonenationalpark #montana #wyoming #roadtrip #wideopenspaces #nationalparks #oldfaithful
Road trip stop 7: Beartooth Highway - deserving of a post all of its own. We drove east out of Bozeman, over two hours out of our way, to catch the start of the Beartooth Highway in Red Lodge, MT, and drive its full length back west to arrive at Yellowstone’s NE entrance. This exhilarating, eye-popping road covers 68 miles of US Route 212 from Red Lodge to Cooke City/Silver Gate and crosses Beartooth Pass at almost 11,000 feet. Worth the wide detour and the zillions of photo stops along the way … at least I thought so! #beartoothhighway #beartoothpass #montana #yellowstonenationalpark #roadtrip #detour
Road trip stop 6: Bozeman, Montana. We walked and biked much of this hopping little town, hiked Drinking Horse Mountain for a nice view of the Bridger range, disappeared into Hyalite Canyon for a short time, and spent our last evening on local favorite Peet’s Hill.
Road trip stop 5: All Idaho and all stunning! Started in Sun Valley/Ketchum with a 36-hour mountain hiking challenge. Moved on to Redfish Lake via the spectacular Hwy 75 through the Sawtooths and over Galena Pass, and then followed the Salmon River all the way north to Montana, blissfully devoid of cell service the entire way.

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FINALLY made it out of the U.S. for the first time in 2 years. 😀🌴☀️

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