29th – Welcome home to Den… Sweden?!

The main goal today, before leaving in the afternoon, was to try and get a table at Rataskaevu 16. But as they didn’t open until noon I had a few hours to kill before that. As I potentially would be having a large lunch I chose for breakfast to just grab a glass of juice and a co... hold on – they have pancakes?!

Woops.

After checking out I left for the Kiek in de Kök museum, a restored cannon tower with exhibits showing the military history of Tallinn. While the name of the museum might result in a few snickers it doesn’t mean what it sounds like in English; instead, it’s low German, meaning “look into the kitchen”. The name was based on the complaints from people living around where the tower was built as they were worried that people now would be able to look unhindered into their kitchens (and other rooms).

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the square tower is Maiden's Tower (Neitsitorn) with the Danish garden on its right.

A model of the town from when it was still fully built. A lot of towers and large walls made it one of the best defended towns in the area. It was needed, though, as throughout most of history they were under attack from surrounding countries; Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Germany (or whatever they called themselves at the time) to name a few.

St. Nicholas' Church and St. Olaf's church can be seen in either end of the town.

From there I returned to Rataskaevu 16 where I arrived a few minutes before opening. After letting the hoards of people in I assumed had booked a table I went inside and asked if they had a table for a quick lunch, referring to yesterday’s conversation. He looked up and down the list of reservations and tables, and after a moment he was able to refer me to an available table – for 4! – which I would have without any time limit. Success! And probably a bit luckier than I was allowed to be. The lunch I had was baked goat’s cheese, elk ribs and chocolate cake. The cheese was a massive chunk on a bed of chopped vegetables (already a sign that the place was fancier than the previous two places I had been dining). I went for the elk ribs again because I wanted to compare a high-end elk rib with the elk-rib-chunk from yesterday. While I didn’t get nearly as much meat today it was off the bone and the two pieces could barely hold on to themselves due to their tenderness. Melted in my mouth. For dessert I asked to have a glass of port but my waitress recommended a black-current/chili liquor. “A sweet black-current with a small kick in the end”. I am glad it was just a “small kick” – considering the massive dropkick I received without warning I dare not think what a “big kick” would have been. I let my waitress know that it was good, I was glad I had it but I wasn’t too impressed. She seemed disappointed but brought the bill when I asked for it. Making sure I still had the table for some time I asked for a glass of port just to relax before leaving again. I don’t know if it was because she felt bad about the liquor but imagine a large glass of wine. But with port.

If you ever get the chance book a table here (preferably a few weeks in advance).

I cannot guarantee you get as much port as I, though.

After this lovely 2-hour lunch I had a small wander before returning to the tram and going back to the airport. Already checked in I flew through security and was soon sitting on the plane ready to go home. Halfway, after having been served food and drinks, the passengers were suddenly asked if there was a doctor among us. I was sitting in the front and all the action was going on halfway back in the plane so I couldn’t keep an eye on what was going on. Soon one of the cabin crew members rushed down to their secluded part of the cabin, and few moments later she came rushing back with an oxygen canister. At that moment we got hit by a bit of turbulence and the vibrating made everything on the tables start sliding off. I held on to it until the turbulence stopped, but to my surprise things were still sliding when I let go of them again. At that moment the captain notified us that we had been diverted to Stockholm and we were landing now. (a later check of the flight path showed that instead of the normal almost half hour to descend and land it took just short of 15 minutes). After a very quick landing we parked a bit away and were met by medical personnel. They checked up on the passenger, an ambulance showed up and after some time the passenger was escorted out – he could walk by himself, luckily – and was ferried away in the ambulance. After some wait the captain was finally informed of further plans; we were to deplane and take the arriving bus to the terminal and from there let the transfer desk divert us.

My meals going to Tallinn and back.

Arriving at the main building a bit of chaos broke out as it said nowhere where the desk was, but after some shuffling around the entire group of passengers stampeded as one through half the terminal before arriving and occupying the transfer desk and surrounding area. They did seem to have been warned of us, as short moment later they let us know that anyone terminating in Copenhagen could grab a plane leaving in 45 minutes 50 meters away. This made 41 people rush there resulting in some nervous looks from those already waiting to board, got new boarding cards, boarded and finally made it back to Copenhagen in one piece. I was happy that I only had my carry-on on this trip.

2½ hours late I finally arrived home, in one piece and a new city wiser. Tallinn is a wonderful town – if you stay in the old part. I spent 2 nights there and felt that I had seen it all. If you are the kind of person who enjoys museums you might be able to spend another day there, but to me that is reaching the limit. If you have an extended weekend and can find a cheap flight you have the perfect conditions to visit.

Full album can be found here.

28th – Old churches and cafes

I took et easy getting out of bed and getting breakfast so I didn’t leave the hotel until a bit past 1000. The goal of the day was to see parts of the old town I hadn’t seen yet (south/east parts) and move into the new/modern part of Tallinn.

I started off going to the nearby St. Olaf’s church and climbed the stairs to the top of the tower to get a nice view of the town. Luckily despite the weather forecast there was no rain even if it was overcast. 

You can see the southern and northern walls to the left and right, respectively.

Toompea hill. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral can be seen towering over the buildings.

The small tower in the middle is Toompea Castle.

I continued east but realized I kept ending up at the town hall plaza. I finally managed to find a way out of the loop and entered the newer part of the city. I passed by the national library and came by what I realized was an IMAX cinema. It was tempting to go in but the size of the building hinted that the screen wouldn’t be up to expectations. If I go into an IMAX viewing the screen needs to be at least “Damn” and preferably “Holy Shit!” and that didn’t seem to be the case here. Also, going to see Infinity War there would mean 2 sets of subtitles (Estonian and Russian) cluttering the screen. At least they aren’t dubbing movies, but still.

Continuing further into the city the architecture was clearly eastern-European mixed with a bit of western-European style and the result was honestly not impressive. A few high-rises and bulky buildings and that was pretty much it. I circled around and an hour later I ended up in the old part again and returned to Rataskaevu 16 at around 1300 to see if I could get a table for dinner. Dinner reservations were full until the 7^th of May and lunch until the 5^th. Woops. I was suggested to come back tomorrow as soon as they opened at 1200 where there would be a small chance that I could get squeezed in for a quick lunch. Here’s to hoping!

Freedom Square with St. John's Church and The War of Independence Victory Column.

St. Charles's Church, just outside the old town.

Viru Gate, one of the main entrances to the old town.

In the afternoon I went for some cake at the oldest still open café in town. From there I kept wandering, ending up at the top of the tower of St. Mary’s Cathedral. It’s in the opposite end of the old town as St. Olaf’s and I was hoping to get a new angle of the town from there. Unfortunately the angle and position of the church itself blocked a large part of the view so the experience wasn’t as memorable as the first tower.

Maiasmokk Cafe, the oldest cafe in Tallinn.

St. Nicolas' Church and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral seen from St. Mary's Cathedral.

I returned down, passed by the Danish Garden where I saw the museum there before returning to the hotel for a short rest before dinner.

An hour of resting later I left and went to Restaurant Peppersack where I had duck salad, elk ribs and chocolate cake. The salad was as one could expect, the elk ribs were delicious; slightly spicy BBQ sauce complemented the 5-bone chunk of meat that was deliciously tender. Just looking at it the bones almost started sliding out by themselves. There was also a symbolic piece of green salad to go with it. I like the Estonian priorities when it comes to food. The cake didn’t look like much but cutting a piece with the spoon required more force than I would have ever expected. It was firm, dense and delicious. Probably contained all the necessary calories for today. And tomorrow. And half for the day after. I could have eaten three had I had the chance.

Monastery Gate (Kloostrivärav).

After dinner I wandered for a bit in the decreasing light and ended the day back at the hotel once again around 2300.

27th of April – Departure

As I had purchased the flight with bonus points that would soon expire and had enough to upgrade myself from economy I had access to the lounge at the airport. The timing was perfect as I was arriving at lunch time. Unfortunately, they were doing some renovation of the lounge so the buffet was less than impressive; a bit of fish and a bit of salad. It was all free, though, so who am I to complain?

On the plane I had two seats for myself and one of four being fed on the short flight. Chicken salad followed by fancy chocolate. The presentation was very intricate and a note was in the food box going into detail with where the different ingredients were from.

Arriving in Tallinn I quickly exited the airport and located the tram that took me to a stop just outside the old town. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that the live info screen was stuck at the opposite end of the line which made the start of the ride really confusing for me. But when I did find out where we were the ride was effortless and things went according to plan.

The old town as seen from one of the viewpoints.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

The old town is medieval so there are no fancy modern roads or streets in a straight line and they are all cobblestoned. I wandered for an hour to get my bearings before checking into my hotel where I had a short rest before returning outside to do some close-by sightseeing. The town is very charming, no doubt about that.

St. Nicholas' Church.

Looking for dinner I wanted to find a place where I could get some classical Estonian food and there was plenty of opportunities. I tried Rataskaevu 16, the highest rated restaurant in Tallinn on Tripadvisor but it turned out to be fully booked for the night which I should have figured considering its praise. I ended up in Kuldse Notsu Körts, a small traditional place, where I ended up with a plate with 6 different sausages for the main course. It seems as if Estonian cuisine is all about putting as much meat as possible on a plate which I don’t have any complaints about.

I spent some time wandering around after dinner and returned to my hotel around 2300 where I ended my first day in Tallinn and got some much-needed sleep.

Great Coastal Gate (Suur Rannavärav).

St. Olaf's church.

Another extended weekend trip

As you might have noticed by reading my recent updates I have started to make use of all my extended weekends at this time of year. With Tallinn during Great Prayerday (which isn’t a day where everybody walks around praying, but rather multiple minor religious holidays consolidated into one day by King Christian V) and Helsinki during Ascension Day I still had Pentecost (we have Whit Monday off) free with nothing planned.

And we can’t have that now, can we?

I am starting to run out of places to go that’s easy to get to for short trips (as in: somewhere in Europe) I haven’t been to yet, but there are still a few here and there that look interesting. And that is why I ended up booking this trip.

18^th – 21^st of May

Friday isn’t off, but because I don’t have a job where I have to work late – especially not on Fridays – I’ll be getting a late flight after work to go to Prague. I’ll be experiencing the city for two full days and most of Monday before flying back home late in the evening. 

Unfortunately, after this there are no more public holidays until Christmas.

4-day weekend city visit

The 10th of May is Ascension Day and a national holiday in Denmark. That is a Thursday – and I get the following Friday off. Apparently not even management can be bothered returning to work for just one day before the weekend.

This gives me 4 days in a row to do stuff – like going on a quick trip. One shouldn’t let four days in a row go to waste so obviously I am going on a short trip somewhere. If I go on a 3-day trip to Tallinn, why shouldn’t I utilize my 4 days in a similar manner?

10^th – 13^th of May

City visit to Helsinki, capital of Finland. Not much else to say. Fly there, check into the hotel and then spend a few days exploring the city and checking it out before flying back home on the Sunday.

… and that’s pretty much it.

1st of April – Return and aftermath

I had a taxi booked at noon and while I could have been a good tourist and taken a walk around town until then but instead I decided to sleep in and enjoy my room service breakfast. I went to the airport and planned on getting a book somewhere to sit and read during the wait and flight home. I didn’t find a single shop at the airport after going though security that sold any reading material, not even magazines. The airport was fairly manageable so I don’t think I missed anything. It was a bit surreal to be honest.

Other than that the trip home went well. So well, even, that within 80 minutes of touching down at Copenhagen airport I was home in my apartment in record time. That went surprisingly smooth (but it also helped that the busses bringing us from the plane delivered us right at the baggage carousels and I only had my carryon with me).

And that was it. Big thanks to Lara for guiding us on this surreal experience that was absolutely worth it and highly recommended. Thanks to Kim, Daniel, Stephen, Laura, Roy (?), Diego and everyone else I don’t remember the names of for being such great company. I hope we will have a chance to meet again someday.

After returning home and a few days passed I – and the rest of the group – received an unexpected mail from the travel company. On the feedback form I had been very honest about I experienced the entire accommodation situation but expected the information to just to be used for them to maybe be better at planning for future groups. I never expected to hear anything regarding anything on the feedback form. The mail I received apologized for the experience;

“…are sorry for your experience with accommodation on your tour…”

well of course you are

“… part of our apology please accept 20% refund for your tour…”

wait, what??!

As I said I didn’t expect anything to come of it but just that they would take the feedback to heart for future tours. But the fact that they actually ended up refunding 20% of the tour meant a lot. Kudos to you. A great end to an unfortunate situation.

Full album can be found here.