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.