TALLINN THE CAPITAL OF ESTONIA
Tallinn is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, in north-western Estonia.
Tallinn is a wonderful city to visit and not too far. We flew from Edinburgh with Ryanair. Took about 2.5hours and when we arrived it was snowing
and really cold. Taxi from Airport to our hotel . We stayed at the Hotel Barons . Right in the Old town .
Hotel Barons
Our base for two nights €35 per night full board was a bargain through
Hotel.com . Taxis are not permitted in the old town but drop you 100 yards from the back of the Barons. Cost from Airport €7 15/20mins.
Hotel is right next to the bar with no name . Which is open all night.
We heard a lot of noise from the bar.
After we checked into the Barons hotel we went out for a wander round the town . We had a drink in the Olde Hansa. Expensive
Olde Hansa was the home of a rich merchant. His house is built in a manner to increase the enjoyment of the happy moments in the life of a Hanseatic merchant. Not just for eating delicious food and savoring good drink, but also for the enjoyment of good music and the wamrth of hearth and home during the Hanseatic times.
http://www.oldehansa.ee/?id=10693
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of 159.2 km2 (61.5 sq mi) with a population of 412,144. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tallinn is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. Tallinn is a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku, Finland.
The Mainstreet of the Old town is deserted early Sunday Morning.
Went on one a my walks before breakfast. After 30mins I return to the hotel to add more layers and put on my hat and gloves. It`s freeeeezin -16
This is the coldest I have ever had to endure while on my travels.
http://bairdstravel.com/freezintallinn.aspx
The breakfast at the barons was fine . Eat all you want- cold and hot and a few pancakes as a treat.
Did not need to walk far and we were at Momument to the Victory in the war
of independence. This Huge cross stands proudly in a cool square.
There are ice sculputures here.
We now walk up the hill to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. As you can see in the photograph below its a stunning building .
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an Orthodox cathedral
The USSR was offically not a religious country and a lot of churches were left
to ruin. Since 1991 when Estonia regained independance this cathedral
has been restored to it`s orginal glory.
As we walk up Toompea hill we come to the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin
This 13th century wooden Church was built in the 13th century.
The viewing platform . Great place to get your Tallinn postcard photographs
Please note Estonia now part of Euroland Prices are in both but everyone uses
the Euro.
The city operates a system of bus (62 lines), tram (4 lines) and trolley-bus (8 lines) routes to all districts. A flat-fare system is used. Payment is made either by pre-purchase of tickets at street-side kiosks or by a purchase from the transport vehicle.
Above views of the frozen Baltic sea
After this we stroll down to the town square . There is tons of bars and restaurants in this area . We stop for a drink .
Townhall
It`s the only Gothic town hall in Northern Europe . I could imagine what like the square was in the hot summer nights but today it was quiet.
The Estonia disaster occurred on Wednesday, 28 September 1994, between about 00:55 to 01:50 as the ship was crossing the Baltic Sea, en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm. The Estonia was on a scheduled crossing with departure at 19:00 in the evening on September 27. It had been expected in Stockholm the next morning at about 09:30. She was carrying 989 people: 803 passengers and 186 crew. Most of the passengers were Scandinavian, while most of the crew members were Estonian. Avo Piht, a sea captain on the vessel as a passenger, was first said to have survived but his name was later struck from the list of survivors. The ship was fully loaded, and was listing slightly to port because of poor cargo distribution
