Created by 3GoExploring.
Our Estonian adventure started with an 11pm arrival into port, unfortunately this was a little late for 3goexploring to start, we are partial to our early nights, especially after long days.
Our port of call was Tallinn Old Town is listed in UNESCO World Heritage as a treasure of Estonia as it is one of the best fortified cities in Europe with an eight hundred year old history. In the 14th century, sixty-six defensive towers were established fortifying the wall and town. However, only twenty remain in Tallinn.
After a bit of research we discovered the best way to explore Tallinn is on foot as you cannot take a bus into the heart of the town. You will find medieval streets that spire throughout the old town taking you on a journey through Tallinn.
We ventured off Aurora early to skip the crowds and headed to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on top of Toompea Hill; an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral built in 1894-1900 during the control of the Russian Empire. The rich architecture floods to the cathedral in colour, with mosaic panels as you enter. There are current demolition plans for the cathedral with the first plans set in 1924, however this was unsuccessful with plans cancelled in 1929. But the Estonian Parliament is again proposing to demolish the cathedral for a park in 2023. Currently, entrance to the cathedral is free and open daily from 8am to 6pm.
After taking in the sights of the cathedral we left for Toompea observation deck, providing 360 views of Tallinn’s old and new town. A second viewing platform is the Patukuli, you can get there from the Patkuli Stairs that start from Toompark lakeside and it was a very popular walk up to the observation deck.
Toompea Castle neighbours this observation deck, this medieval castle is now home to the Parliament of Estonia and you can amble around the gardens as we did. History behind Toompea Castle was that it was home to the rulers and conquerors of Estonia. You can enter the castle free at charge with a guided tour, but these must be pre booked. The Town Hall is a great area to take a break and soak in the atmosphere with benches in the centre and bars circling the town hall. There are multiple
alleyways which we explored, all give you the gothic medieval
feel taking you back in time.
The Estonian National Opera House was an incredibly impressive building from the outside and is worth a visit, the Tammsaare Park neighbours the Opera House and you can seek multiple notable statutes
We stumbled across Viru Gate, the entrance to the old town but also a blossoming flower market.
This market was booming with life as was the 2nd of September and traditionally
students give flowers to their teachers on the first day of term as a gesture of gratitude. It was amazing to see young people of all ages purchasing flowers for their teachers a sight not experienced in the UK, showing there respect was humbling.
As we headed back to the Port of Tallinn, we came across ‘Linnahall’ a derelict concrete building that was home to a sports and concert venue, built during the Soviet Union for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. There are numerous steps to the top of the building, but once you have submitted you are gifted with views across Linnahalli Road and the Old Town.
Tallinn was a huge highlight for us and we would recommend this port to anyone wanting to travel to Estonia, we were there until approximately 4pm and felt we had plenty of time to see and do everything we wanted to do. If you get the opportunity to visit this port you won't be disappointed.
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