Troubles (& Triumph) In Tallinn

Scenic Overlook, Tallinn.

Travel worn and weary, the only thing on my mind when I arrived in Tallinn was getting to the AirBnb and taking a hot shower before crashing. Remember when I said that I was glad I brought an extra bag because it’s so cold here? Yeah, that’s not how I was feeling back then.

Between Dad and I, we had three check in bags and two carry on in addition to our bookbags. I know that seems like a lot, but my dad was going to spend some time in England with cousins before going back to the States so it kinda worked out.

The night was cool, the moon full. The air felt fresh and crisp. In the distance there were fireworks because August 20th was Estonia’s Restoration of Independence Day. I knew that it was a holiday because I had saw something on Instagram prior but at that moment, it didn’t really click to me.

So here we are lined up waiting for a taxi to take us to our AirBnB which was only about a 10-minute drive. The first taxi comes, and we are putting our bags in the car. The cars are smaller here and the trunk could only fit two of our checked in bag comfortably. The driver didn’t let us put our bags in the back seats either, so he literally took our bags out and catered to the next group standing in line.

I was mortified and slightly annoyed. My poor dad y’all, he went and inquired around but to no avail. The taxi drivers also didn’t speak English very well, so they just made an X with their arms, gruffly said “No” and moved on. This couple a few spaces down must have taken pity on us because they said that we had too much luggage and would have to wait for a larger van to come. When the larger vans did come, they couldn’t help us either because they were already pre-booked.

Half an hour goes by. An hour. Hour and a half. Two hours go by until we found our Good Samaritan. He was so helpful and was able to fit all our bags into his vehicle with a little maneuvering around. He was also really friendly and explained to us a couple of key points like where the shopping centers were, the bus station, etc.

We finally reached our destination, but our troubles were far from over. First, the street that our AirBnb was located had a no cars curfew after 6pm (ish) to preserve the cobblestone roads. Therefore, we had to drag our luggage up this hill. Estonia has been a lot more hilly than I was expecting. Second, the entire street was packed with twenty something year olds because the flat was located in front of a nightclub. No one really bothered us or cared which was relieving on the one hand, but also kind of surprising. If I saw two foreigners struggling, I’d probably offer help. Third, and this was to be expected, there was no elevator, so we had to climb three flights of stairs.

When everything was said and done, I think it was close to 3am. Not going to lie, but after an arrival like that I was feeling so discouraged and worried about what Tartu would be like.

Flower Market, Tallinn.

However, the next two days were surprisingly pleasant. The weather was still warm enough and the sun was shining so we were able to explore the capital a little bit. Tallinn’s Old Town is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It truly felt like we were back in medieval times. Our place was in the center of Old Town, so everything that we thought that was worth seeing was walking distance. I think my favorite part was the Tallinn Flower Market. There were around 16 different stalls each selling bouquets of the loveliest flowers.

We also saw Town Hall Square, Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Danish King’s Garden and more. Tallinn (as well as Tartu) has a lot of churches and cathedrals despite being the least religious country in Eastern Europe. Since our time in Tallinn was short, we just saw Old Town.

Scenes from Old Town, Tallinn.

For first impressions, it wasn’t the best way to start my time here in Estonia, but it’s all a learning experience. I would like to visit Tallinn again. I’m hopefully that the second go around will be a better time. There’s a palace that Peter the Great of Russia made for his wife, Catherine I of Russia. It’s been turned into an art museum and if there’s one thing that makes me beyond happy, it’s art museums. It’s definitely high on my Ultimate Estonia Bucket List. I would also like to visit closer to the holidays because Tallinn is pretty famous for its Christmas markets as well.