112. Regional Travel #2.0 - Tallinn, Estonia
Not content with visiting only Helsinki, my wife and I decided to also visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Tallinn is a beautiful medieval city, founded in the early 13th century. It has had a fascinating history, and was part of Denmark, Sweden, Russia, the USSR, and Germany at various times (among a few dozen changes in affiliation over the last 800 years). It has been an independent republic since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The heart of Tallinn is the Old Town, a very nicely preserved snapshot of what many European cities must have looked like in the 1400s-1600s. We walked all around the Old Town, both the lower and upper sections. We explored the winding city streets, climbed up ancient fortified walls and church towers, learned about the city's rich history in the Tallinn Town Hall, and enjoyed a traditional Estonian dinner in the main city square. Our hotel was in a 16th century merchant's house, in the center of the Old Town and just a few blocks from the Town Hall square.
Like most other picturesque cities in Europe these days, there were plenty of other tourists around, so Tallinn is by no means a hidden gem. That doesn't make it any less exciting to visit, though. More posts will follow with details about our experiences.
The heart of Tallinn is the Old Town, a very nicely preserved snapshot of what many European cities must have looked like in the 1400s-1600s. We walked all around the Old Town, both the lower and upper sections. We explored the winding city streets, climbed up ancient fortified walls and church towers, learned about the city's rich history in the Tallinn Town Hall, and enjoyed a traditional Estonian dinner in the main city square. Our hotel was in a 16th century merchant's house, in the center of the Old Town and just a few blocks from the Town Hall square.
Like most other picturesque cities in Europe these days, there were plenty of other tourists around, so Tallinn is by no means a hidden gem. That doesn't make it any less exciting to visit, though. More posts will follow with details about our experiences.
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