Tallinn - Warm Heart in Cold Weather

Walking around the quiet streets of Toompea in companionable silence with the soft crunch of snow compacting underfoot seemed somehow an apt image to sum up my experience of Tallinn.

This is not a costermonger of a city, brashly shouting its wears to passers by, urging them to roll up, roll up. Rather it quietly sets its stall out, reserved yet confidant that its attractions will simply speak for themselves.

And so they do. Tallinn has an awful lot to offer a visitor. A depth of history and culture, a medieval Old Town which has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, excellent restaurants providing local and international cuisine plus a vibrant nightlife of bars and clubs.

I got the feeling that this was a city secure and proud of its identity. An identity that, over the years, has been challenged has been fought over but which has never been lost and, strengthened by such experience, is now flourishing.

Tallinn doesn't need to shout from the rooftops or bombard you with flashy ads , just quietly smile, step back and allow you to walk in and see for yourself. Confident that you won't be disappointed.

Quick Tips:

Visiting in winter hats are a necessity not a fashion statement and muffle sound already muted by the thick ground cover of snow. A sudden avalanche of noise penetrates the stillness as snow and icicles crash onto the street, don’t cross the tape or markers put out on the pavement to help people avoid being hit.

Making your way up icy streets to Toompea feels as secure as walking on tip-toes but nervous progress is rewarded by views across the city and the incense filled interior of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. At the top of Kiek-in-de-Kok imagine the soldiers and seagulls sharing shivers and fireside warmth.

In Kadriorg Park it’s easy to imagine the sound of troika bells flitting through the trees ready to discharge their occupants at the Palace, once a residence of Tsar Peter I, later to Estonia’s Head of State and now to Estonia‘s Foreign Art Collection. Further into the park is KUMU, home to Estonia’s National Art Collection, standing proud like the prow of a ship forcing it’s way through the ice.

Best Way To Get Around:

The old centre is very compact so walking around is fairly easy, although in winter you'll need sturdy non slip, snow and ice defying shoes or boots.

For outlying areas such as Kadriorg Park or to and from the airport then take the bus or tram (City Bus No. 2 takes you from the airport to outside the Viru Shopping Mall near the centre). Tickets can be bought individually or in strips from kiosks near the tram/bus stops and single tickets are alsop available from the driver at a slightly higher - but still cost effective - price.

Taxis are readily available but we didn't take one so I can't comment on their efficiency or cost

There is a danger that in describing somewhere as a "garlic restaurant", it is made to sound rather gimmicky and that somehow the gimmick will surpass the cooking. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth with Balthasar, Tallinn's Garlic Restaurant.

First, the setting is fantastic, situated on the first floor above Rae apteek, with lovely views over the square and towards the Town Hall. It is rather like being in a country-manor dining room: wooden beams and floor, ornate chairs, fresh white linen, and subdued and subtle lighting. There were very few people in the restaurant when we visited, reflective of it being a freezing Sunday night in winter rather than the standard of the restaurant, so the atmosphere was quiet and intimate. Service was also very good, attentive and helpful without being overbearing.

As to the food, which reflects an international cuisine, it was excellent. On the menu each dish is given a bulb rating--3 or above, and you better not have any vampire blood in you! There is a good selection of starters, soup, meat, and fish dishes, plus a vegetarian option. When we visited, the menu included dishes such as gratinated scallops and mushrooms, garlic soup with salmon flakes (very rich, very creamy, and very Moorish), fried flounder in a garlic sauce, and pork Noisettes with a red wine and thyme sauce. Plus, there were side orders of garlic (of course) potatoes and vegetables.

You can order garlic side dishes, including the wonderful "garlic assortment," a pile of cloves in four different marinades: pesto, chili, vinegar and spice. And don't leave before trying the garlic ice cream, which comes in a crisp almond basket and chocolate sauce. Like the creamiest ice cream you’ve ever had, but with a hint of sweet garlic--sounds strange, tastes delicious!

All in all, it was a wonderful meal in charming surroundings, and at 1,050 EEK (approx. £46.00/$86.00) for three courses, plus drinks, it was a pretty good value, too.

In a lovely cellar entered from Raekoja plats is Troika, one of Tallinn's Russian restaurants.

The setting is great, like a recreation of an Imperial Russian dining room, and the service excellent. The menu runs through Russian staples, such as blinis, dumplings, stroganoff, and pancakes. There is a good selection of fish and vegetarian options and plenty of choice for meat lovers, including bear. On the menu there was blini and mushrooms, perfect comfort food, and excellent lamb dumplings and sauce for starters. Main courses included a very tasty salmon & prawns with potato pancakes and sauce, plus pot roast pork under a bread shell with potatoes, good, solid, filling fare.

And as an accompaniment? What else but vodka, though there are plenty of other alcoholic and nonalcoholic options for those who want a clearer head the next morning?

It's a lively, popular and busy place, underscored when we were there by live Russian folk music, so booking is advisable.

One word of warning, though: it is not an overly expensive restaurant (we paid about £55 to £60, with tip, for both of us, and there was more that we could really eat, even with trying), and indeed it is a very good value for the quality of both the food and the whole experience, but it is easy to rack up the price. For instance, as we sat down, and before we were given the menu, we were asked if we wanted to start our meal in true Russian style with vodka, pickles, honey, and sour cream. Who could say no? It was a fantastic way to open the meal, and the evening, but was also one of the most expensive items on our bill, and as we hadn't seen a menu at that point, we weren't aware of how much it cost. Now, we would probably have still gone ahead and ordered this anyway, as it was fun to see the vodka being poured from a height of two or three feet into the glasses and the combination of all the tastes was great, but for anyone on a budget or watching what they spend, the cost may have come as a nasty shock.

That is only a minor criticism, however, as we had such a good evening at Troika, with excellent food, excellent atmosphere, and great fun. And I didn’t even mind the vodka hangover the next day.

Cost for three courses plus drinks was 1,385 EEK (approx. £60/$113).

The translation of Mookkala is swordfish and the menu here includes not only that fish but many of its sea going compatriots.

The décor in the restaurants is lovely, blue walls, unusual but striking pictures, eclectic table settings, padded chairs and sofas. It creates a comfortable, interesting and relaxing atmosphere. Service too, is very good, friendly yet understated and happy to offer advice about the dishes on the menu.

As for the food well, it was excellent. There is a choice of hot and cold starters plus soup and salads encompassing such things as oysters, crab legs, salmon and lamprey. For a main course as well as the signature dish of swordfish you can sample pike-perch, eel, salmon and sardines. The dessert menu is small, however, you may find that after a fish feast - portions are generous - you may not have room for much else! There is also a good selection of wines, spirits beers and other drinks.

There are so many fine restaurants in Tallinn and Mookkala is up there with the best of them. Delicious food and at approximately 40.00 sterling for two courses each, one dessert, drinks and coffee not bad value either.

We had

Salad of Salmon, Apple, Cottage Cheese and Egg - lovely fresh taste and flavours
4 large mussels in garlic and breadcrumbs – delicious taste

Pike Pot with Garlic and Cream plus potatoes, silver skin onions and dill pickle - creamy, luscious, lovely

Tuna and Blue Cheese Sauce, plus potatoes and a mixture of prunes, grapefruit and pineapple - thick, chewy, well cooked fish, lots of sauce, great mix of flavours

Banana, Rum Cream with Almond and Honey Biscuit - strong rum taste, perfect dessert to share

1 sherry, 1 white wine, 1 beer, 2 espresso coffees

863 EEK inc. tip (approx. £38.00/$70.00)

Built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine, provides an opulent backdrop to much of Estonia’s Foreign Art Collection.

The palace was designed by an Italian architect Nicolo Michetti and it was intended that it would serve as a Summer residence for Tsar Peter I and his family. Externally the palace is an impressive building with its rose petal pink and cream facade, columns and oval windows. Internally the main hall has an exuberant ceiling painting, baroque fireplaces and stucco work. It is very easy to imagine lavish receptions and parties being held there, the participants spilling out onto the balcony and into the park beyond.

Also striking is also a small marquetry room -a 20th century addition, I think, when the palace was residence to the Estonian Head of State - with a frieze of wooden inlay depicting views of Tallinn.

Non-flash photography is allowed inside the palace.

The galleries contain paintings, prints and sculpture by mainly Flemish, Dutch and Russians artists of the 16th -19th century and include works by Breughel the Younger and Cranach. There are some excellent portraits by Anton Graff and an interesting room dedicated to 19th century views of Tallinn. As the information plaques explained these were produced almost as equivalents to today’s postcards, souvenirs for the more well-heeled visitor.

Also impressive are the Russian realist pictures - such as "A Soldier’s Tale" by Ilja Repin and Ivor Shisnkin's "The Pine Forest" - which have a very earthy, tactile feel to them.

There was also a small but interesting temporary exhibition about copies of Masterpieces - not fakes but copies made, again, as a kind of souvenir or as a tribute to the original artist or practice for an apprentice painter.

Information plaques, in Estonian and English, are found in each room and the exhibits themselves are well labelled.

The Palace is open 10.00am-5.00pm closed Mondays May-September and both Monday and Tuesday October-April.

Take Tram No. 3 to Kadriog then it is a short - and rather pleasant walk

The heart of Tallinn's Old Town is the Raekoja plats, or Old Town Square. Surrounded by elegant pastel hued buildings and the creamy limestone facade of the Town Hall the square has been used as a marketplace, meeting place and also a place of execution.

It is still somewhere to meet up, perhaps in one of the restaurants that overlook it or, during the warmer months, one of the outdoor cafes that are set up on its cobblestones. There is also a reminder of its commercial past with handicraft stalls during summer and its Christmas Market. Indeed you get the sense that this is not a square that has been frozen in aspic - beautiful but untouchable - but a place that is still much in use by locals and visitors alike. There is also an intimate feel about the square, but without it seeming small, and an openness about it without it feeling bare and exposed.

As an introduction to Tallinn's Old Town you can't do worse, and as a place to visit in and for itself you can't do worse either.

KUMU (standing for KunstiMUuseum - Art Museum)is home to Estonia's National Collection.

The building, designed by Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuori, is almost a work of art in itself. The modern design blends in well with its surroundings and does not seem out of place in an area that includes a number of older, more traditional buildings. The building seems to spring naturally from the ground, there is a very organic feel to it and looking at pictures of the design it appears as if care has been taken to integrate the building materials i.e. glass/concrete etc.. with the physical elements of the land around it. I would have liked to pursue this further by walking around the outside of the building but, sadly, the snow -beautiful as it was - made this impossible.

Inside the building reminded me, at times, of the Tate Modern in London with walkways looking over open spaces and a central hall from which the galleries led off. I liked the curving walkways and staircases, mirroring the curve of the building, the sense of space and also, particularly in the galleries, the sense of airiness.

The permanent exhibits are split into two groups, Estonian art from the 18th century until the end of World War II and Estonian Art from 1945 to 1991, the restoration of Estonia's Independence. Temporary Contemporary Art Exhibitions will represent the years after 1991.

A multitude of different styles and themes are represented, Romanticism and Expressionism in the 19th Century/early 20th Century, Nordic influences and explorations of National identity. There are some wonderful grotesque yet compelling works by a graphic artist, Eduard Wiiralt and examples of avant garde, modernism and pop art.

The post-World War II galleries are particularly interesting in showing how art and the artistic community in Estonian were effected by and reflected the Soviet era, from propaganda and reportage to being a tool of protest and disapproval.
As with many wide ranging exhibitions not everything will be to everyone?s taste, however, it allows the viewer to see how art in Estonia has developed and been influenced and also provides a fascinating insight into the history of the country as seen through the eyes of its artists.

The museum also includes an education centre and while we were there a number of groups of children were also being guided round. Looking for certain details in a picture, sitting discussing an exhibit, basically getting involved with art and communication.

The museum brochure indicates that it is wishes to create a "congenial atmosphere" in which to show art, that it wishes to appeal to a wide range of people, whose interest in art spans from well versed to nascent. And that it can be a place where "diverse ideas emerge and develop". They certainly seem to have achieved the first, are doing all they can to promote the second and, I hope, will progress and expand the third.

Open: 11am-6pm
Tues-Sun May-September
Wed-Sun October-April

First of all this tower has such a wonderful name Kiek in de Kok, which means, in Low German, "peep into the kitchen"! Apparently soldiers in the tower used to be able to see into the kitchens of houses below it, hence the name.

The 118 ft (36 m) cannon tower was originally built in the 15th century as part of the city's defences. Its solid 13 ft thick stone walls proved invaluable during the siege of 1577 when Russian soldiers blasted a huge hole in the tower but could still not penetrate it or the city.

Now the tower contains an interesting museum relating to the defences of Tallinn and the various wars and sieges that the city, and tower, has witnessed. Exhibits include two cannons, which, like the tower, have great monikers "The Lion" and "Bitter Death". Along side these are some of the paraphernalia, such as a long loading stick, needed to work the cannons and quite in-depth descriptions of how cannons were loaded, fired and used. Indeed there is quite a lot of historical information given throughout the exhibition that can be a little overwhelming as you try to remember dates, wars, allies and enemies however, rather that than little or no information.

There is also a shiver-inducing representation of the Plague Doctor, all in black with a beaked hood - the beak was filled with medicinal herbs to try and ward off infection - and a stick for prodding and pointing!

On the top floor, where seagulls and pigeons perch in the windows, are some fantastic views of the city and beyond. It's easy to imagine the soldiers sitting up there trying to keep warm by the fire with just the birds for company.

Open: Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-4.30pm closed Monday
Situated a short walk from Alexander Nevsky Cathedral or Freedom Square

Tucked away in plain sight may seem rather a contradiction in terms but having walked past Puhavaimu Kirik (Church of the Holy Ghost) a few times while looking for it and then standing outside for 5 minutes saying "but it should be here" I would say it is quite an apt description.

This is a lovely little church and one rich in history. Completed in the 14th Century the church provided an almshouse service, tending to the old, impoverished and ill, and its congregation was mainly made up of the poorer section of society. After the Reformation this was the first church in which sermons were given in the Estonian language and one of its pastors, Johan Knell, is credited which translating and producing the first book in Estonian.

Inside are some wonderful examples of wooded carving particularly the pulpit and richly decorated 15th Century altar. The galleries on each side of the church show paintings of religious subjects such as Adam and Eve's banishment from Eden and scenes from the life of Christ. There is also a sense of simplicity about the church with its clean, whitewashed walls and wooden floor. Again this seems rather a contradiction, richness and simplicity, yet the two co-exist as a well-balanced whole.

On the exterior of the church, near to the entrance, is pretty blue-faced clock created in the 17th Century by the woodcarver Christian Ackermann.

Open: May-Sept Mon-Sat 10am-4pm
Oct-April Mon-Fri 10am-3pm
Plus Sunday services

The Tallinn City Museum (Tallinna Linnamuuseum) traces the development of the city from its earliest origins to Estonia?s independence in 1991.

The exhibits encompass social and political history, trade, influences, occupations, revolution and independence. Interesting aspects include how Toompea and the Old Lower Town were administered separately and the tensions between the two areas.

The latter part of the exhibition dedicated to life under Soviet rule is rather thought provoking as propaganda and real life are displayed side by side.

The building in which the museum dwells, an old merchants house, is also interesting as there are a number of exhibits exploring domestic life in such a house.

The exhibits are well set out with most labelled in Estonian and English and as a whole this interesting museum gives you an insight into and appreciation of the fascinating history of Tallinn.

Open: Wed-Mon 10.30am (11.00 Nov-Feb) to 5.30pm

At the end of Pikk Tanav (Pikk Street) stands the Great Coastal Gate and the wonderfully named Fat Margaret's Tower.

When the Great Coastal Gate and its fortifications were built in the early 14th Century Tallinn's harbour was just outside the city walls and the gate was one of the major access points through the walls of Tallinn and into the city. The cannon tower, 82 m (25 feet) in diameter and with 5m (17 feet) thick walls, was added in the early 16th Century to give the harbour area additional protection, its bulk earning it the nickname Fat Margaret.

The tower now house the Estonian Maritime Museum which, sadly, we didn’t get chance to visit.

Estonian Maritime Museum is open 10.00am-6.00pm Wed-Sun, closed Mon & Tue

On one side of Raekoja plats sits the imposing Raekoda or Town Hall, the representation of medieval power in the Lower Town.

The limestone building dates from the late 14th/early 15th Century and was completed in 1404, the thin minaret like tower was, according to legend, based on a sketch by an explorer who had visited the Orient. On top this is the spire, originally pyramidal but replaced in 1627 by a tapering Baroque style. Surmounting this – but dating from nearly 100 years earlier - is Vana Toomas (Old Thomas) – guardsman, lookout, weathervane, and another symbol of the city (see separate tip). Like the spire the decorative dragon shaped gargoyles at the base of the roof are also a Renaissance addition.

The interior of the Town Hall is closed for visitors (expect by special arrangement) for most of the year but open to all between 1st July-31st August (except 20th August) while the cellar (see separate tip) – containing special exhibitions - is open for most of year from 15th May until 30th March.

The ground floor of the Town Hall was used as a trading area with the ceremonial offices situated on the first floor. The Gothic Citizens Hall has vividly painted columns and striking wooden and metal chandeliers. On the walls are two tapestries from 1547 showing scenes from the life of Solomon and this motif is continued in the adjoining Council Hall where panels on the wall are decorated with biblical scenes including, again, the Judgement of Solomon. Once can imagine that through these the alderman and magistrates of the city were being encouraged to emulate Solomon’s wisdom and fair judgement. The Council Hall also contains two beautifully carved wooden benches.

The vaulted roof space - with impressive beams - has an exhibition about the changing face of the Town Hall and the more recent reconstuctions it has undergone. You can get a closer look at one of the previous copies of Vana Toomas and also a rather weather beaten stone lion, a copy of which holds the standard at the opposite end of the roof to the tower. The photographs of the building during the communist era, bedecked with a large poster of Lenin and with the arcaded area at the base of the building closed in, are fascinating as is the before and after photo of when its facade was given a well needed clean.

When we visited the Town Hall the cellar, was hosting a very interesting exhibition entitled “A Mighty Fortress”, concentrating on the late medieval period this explored the feudal system, the system of law, the relationship between town, and county and the rivalry between the Lower Town and Toompea, the Upper Town.

At that point in time the Lower Town was expanding at a fast rate and the authorities needed people to work as builders, labourers, etc. so runaway peasants/servants from the country, or Toompea, were allowed to stay in the Lower Town and, if they remained there for a year and a day they became free. Their master could, during this time, apply to have them returned but this was quite a long process involving the town officials. If they were successful they had to agree that the peasant/servant would suffer no punishment and if they ignored this then they faced punishment of their own. Quite a liberal system born out of the necessity to increase the available workforce.

We also enjoyed the story of how the Lower Town petitioned the Pope to allow them to build their own school rather than rely on the one at the Dome Church in Toompea. The description of the difficulties faced by the children getting to the school - roads dangerous and impassable due to inclement weather, no walls or fences protecting them from the steep drops around Toompea and even the number of paces it took to walk different stages of the journey – all written in a letter to the Pope was fascinating and proved successful as a school was allowed to be established in the Lower town.

This figure, in the Tallinn City museum, is of Vana Toomas or Old Thomas. As a boy Thomas, had, according to legend, came to prominence in a parrot shooting contest. The contest was only open to the wealthy but, despite their training and fine weapons, none of them hit the target. Up stepped poor local boy Thomas who, with his simple wooden bow, hit the parrot with his first shot. Disregarding the anger of the other contestant, embarrassed and annoyed at being shown up by not only a boy put a poverty stricken one at that, Thomas was championed by the Alderman of the Great Guild who trained the boy to be a town guard, a task he undertook with great success into his own old age.

Such an inspiring story of 'have not' beating 'have' was sure to be taken to people's hearts and Old Thomas became the unofficial symbol of the city, immortalised in the weather vane which still sits atop the Town Hall.

The first 'incarnation' of Vana Toomas was in 1530 when the weathervane was first placed on the Tower spire, this stood watch over the city until the air raid of 1944 damaged the The Town Hall tower. The spire was reconstructed in 1952 and, after 8 years, a new copy of Toomas took his place as look out. Further restoration in the 1990s meant that in 1996 a third Toomas topped the tower and continues his watch over the city.

The 124m spire of Oleviste Kirik (St. Olaf’s Church) is another recognisable feature on the Tallinn skyline.

The spire used to be taller, 159 metres, and between 1549 and 1625 was the tallest building in the world and provided a beacon to ships far out to sea, an advantage for the maritime port of Tallinn. Legend says that the tower was built by a mysterious stranger who tempted the town elders by telling them he could build the spire higher and faster than anyone else. For this he asked for 10 bags of gold but with the proviso that if the townspeople found out his name before he had completed his work he would forfeit this payment. The elders, thinking that there was no way he could complete the work in the short time the man proposed agreed, thinking their gold was safe. However, the man was true to his word and the work sped along, when it appeared that he was going to complete on time the elders did all they could to find out the man’s name. On the last day just as the elders were thinking the gold was lost they heard the man’s wife singing to her baby that soon her husband "Olev" would return with gifts for them. The elders rushed to the church and just as the man was about to finish the spire they shouted "Olev" to him upon hearing which he lost his footing and fell to his death. However, upon hitting the ground a snake and a toad crawled out of his mouth proving that Olev was, in fact, in league with the devil – if not the devil himself. However the church still bears the name of the devilish spire builder!

The truth is much more prosaic, the church is named after St. Olaf (King Olaf II of Norway), protector of seafarers. The spire, however, was not without problems – it has been struck by lightening eight times and the church burnt down three times, which makes one wonder if the mysterious Olev might be having his revenge.

During the Soviet occupation the spire was used as a lookout by the KGB but now the views can be enjoyed by all, or at least those able to negotiate the winding stone staircase. It is an exhausting climb especially as the steps are quite deep and the staircase rather narrow, there are guide ropes to hang on to which are a blessing – especially when you meet someone coming the opposite way! I’d advise wearing sensible walking shoes but on the morning we climbed up a girl managed it in 4-inch heels without seemingly breaking a sweat. All kudos to her!

The viewing gallery is quite narrow and though enclosed by wire mesh it is quite dizzying looking over the edge or up towards the top of the spire above. The views, however, are fantastic especially over Toompea and out towards the sea. They make the aching legs worth it.