Our trip to Tallinn started with a flight at 6.45. At this hour the security goons at the airport were almost human and let us in without examining our socks for holes. Flight was pleasant enough and we discovered that Tallinn was in the grips of Credo, a holy music festival from a friendly one legged god Squadder.
On arrival at 11.30 local time (9.30 back home) we were met by our driver in a shiny new Audi, very nice I thought and then I started having a few doubts as the scenery of factories and wasteground opened up. However in about half an hour we were dropped off at the Skane and given our room. Which was actually very pleasant with a multi channel TV and out of the round window a view of the Estonian parliament building, a pink Neo-classical confection originally built as a palace for Tzarina Catherine the Great. Sitting up on Toompea Hill in the Medieval walled old town it was just across the tramlines from the Balti-Jam railway station.
First things first supplies so dodging the odd pissed up Russian we hit the Soviet era shops in the station for some water. As the trains only go to Russia the stalls selling books, fags, booze meat, fish and veg catered mainly for Russians and quite an interesting array of merchandise was on display, had to say I didn't fancy the look of much of it though.
So with the swag dumped back in the hotel we crossed the tram lines and entered the old town to be immersed in its narrow cobbled streets. Its easy to find your way round the old town as its very small, so before long we were in the town square where a market was in full swing. Nice local handicrafts purchased, we were off for lunch down the main street (Pikk) at a cafe called the Hell Hunt (this actually means gentle wolf). Well it wasn't long before we were settled at the table enjoying a pint of the local ale with some deep fried cheese balls, and deep fried stuffed jalopenos. With yet more beer the main course arrived, thick creamy soup for Nick and Mab and salted herring with red onion, sour cream and boiled spuds for me, not bad for only 545 crowns.
Next thanks to some upside down map reading from yours truly, we found ourselves at the bottom of Pikk at the gates out of the old town. On one side was Fat Margaret a huge tower which houses the Estonian Maritime Museum (40 crowns). Being good pirates we had to have a look around so followed the exhibits from the Viking age up to the present day, up the stairs to the roof where you get a good view back into the old town and over the harbour to the Baltic Sea on the other side.
Putting the map up the right way we retraced our steps up Pikk past the Hell Hunt and beyond to look at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Nothing quite prepares you for the magnificent site of the onion domes that crown the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (see Mab's site for photos) as it looms around the corner of Pikk. The inside is pretty magnificent too with all its silver votive offerings and icons. It just demonstrates how short a gap there is between organised religion and sympathetic magic.
So having our fill of ecclesiastic splendor we headed back to the hotel for a nap before heading out for the evening.
First stop was the Old Estonia restaurant in the town square. Mab and I had elk in a mint sauce while Nick had wild boar. With vodka and beer it worked out at about 1600 crowns which I thought expensive for what was really only some adequate food. However undaunted I suggested we look for the Beer house another bar recommended by my Lonely Planet guide. It was relatively easy to find as there were load speakers playing Bavarian drinking songs into the street.
The Beer House brews its own beer from Austrian yeast and German malt. We were guided inside to our table by a wench in Bavarian kit, past the small stage with a country and Western band and loads of Euro Barrys grooving out to "Living next door to Alice" ja who da fuck is Alice!. At our wee table Vlad the waiter served up a couple of litre steins of home brewed lager (150 crowns each) followed by the deadly U-Boot a pint with an upended shot of Jagermeister at the bottom that leaks out as you drink it (100 crowns a go).
U-Boots duly sunk we headed over the road to the Ice Bar where a very attractive young lady served us chilled shots of vodka in glasses made of ice (50 crowns a pop) Kill Bills (Absinthe, Jagermeister and Galliano 65 crowns), Green Fairies (Absinthe and Triple Sec set fire to, downed in one, glass upended and fumes inhaled 65crowns) and Caipinhas (75 crowns)until closing time when she chucked us out.
Heading back to the hotel Mab spied the Olde Hansa medieval restaurant so we popped in to have a honey beer nightcap. Sadly the beer was finished but the incredibly tall owner took pity on us and invited us to see his shop full of medieval glass and ceramics and sample some of his home distilled, fiery peppered aquavit for free over a chat about Tallinn's history. "Drink it the Estonian way down in one" so we did, interesting!
Eventually escaping into the cold night air we headed back to the Skane for a much needed kip. Day one was a great insight into somewhere I had only read about in spy novels as a lad and never dreamed I would be able to visit so easily just 40 years later. Day two will be along shortly.
