Tallinn, Estonia (2003-09-23)

[nibot]

I left Tartu on Sept 23 for Tallinn, the splendorous capital of Estonia. From here the trip was sort of down hill in a sense. Setting foot in Tallinn, I was returning to a place I'd been before, and then the trip to Sweden would be returning to a place I'd lived for a whole year. In my travels there have not been so many returns, and this was special.

Tallinn is a beautiful city but I was just passing through this time. Just to convey something about Tallinn, let me quote my friend Aditya (hyperionab / hyperionab_feed), who was just there a few weeks ago:

So, I took the ferry to Tallinn. I must say, this place is UNBELIVABLE. It is so georgous here, it's beyond compare. The hotel I am staying in is built in to an old Medevial structure. Tallinn Old Town at night is one of the most spectacular sights I've ever seen. The whole city is lit up in beautiful lighting and makes the streets seem even more hallowed. I spent last night just walking the streets, taking pictures, popping in to bars, drinking some local beer and cider, eating some cake for a dinner. It was the most wonderful experience. If anybody is ever in the Nordic region, they must see Tallinn at night. It's a bit odd being in an old USSR state, it seems that Estonia has had a jaded past in the 20th century. They're a part of the EU now and have been for the last 4 months. There are buildings here that used to be KGB offices and such. It's so amazing here, I can keep raving for hours on Tallinn, but I must be off as I've only bought 15 minutes on this internet kiosk (for 15 EEK!).

Off the Eurolines bus from Tartu, I took a taxi to the port, bought a ticket for my onward voyage, and spent a few hours wandering the city. I was amazed both at how familiar it seemed from my brief stay before, and also how it differed from my memory, more beautiful in some ways and less magical in others, maybe in part due to visiting in the early autumn instead of the depth of winter. I ate a good meal in a warm and cozy Tallinn restaurant, then wandered towards the port by way of the flower market.

entrance to old Tallinn:

Tallinn rooftops:

a graphical warning against thievery:

the orthodox church:

ruins from WWII:

Tallinn is connected to Finland and Sweden by vast ferries that carry persons and vehicles across the baltic. This particular crossing was the scene of one of the worst martime disasters of modern times, when the the M/S Estonia, while crossing the Baltic from Tallinn to Stockholm, capsized and sank in the dead of night. By noon the next day there were nineteen ships and nineteen helicopters in the rescue operation, but in the end only 137 of the 989 people known to have been on board were saved.

I left flowers on the monument to Estonia, then boarded the Tallink ferry to Sweden.

My ride home:

View of Tallinn while steaming out of port:

Looking West into the Sunset across the Baltic, towards Sweden:

Comments

Tobin! (from Jeff)

[(Anonymous)]

Tobo!

Jesus McF*ck, who knew you were back out in the world, travelling? I imagine for you, this must indeed be fantastic and wonderful. For me, leaving my state sends me into a neurotic panic. I feel I was born a vampire; my biology just hasn't caught up with my mentality.

Here are two jokes for you: what's the best thing about having sex with twenty-seven year olds? There's twenty of them!

What screws like a tiger, and winks? ;) (wink at your audience)

May they serve you in good stead. -Jeff