When travelling, I never take a guided excursion but go on an adventure by myself. It's exciting to discover a city or a country on my own, with a map in hand and the excitement for adventure in the heart... my recent trip to and throughout the three Baltic Republics - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - was not an exception.
As soon as I set feet in Tallinn (Estonia) I realized I had arrived in a 'world' a bit different from what I had expected it to be: English language is not widely spoken, written, either, road information, instructions to pay parking charges, etc., all written in the local and Russian languages, only. Many people are not very kind to tourists: you get into a shop, greet the assistant and you are most likely to be ignored. You see cracks and holes in the streets while many buildings, rarely historic ones, show damages that clearly mean the maintenance work is neglected.
As soon as I set feet in Tallinn (Estonia) I realized I had arrived in a 'world' a bit different from what I had expected it to be: English language is not widely spoken, written, either, road information, instructions to pay parking charges, etc., all written in the local and Russian languages, only. Many people are not very kind to tourists: you get into a shop, greet the assistant and you are most likely to be ignored. You see cracks and holes in the streets while many buildings, rarely historic ones, show damages that clearly mean the maintenance work is neglected.
Roads are not well paved, making driving a bit tiresome. I got the idea that women are more addicted to smoking than men. Beggars on the streets are not uncommon scenes. The population seems to have a high percentage of aged people, some of these apparently living in poverty. Outside markets, I saw old women selling two or three things such as a pair of used gloves, a necklace and half a dozen of eggs. I didn't see many police men but I noticed there were surveillance cameras strategically located. In fact, you don't feel insecurity at any time of the day or night. Contrarily to what I had seen when I was in Finland some years ago, my eyes never set on drunk walkers.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, was the starting and ending point of my circular journey, as I took the recently inaugurated Lisbon-Tallinn route. The old town, a UNESCO world heritage site, is considered to be the best-preserved medieval town in Northern Europe. Within its fortified walls, we see centuries old buildings with their red tile roofs, hidden courtyards and winding cobblestone streets.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, was the starting and ending point of my circular journey, as I took the recently inaugurated Lisbon-Tallinn route. The old town, a UNESCO world heritage site, is considered to be the best-preserved medieval town in Northern Europe. Within its fortified walls, we see centuries old buildings with their red tile roofs, hidden courtyards and winding cobblestone streets.
The central square and the 14th century Gothic Town Hall
Time-worn cobblestone streets are lined with carts selling paper cones of hot candied almonds and stalls of hand knitted woollen scarves and jumpers; businesses clearly bolstered by the Baltic winds, even on an end of Summer-day.
Toompark, one of the 50 parks in the city, is formed on the former earth fortification ground around a pond,
which is the only remaining part of the moat once surrounding the city.
Since 1903 stairs connect the upper Old Town and lower Old Town.
The photo below also shows the seat of the Estonian Government.
Two sculptures and one monument seen on the way to Pirita (a district that provides an escape from downtown bustle)
Olympic Sculpture
RUSSALKA - Sculpture beloved by locals
World War II Memorial - a Soviet era monument
Should you like to give a look at other photos, please watch the slideshow...
~~ Have a wonderful weekend ~~
What an interesting experience and beautiful pictures. I was there in 1969 and I still have a little pin with the tower on it. I was with a student group and it was in the Soviet empire times. There was less poverty; things seemed more prosperous than in Russia. The shopkeepers were quite rude when we spoke Russian but there was a different attitude when we spoke English or French. It would be interesting to discover what the differences were. My young eyes maybe? Maybe the poor people you see lost pensions when USSR dissolved? So many questions. And so much beauty. Thank you for capturing it.
ReplyDeleteHi Benni! I was in Moscow and the nowadays St. Petersburg at my early 30s. Many years have passed since then and even though, in general I would say that the three Baltic Republics seemed to me as if not long ago they had been Communist countries. I had never expected to see many poor people as well as beggars. The cost of living is, in many cases, higher than in Portugal. I left those Republics without understanding how most of the population can afford going to the market and do shopping of their daily needs.
DeleteI really appreciated your interesting comment. Thanks!
Thanks you for taking us on your tour of this fascinating city. The Baltic Republics are countries I know very little about, other than being former Soviet states. I really love the architecture of the place and the use of bright colours in many places seems an attempt to mask the poor standard of living you witnessed, or maybe it has always been that colourful. I had to smile at the 'Peeping Tom' building, and was interested by the shots of the modernisation of the city. There was one shot, of an older building reflected in a modern glass building, that really caught my eye. It sort of summed up the difference between traditional and modern in one shot.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a pleasure to take on a tour people like you who appreciate what they see and know well how to comment... Probably you're right about the use of bright colours. I thought they were related to the rainy gray weather. People need to be surrounded by vibrant colours in order to minimize the effects of gloomy days. I know well which shot you wrote about. I took that shot intentionally... Two in one and the result was not very bad...
DeleteThanks, Mitch, for your visit and words...
I have been waiting to have the time to savor your recent photo journey. Like Mitch, I found the reflection shot fabulous, and as always I take pleasure in your doorways and windows! Would you say that the people in your photos were natives or tourists? If tourists, was there a majority from any one place? I did not realize the info about the cost of living there and the poverty, so you have educated me. Lovely.....
ReplyDeleteHi Belita, I read your introduction and i looked at your great (as usual) shots.
ReplyDeleteI loved the history they had: this links the current country to what they belong.