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 ~~
