Tallinn: Part 5 - Day 3: Balti Jaam Market, Flea Market, Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn University, Rottermann Quarter

Day 3

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 3.

6/1 Day 3: Balti Jaam Market -- Flea Market (both markets are in Telliskivi) -- Kadriork Palace -- Tallinn University -- Rottermann Quarter -- fly back to Stockholm 

Optional Costs

(1) Souvenirs (2 Russian wool hats) - EUR20
(2) Tuna croissants from the grocery mart - EUR2,70

The Story

06012019: Today is my last day in Tallinn. I fly back to Stockholm tonight. In the morning, I followed my friend to church which is located in Telliskivi. Coincidentally, a must-see local market is located in Telliskivi. It is called Balti Jaam Market. There is an outdoor and indoor market. I love going to markets to see how local it is, hoping that they are not catering to many tourists. I wanted to get some Russian wool hats and I thought that the market would be the best place to get it. It sure is as I explored further inside. 

Tallinn: Part 4 - Day 2 Afternoon: Medieval Walking Tour, Kehrwieder, KGB Prison Museum, St Catherine's Passage

Day 2 (Afternoon)

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 2 Afternoon.

5/1 Day 2 Afternoon: Town Hall -- Medieval Walking Tour -- Kehrwieder Chocolate Shop -- KGB Prison Museum -- St. Catherine Passage 

Optional Costs

(1) Tips for the Walking Tour - EUR2
(2) Entrance fee to KGB Prison Museum - EUR5

(3) Tea break - Chocolate cake EUR4, Apple juice with Vana Tallinn (Liquor) EUR7,90, Chocolate drink EUR4 (friend's share)
(4) Lunch - Christmas meal set at the Christmas Market (chorizo sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes) EUR9

The Story

05012019 Afternoon: After Town Hall, we headed to the Tourist Information Center where we joined the Medieval Walking Tour that starts at 11.30am. It is a one-hour walk. It was -3 that day but it felt colder. It was snowing and it was blowing. I checked the weather app and it stated that it felt like -8. A lady dressed in medieval attire was waiting for us. 

It was a fun walk and here are some stories that I remembered. We stopped in front of this well named Cat's Well, and back then, there was shortage of water for the people. So, they dug a well which did not have fresh water. It was smelly. The people consulted the priests and one of them named Brother Albert suggested throwing cats inside and after 13 cats in 2 weeks, the water stank even more. I was in disbelief when I heard this and I googled. Turns out that there was no Brother Albert and not 13 cats, but a number of cattle was thrown inside. She said that it stank so bad that they had to seal the well till today. This, I doubt. To solve the water problem, the people brewed their own beer. Even the kids drank beer but with low alcohol. Beer kills bacteria which is much safer than the well's water.

She explained that Tallinn was previously known as Reval. Once upon a time, a Danish king Valdemar II was hunting for deer in Toompea when he spotted a beautiful stag. The king liked the animal much and so he ordered it to be caught alive. Unfortunately, the deer escaped, fell from a high limestone bank and broke its neck. In German, Reh-fall means "fall of a deer", and so that is where the name Reval was derived from. I got this explanation from Wikipedia. Her story was similar to that. Can you see the deer in the photo? It is at the far right corner of the photo.

Tallinn: Part 3 - Day 2 Morning: Town Hall

Day 2 (Morning)

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 2 Morning.

5/1 Day 2 Morning: Town Hall in Old Town of Tallinn

Optional Costs

(1) Entrance ticket to the Town Hall - EUR5
(2) McDonalds Coffee to use the toilet - EUR1,40

The Story

05012019 Morning: We took the tram to Old Town again. We were supposed to go to Saaremaa Island but we missed the bus and decided to explore more of Old Town. I was very surprised that the tram services trust the people so much. There was no conductor to check your tickets when you enter the tram. You just tap your card on the machine and get your seat. If you don't have a card, you pay EUR2 for a single adult ticket. I saw a passenger who knocked on the driver's compartment and wanted to pay. A little pocket opened and he paid. In my head - SUCH HONESTY! The last time I saw something like this - trust in its people - was when I visited Norway in August 2018. You can read my post here. Now, I know Norwegians and Estonians are trustworthy people.

We arrived too early at Old Town and none of the tourist places were opened yet. So, we headed towards McDonalds to use the toilet. There was a toilet code and one needs to buy something to have the toilet code printed on the receipt. I was surprised to find that there were no English instructions on the sugar sachet for the coffee. I gradually found out that not many Estonians can speak English.

That is the front of Kalev Chocolate Shop. The building in the middle. I went in there yesterday. The streets were still very quiet.

Tallinn: Part 2 - Day 1 Evening: Christmas Market, Old Town and Kompressor

Day 1 (Evening)

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1 Evening.

4/1 Day 1 Evening: Spent the evening in Old Town

Optional Costs

(1) Entrance ticket to the Holy Spirit Church - EUR1,50 

(2) Dinner at Kompressor - Pancake with smoked ham and brie cheese EUR5, pancake with smoked salmon and cheese sauce EUR5,50, Kali malt drink EUR2

The Story

04012019 Evening: After lunch at Olde Hansa, we made our way back to the streets. We went inside the Christmas Market that was in the town square. Tallinn won the best Christmas Market in Europe for 2019. I am not sure why is it 2019 and not 2018. Anyway, the Christmas Market was opened from 16 November 2018 till 7 January 2019. I suspected that it was opened till 7 January 2019 to cater to the Russian Christmas (Russia is next to Estonia). Russians celebrate Christmas on 7 January. They follow the Julian Calendar of 25th December which falls on 7th January in the Gregorian Calendar. 

The Christmas Market was pretty and lively. I could hear Christmas songs in the air. By the time it was dark, there were performances on the stage. With the snow fall, the atmosphere was the perfect Christmas ambiance. They sold their local food - sausages with sauerkraut (sour cabbages), which my friend and I tried for lunch the next day, and dumplings. Of course, food in the Christmas Market is expensive, but what the heck, I am not sure when am I coming back again. They sold the usual mulled wine but with their own local liquor, Vana Tallinn. There were lots of stalls selling lots of warm clothes and Russian fur hats. It was definitely colder in Tallinn than Stockholm. I think Estonia is influenced by the Russian weather. 

Tallinn: Part 1 - Day 1 Afternoon: Arrival and Olde Hansa

I started the year with a trip to Tallinn which is located in Estonia. I never knew the existence of this country until my second sister brought back an Estonian girl to our home when I was 17. Then, I had no idea where was this country located either. Fast forward to 3 months back, I spoke to an old school friend whom I have not met since I was 17 (since we left high school) on Facebook when I found out she was in Estonia. That is so near to me! We have spoken occasionally to each other on Facebook but this time, we agreed that we should meet up. 

I bought my flight tickets on Skyscanner for SEK686. Flight to Tallinn via Polish Airlines and flight back to Stockholm via Norwegian Airlines. By the way, the price of my flight included check-in luggage but I did not utilise it because I was only going to be there for 3 days. And with it being winter, I was not going to change clothes often. I will be wearing the same set of winter jacket and ski pants. 

Day 1 (Afternoon)
Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1 Afternoon.

4/1 Day 1: Tram from Lennujaam Airport to Viru (nearest station to Old Town)

Must-Incur Costs
(1) Tram ticket: EUR5 for 3 days

Optional Costs

(1) Lunch at Olde Hansa: Game Fillet of the Burgemeister (described below and shared with my friend) EUR32,60, Dark honey beer EUR6,40

The Story

04012019 Afternoon: I took leave on a Friday and boarded the 9:30am flight. It was a cloudy and cold morning. As usual. This is the view of Arlanda airport from the top. 

It was just an hour flight to Tallinn. Actually, 50 minutes! I was so happy that it is just a short flight. There was a bus from the plane to the terminal. I won't enjoy walking in the cold to the terminal. It was -3 degrees but it was freezing. The weather app says that it felt like -8 degrees. I think it is greatly influenced by its neighbour, Russia.

My friend was waiting at the arrival lounge for me. We took tram number 4 from the airport to town. The tram stops right in front of the airport's entrance. The tram card costs EUR5 for 3 days. It was affordable as a single ticket costs EUR2. So, it is definitely more worth it to purchase the 3-day card.