Day 45b: Tallinn

MAY 18 - Arrive in Tallinn before noon. We have been trying to use public transport as much as possible for the transfers to our hotels, and this one is easy. Just a walk and one tram line. We have several apps that work well for giving the public transport options. My favorite is Citymapper, which has a dense set of information for larger cities (mostly capitals). Google Maps also does well, and includes smaller cities. Often I use Citymapper, and cross reference it with what Janet is getting with Google Maps. For tracking yourself without using data or having wifi, Guru Maps is good, as the map information is very detailed and all it needs is to be able to locate you via satellite. So, failing any connection, you can still see where you are.

The inside of a Tallinn tram. These old machines seem to fit the need perfectly in this compact city.

Dump the bags at our hotel (yes, actually in a bona-fide hotel today) and head out to see the old part of the city. The day is completely clear and not really cold, so no time to waste. It feels so much more like spring here, with all the new growth coming out.

Tallinn, in medieval times, was one of the best fortified cities in Europe, with 4 km of defensive walls linked with 46 towers. Today, only about 2 km of wall remain, along with 26 towers (including the one shown above).

There is a real sense of the rustic here, with many old, frail wooden buildings. The feel is very different from what we saw in Finland.

An aesthetic array of brick, plaster, and stone facing along a narrow street. The copper-clad steeple of St. Olav’s Church is just visible behind.

Looking up the interior of the steeple at St. Olav’s Church, built in the 14th Century.

A portion of Fat Margaret’s Tower, at the north end of the old city walls, built in 1511 to protect the city from attacks by sea. It currently houses the Maritime Museum.

This was all along the sidewalk outside a Russian consulate. The solidarity with Ukraine we’ve seen expressed so far in the trip is nothing compared with what we saw today in Tallinn. Almost everywhere an Estonian flag flies, it is accompanied by a Ukrainian flag.

Just in case one has forgotten how many places have felt the boot of Russia: Georgia, Chechnya, Dagestan, Syria, etc…

It is fairly clear, from the number of Ukrainian flags hanging form buildings, where most people stands with respect to the current Russian military action in Eastern Europe. But what has the Estonian government actually said? I present a few quotes from the New York Times, dated March 24, from Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estona, when she describes several actions that should be taken in response to the war:

“To put an end to these horrors, the most optimistic observers have put their hope in a peace deal. But peace is not going to break out tomorrow. We must face up to the fact that the Kremlin’s idea of European and global security is completely at odds with that of the free world. And Vladimir Putin is willing to kill and repress en masse for the sake of it.

At NATO, our focus should be simple: Mr. Putin cannot win this war. He cannot even think he has won, or his appetite will grow. We need to demonstrate the will and commit resources to defend NATO territory. To check Russia’s aggression, we need to put in place a long-term policy of smart containment.”

And as for Ukrainian refugees, Ms. Kallas goes on:

“Moscow may think that forcing millions of Ukrainians to leave and seek shelter across Europe will destabilize our societies. This is also part of Mr. Putin’s war aims, and one of the tools of his hybrid warfare. We must show him he’s wrong.

Neighboring countries have already been extraordinarily welcoming in such a short period of time, and the European Union immediately gave Ukrainians the right to live and work in the bloc. In Estonia, we have welcomed many Ukrainian refugees, who now make up around 1.6 percent of our population. All countries should do as much as they can to provide a safe haven for Ukrainian refugees until they can return home.”

The last bit causes one to pause for a moment. Putting it into context with, say, the United States, this would be the same as letting in a bit over 5,000,000 people, over the course of a month, from a single source.

Town Hall Square, lined with the mandatory chic outdoor restaurant options. Like all of the old city saw today, it is surfaced with cobble stones.

The colors and form of the Estonian flag can be traced to 1884, when it was used as the official flag of the Estonian Student’s Society in Otepää.

Kiek in de Kök Tower, located in the southwest corner of the old city, built in 1483. It is a late medieval design, cylindrical, and meant to house cannons. It now houses a museum with an amazing collection of artifacts from all relevant time periods, along with access to some of the subterranean tunnels that were used to move around and resupply defenders during wartime.

A limestone portal decoration in the museum, dating from 1566.

Odette, haunting the tunnels. Each room was themed for a different episode in Tallinn’s history. This room was about WW II and the use of the tunnels as bomb shelters.

From the tower there was a great view of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (left), the Maiden Tower (front right), and St. Mary’s Cathedral (in scaffolding). Another part of the museum was a walk along the ramparts between three towers. The Maiden Tower has been heavily restored, as it was partly destroyed centuries ago and retooled as a residence for the Baltic German nobility. It was only brought back to its original shape in the 1960’s.

If we had not told Odette that this was a telephone, she may never have guessed.

A preserved medieval street, minus the filth.

The Viru Gate, on the eastern side of the old town. There was originally a portcullis between them. Their original construction date is unknown, but are first mentioned in records from 1362.

Estonia