ESTONIA: Tallinn – Another Baltic Beauty
Tallinn, being my third and last Old Town residence in the Baltics is by no means the least impressive. It is still surrounded by much of its 2.5 kilometer defensive wall, and its Town Hall Square with pastel buildings from the 15th. to 17th. centuries are lorded over by the only surviving Gothic town hall. Estonia has a population of 1.3 million people with 440,000 residing in Tallinn.
TOWN HALL SQUARE – The first afternoon in Tallinn was rainy, and so was the second until later in the day. I then took the opportunity to stroll around town, pick up some additional groceries, and shoot a few pictures for the blog. The square had a pleasant crafts fair going on as well as some traditional music playing from the stage. It was all people with umbrellas and plastic tarps on the merchandise yesterday.
A couple of towers at an entrance to the city. I would have given you a nice full framed shot of these, but the main street leading to them is all torn up with construction so you’re getting the abridged version.
Another watchtower with a long stretch of the original defensive wall.
Sweet – I might just have to go have lunch there tomorrow.
WHAT AN ENTRANCE!
What a trifecta of Old Towns I have been subjected to in the Baltics alone! Tomorrow is due to be sunny so I will take the walking tour, and hopefully come up with some entertaining commentary.
Draakon III – My favorite and also very cheap restaurant right in the corner of the Town Hall building.
Authentic medieval costumes, crockery, food, candles, and no silverware. You get your pickles out of a barrel using a stick with a nail on the end of it. The elk soup is delicious, and the flaky meat pastries are heavenly. They also offer ox ribs or sausage. You can have the soup, meat pastry and a couple of sausages for 7 euros with no extra charge for the movie grade rustic decor.
ELK SOUP AND OX SAUSAGES
A PHARMACY HAS OCCUPIED THIS SPACE ON THE SQUARE SINCE 1422
INDEPENDENCE MONUMENT 1918-1920
The monument was crafted out of thick glass panels by a company in the Czech Republic. They were supposed to withstand a nuclear holocaust but failed to endure their first Estonian winter since many of them cracked from frigid conditions. Estonia sued the company and received the sum of 300,000 euros to cover some of the reparations to the structure. The top is modeled after a medal of honor with an E for Estonia and an armored curve arm clutching a sword.
KUMU ART MUSEUM – Estonian Art
Villu JAANISOO – Chair I-II – 2001
Konstantin SÜVALO – Lake Püjajärv – 1920
Konrad MÄGI – Motif of Vislandi Island – 1914
Konrad MÄGI – Stony Landscape – 1914
Konrad MÄGI – Capri – 1923
BUSTS GALORE
Arnold AKBERG – Composition – 1925
Olev SUBBI – Composition in an Interior – 1970
Jaan VAHTRA – Self Portrait – 1923
Recent Comments