Based on pictures I had seen, I knew that I would fall in love with Tallinn, the Estonian capital, I just didn’t know how much I would. Guidebooks describe the city’s Old Town as “the most impressive in all of the Baltic states,” and it was that, just magnified by a million.
The cruise terminal in Tallinn was about a 15 minute walk from the Old Town. Needless to say, modern Tallinn wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t anything great to behold, i.e. it looked like anywhere else. But once I made it to the Viru Gate, a pair of stunning ivy-colored towers that mark the entrance to Viru Street which is for most visitors their first glimpse of this centuries’ old setting, I could barely contain my excitement. The towers are actually foregates of what was a much more complex gate system built in the 14th century.
There were scores of visitors in the Old Town the day I was there, a Saturday in the summer. And even though it was quite difficult to take a photo without someone being in it, that didn’t deter me from still absolutely loving Tallinn’s Old Town. It was one of those places where I literally could not stop taking pictures.
Although so much of Europe was destroyed during World War II, Tallinn’s Old Town survived with minimal damage. And this is a miracle when you see how absolutely beautiful and stunning building after building is. And the doors. I’ve never been much of a door picture-taking person but it’s almost impossible in Tallinn to not do so. I mean, just look at this stunner below.
Estonia is a destination that is pretty unknown to most people (save for Russians and Finns who travel there quite frequently due to the short distance) so I think that’s what made it all the more special for me to visit. I still have my Estonian food tour post to share so stay tuned!
