Old Town Tallinn has charmed us. We didn’t think it could happen again. As I mentioned previously in our Stockholm blog, we have seen a lot of historic old towns at this point in our travels and are getting harder to impress. Sorry, Stockholm. But, there is stiff competition with Siena…Cartagena…Macau…Sevilla…Rothenburg ob der Tauber…and now Tallinn, with its Baltic flair, can be added to our short list of favorites.
Tallinn’s medieval town walls, with sections dating back to the 13th century, are still mostly intact with 26 pointy red-roofed watchtowers.
Numerous Lutheran church spires fill the skyline creating breathtaking views over the city and the sparkling blue harbor.
The onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church steals the show, especially for us, as this was our first venture to a Baltic country and Eastern Europe. However, the church is controversial to locals as it was intended as a symbol of Russia’s dominance over the increasingly unruly Baltic territory and built on the same spot where a statue of Martin Luther had previously stood.
Our favorite activity was just wandering the quiet, narrow cobblestone streets in the early mornings and late evenings.
Unfortunately, Tallinn has been discovered by the cruise ships, so the city is mobbed during the daytime. The streets and squares aren’t nearly as appealing when you are getting pushed around by tour groups and people taking selfies.
Our first evening when the streets were calm, we came across a beautiful terrace at the Danish King’s Garden.
Here, at the Short Leg Gate Tower, the wall divided the upper town of the nobles from the lower town of the common folk. The area is haunted by numerous ghosts including the infamous black monk.
Enchanting medieval music was softly flowing down from the top of the wall. Torch lamps signaled us to follow the steep, winding steps.
At the top, we were rewarded with a great view along the wall and of one of the church spires.
We had found our favorite spot for drinks in town. The first evening here was warm and sunny, so I had a sweet Riesling while Jimmy enjoyed a local beer. On our second visit, the weather had turned cold, gray, and windy. Now was the perfect time to try their signature drinks – the Vana Tallinn and hot chocolate (for me) and Vana Tallinn and coffee (for Jimmy). Oh, Vana Tallinn.
This single item definitely helped Tallinn win me over. Last year in our Munich blog, I mentioned how much we enjoy discovering new alcoholic drinks that are the specialty of an area. I discovered the Spritz in Venice, the Kir Royale in Paris, and in our recent travels, the Radler in Munich. And now, the Vana Tallinn Cuba Libre.
Vana Tallinn is an Estonian dark brown, rum-based liquor spiced with citrus oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. The taste reminded me of a mixture of Captain Morgan and Malibu. Admittedly, unlike the other drinks I mentioned above that are traditional in those countries, I took a few liberties with the Cuba Libre. In Estonia, most people drink Vana Tallinn straight or in their coffee. Jimmy had the brilliant idea of mixing it with coke, and we couldn’t believe that the first bartender we asked to make the drink looked at us like we were crazy. But, that didn’t stop me. Vana Tallinn Cuba Libres every night. I liked it so much that when I realized that it is not distributed in the US, I made sure that a bottle made it into my luggage. We haven’t been buying souvenirs during our travels due to luggage space, so this demonstrates how much I had fallen in love. Perhaps one of you lucky blog readers will get to enjoy a Vana Tallinn Cuba Libre with us when we get back into the US.
Not only can a fun, new liquor help a cute town win us over, but, as you all know, the cuisine needs to be there too. Similar to the Nordic countries, Estonian cuisine is still a lot of meat, potatoes, and bread, but we found some interesting twists on these staples that definitely added to our experience. The charming, outdoor terrace (and mascot) at Kuldse Notsu Kõrts (Golden Piglet Inn) caught our eye as we strolled through town looking for a dinner spot. Their cuisine is traditional Estonian using fresh, local ingredients and recipes passed down from their grandmother’s grandmother.
For an appetizer, we shared one of the most frequently eaten comfort foods in Estonia, mulgipuder. The simple, cheap dish is a basic potato and barley porridge with bacon and chives.
The mulgipuder was quite tasty and reminded us of loaded mashed potatoes. For the main course, considering the mascot was a pig, we had to go with the wild boar – stewed with a light tomato sauce and junipers. And, of course, potatoes and root vegetables are a given in this part of the world as the side dish.
For dessert, we shared the tuuliku kama with berries, a curdled milk dessert with grains. Kama, a blend of roasted barley, rye, oat, and pea flour, is one of the most distinctive foods in Estonia and was originally a simple food that could be combined with butter to make a meal. Today, kama is making a comeback in desserts, so this food is a must-try when in Estonia.
Unfortunately, I say that purely for the novelty and appreciation of other cultures, but ultimately, the experience was like drinking thick milk with sand in it. Not exactly our idea of dessert. But, no worries, my night was complete with a “dessert” drink (or two) of Vana Tallinn. We even found Vana Tallinn-filled chocolates!
Estonia was ruled by Russia for over 200 years and still has a large Russian population, so Russian cuisine is common. Newbies to Russian cuisine, we had to try it out while in town so opted for a restaurant with a nice terrace right on the main square in town.
We were hoping to enjoy the ambiance a bit but were brutally reminded that we were still pretty far north. With some rain and wind whipping through the tent, I had to bundle up in a blanket in August. And notice that doing my hair for the past two months in the Nordic countries and Estonia has been pointless…so windy all the time!
Nonetheless, we enjoyed our Russian cuisine experience with some traditional dumplings and beef stroganoff.
With full bellies, we wandered the streets and soaked in the medieval vibe, appreciating the mix of Russian and Scandinavian influences. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so we will leave you with a few more of our favorite shots to show how this city charmed us.
The tower of St. Nicholas Church after the rain from our favorite spot in town
Russian Orthodox church and St. Nicholas church spire from the city hall tower
Viru gate
Fat Margaret Tower, guarded the entry gate during medieval times
Relief from the 16th century above the entry gate
Doorway for the Brotherhood of the Black Heads, a German Hanseatic merchant club, built in 1440
A warning sign on a local’s home entryway
Having drinks at our favorite spot “on the wall”
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