Tues 30 - After a leisurely breakfast we set off for the bus station in Tartu to catch a bus to Tallinn. The bus was very luxurious, although not quite the same class as the bus we caught from Riga to Pärnu a few days ago. We had individual TVs but they didn't supply headsets. We saw a lady get her own out of her bag, so it seems that is what you have to do. We both ended up playing some games, which didn't need the headsets, along with looking out at the scenery.
When we bought the bus tickets, the lady asked us how old we were (Rob must have had an ancient look on his face!) He ended up getting his ticket for half price!
The trip took about two and a half hours and was an excellent ride.
Again, we travelled through lots of sprawling suburbia before arriving at the bus station. Our hotel is just outside the old town, rather than in the centre. We are on the 22nd floor, and have great views over the old town.
We have taken it easy this afternoon and look forward to some more musical adventures in the coming days. There is an organ music festival starting on Thursday, so we hope to be enjoying lots of lovely music while we are here.
Wed 31 - Today we really got a good feel for the old town of Tallinn. It is such a wonderful area, with the typical cobblestone streets and historic buildings. This must be the peak time of year for tourists to visit Tallinn, as the whole place was absolutely packed with huge tour groups! In fact, from our hotel, we can see the cruise ships docking, so this is obviously a very popular place for tours.
We entered the old town via the Viru Gate. The pair of towers that make up the gate were built in the 14th century and they are one of Tallinn's best known images. The surrounding stretch of city wall dates back to the 16th century. The first building we saw as we passed through he gates, was an old building which now houses a McDonald's cafe. What a prime position they command (and a master stroke of strategic planning)!
The main square (and this time it is actually a square) is dominated in the centre by an old market which has been there for centuries. The square is surrounded by medieval buildings and the Town Hall (which dates back to 1404 and has a spire that makes it look like a church). It is Northern Europe's only surviving late gothic town hall. The market stalls were quite obviously targeting the needs of tourists with souvenirs and clothes etc. At the bottom of the square is the old Town Hall chemist shop. It is such a quaint building which is one of the oldest chemist shops in Europe. Its origins date back to 1422.
On our wanderings, we went through St Catherine's Passageway which is a medieval alleyway with uneven stone walls and overhead vaulting. It runs along the surviving wall of the old St Catherine's church which was built in 1246. So much history here.
St Niguliste church, was originally built in the 13th century but most of what remains today is from the 15th century. We visited the church today and it is where we will be spending some time during the organ music festival. It is now a museum and concerts are held there regularly. It was interesting that very few tourists were in this area, by comparison to other parts of the old town that we visited today. Maybe churches are not high on the list of things tour groups like to visit.
There is so much to see here and we have only seen a fraction of it so far. We are here for a week, so will be able to explore much more.
