 Medieval Town Life
Tallinn, Estonia
As a cruise ship port, a perfect day in Tallinn starts with avoiding the shore excursions and tours. This is a place that you can easily do on your own and have a much more enjoyable time. Just read on...
 The old town of Tallinn dates from the 13th century and has been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is so well preserved. The city wall is mainly intact, the cobblestone streets and buildings have been little changed over the years. The city, without any real planning, has somehow managed to evolve without razing buildings, without widening streets, and in general, without changing the medieval feel of the place. All it would take is for the citizens of the town to wear period costumes and you would be transported to the 15th century better than any renaissance fair could ever do.
The old town of Tallinn is comprised of two parts, the upper and lower town. The upper town is the place to start. Take a cab from the port and tell the driver to go to the square in the upper old town. The logic of starting in the upper town is that you then can spend the day leisurely walking downhill through the cobblestone streets - start in the lower town and you spend your day going uphill! In the upper town there several sites to see. First stop at the old Lutheran Toomkirik - it was built in 1243 and is the oldest church in Tallinn. It is still functioning, so reverence is required when entering. Just around the corner from here is the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Catherdal. It is magnificant - built in the late 19th century. It too is functioning. When we visited, it was filled with townsfolk attending some kind of ritual. I was struck with a sense of how town life here revolves around the church. As we stepped outside, on the steps of the church were a line of old women beggars, dressed very much like the old peasant women in Van Gogh paintings. It was an touching scene - but made me wonder where the men where.
 The city has kindly placed maps and walking guides throughout the old town showing where you should go and what you can see. As you wander toward the inner city wall, you should stop at the park in front of the church. A great place to rest. There are usually some street vendors there. On our day we found a lad and lass dressed in medieval garb, who had set up a small archery field against the city wall. Feeling like William Tell, my son and I took turns trying to hit the target with somewhat authentic long-bows and arrows. They even had an apple on a stick above the target - hit it and win a prize! But alas, no prizes for us.
Continue on through one of the gates in the wall and pass into the lower old town. The small streets are lined with apartments, cafes, shops - more for the locals than tourists. It's a great place to explore the small alleyways. Great photo ops can be found around every corner.
 On Pikk street, you should stop by the Kalev Marzipan Room. There you will find hand-painted marzipan cookies and constructions. They put gingerbread houses to shame! We saw the artists painting the individual cookies. According to town legend, marzipan was first created 500 years ago by a baker in the town - and then spread throughout northern Europe. Next to the Marzipan Room is a small, crowded cafe where you can try out the marzipan, Kalev chocolate and coffee. What's nice is that this is not just a tourist hangout but also filled with locals.
 As you get into the center of town, things are more touristy. Grab a picture of the local court jester performing, or try some roasted spiced almonds from the wooden cart. They smell and taste great! Around the town square are some of the original 15th century buildings. But, by now we were getting hungry.
 There are several nice restaurants that can be tried, but if you only have one day, and this is your first visit, you must go to Olde Hansa. This is an experience. The prices are high - assume you'll spend 25-35 Euro per person, but it is worth it. The restaurant is situated just off the main town square. It is in a 15th century building - with no electricity. It has tried to recreate the dining experience from 500 years ago. Solid rough-cut wood tables and benches, handmade clay pottery plates and mugs. Period music and costumes. And a menu of game cooked much like it would have been in the past. Try the brown bear plate (bear meat cooked in a stew of beer) and the roast leg of pork. Absolutely delicious. And chase it down with the two local beers - a honey beer or a honey-herb beer. Both are very pleasing - served in a large pottery mug. Chugging the beer and digging into the rough-cut roasted meats - I felt like a nobleman sitting in my Great Hall. Just needed a few good-looking wenches to make the tableau complete.
 Continue from here walking down the main shopping street, Viru Street. More souvenir shops are around, with plenty of Baltic amber for sale. Prices are high though, and you can find good amber in St. Petersburg. Soon you will come to the old city wall. There is a nice art gallery that runs along the top of the wall. For a few euro you can walk along the top of the wall, see the city sites, and check out the local artists.
From the Viru gate, you can walk 20 minutes to the port and cruise ship terminal. On a nice day, it is a pleasant stroll. There are some more flea markets along the way, so you can check them out. Prices here are 30% less than in the old town itself. And don't forget to haggle.
All in all, a wonderful 8 hours in a beautiful city. One last note - Tallinn is also known for its night-life. Apparently it is becoming THE place to go in northern Europe for bachelor parties (direct flights from London, ferries from Stockholm and Helsinki). But I'll save that for another story.
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