Tallinn. From Narva Mnt to Kadriorg, and then to Kopli, Sepa, and Sadam...

We were 21 people. Devoted, spirited and active travellers who wanted to peel the grey, hard covers of the glowing and exciting Tallinn. We ere editors, book sellers, hang-aroundsloversandspouses, and everything in between.

Who wanted to boldly go were only the Most Heroic Travellers have gone before. But where the largest crowds have still not found their way – it's a bliss.

And of course, we made it. (Again.)

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This is one of my must places. Kohvik Narva, on Narva Mnt. (But I did not know it has a back room.) Here you get the feeling that the Soviet Union is alive and kicking, but a positive feeling, if you know what I mean. You'd like pelmenis, piroshki or borsh? Salads with loads of sour cream or mayonnaise? This is your place.


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The Art Museum of Estonia, KUMU, is hiding behind the trees. This is the lower entrance in the Kadriorg Park. Guys living in that little cottage know how to chop wood, they always have neat piles in the yard.

At KUMU I lectured for an hour about... guess the topics? The Soviet Union, Russia, the latest developments in politics concerning Russo-Estonian relations and Alyosha, the Bronze Soldier... (Yeah, sounds scary. As an organiser of this trip I can lecture on anything.

KUMU is my favourite art museum in the world, I like the atmosphere and its architecture a lot. Last autumn I went to see the exhibitions and spent quite long time there.


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Baar Sepa. On the Cape Kopli. But just before this place, in the Baar Helienna, we managed to meet with Otso Kantokorpi, the Master of Tallinn Adventures.

See the impressive looking fish: they are "Peipsijärven kuivattuja kuoreita", dry fish, kuore from the lake Peipus. EDIT: in English 'smelt', in Latin Osmerus Eperlanus. Thanks, TN. (But I strongly suspect that instead of being smelt they are roaches.)



Fish fish fish. Estonians eat much more fish than us Finns, I think.


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LK taking a photo of a cat in Sepa. With an analogical camera!!!!!


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Tram. The very method of transport we use.

REMEMBER

1. One "talongiraamat" containing ten tickets costs 10 times 8,50 kr, so it is about 60 cents / ticket.
2. You can buy tickets in every kiosk. And there is a kiosk near every tram stop. (Really. It is that easy.) But when you have a ten ticket booklet, you don't need to buy them all the time, of course.
3. The map of tram lines is X-shaped. The junction of the four lines is at Hobujaama, near the Viru Center (but there's absolutely no need to go to Viru. Skip it. Start now.). If you don't know where to go, go anywhere.


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Guys are learning to use the ticket machine which engraves the marks through the ticket. And they learned it so well that soon all the little pieces of paper they had were marked with the tiny round holes.


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Soon we must go! Behind the smaller ones, back there somewhere, our ship Tallink Star is waiting and soon ready to leave. The last members of our efficient group are running some kilometers behind us...

But joyfully we have time to check out the interesting fishing situation.


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The little stick with lights is the TV Tower. Maybe that would be something for the next tour? It really is a Soviet classic for heroic travellers. I was there last summer and it certainly made a big impression. Nägemiseni!


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Kiitos kaikille vielä kerran! Oli huisin hauskaa.

Ja jos haluatte katsoa mun aikaisempia Viro-aiheisia juttuja, ne on täällä.

Kapteeninne IStori