Tallinn – Mediaeval City and Steven’s Domain!

Edinburgh boasts its Greyfriars Bobby legend – the dog that guarded its dead master’s grave for 14 years – and Japan’s equivalent is Hachiko, immortalised outside Shibuya Station, but none of them can steal a march on Tallinn’s Instagram superstar: Steven the Seagull!

This European Herring Gull, adopted prince of the Estonian capital’s Old Town and UNESCO World Heritage site, can be seen on a daily basis keeping watch over his adopted city and the punters who queue in their droves to take his photograph, from the Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewing platforms, where he can be found parading up and down the ancient walls for hours at a time.

Such is his fame that in 2016 the city’s tourism chiefs gave him his own Instagram account and the rest, as they say, is history: check out his extensive fan base seagull@vanalinnakajakas.

Estonia is the authentic choice for those wanting to experience culture at their own pace and, as a first-time visitor, and something of a self-confessed culture vulture (sorry Steven!), I loved Tallinn, felt at home instantly and would have happily spent two or three more days there.

We were billeted in the city’s newest property, the gorgeous Nunne Boutique Hotel where history meets luxurious comfort. The building dates back to the Middle Ages and the hotel, with its 75 rooms and restaurant, is located in the heart of Tallinn’s Old Town where everything is in walking distance…..

….least of all Restaurant Fotografiska in the Telliskivi ‘Bohemian’ district, where murals abound, along with ‘zero waste’ dining at this incredible eatery, which has its own vegetable garden on the outskirts of town and bee hives on the terrace.

It does everything in its power to avoid wasting anything: from the flower to the root, from the nose to the tail, everything is used. And the food? Exceptional. It’s just that you probably have to sample what’s on the menu that day dependent on what’s being ‘used up’!

Outside, with snow on the ground, temperatures were falling, but Estonian ‘Banksy’ Edvard von Longus’ playful mural still managed to bring a smile to our face with his ‘Dance with Death’ wall painting: a skeleton playfully poses for a selfie to the rear of an unwitting ‘human’.

But it is more than just ‘clever art’. Dig a bit further and you only have to visit nearby St Nicholas’ Church, these days a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia, to witness one of history’s most famous artworks: Bernt Notke’s ‘The Dance of Death’, which depicts the transience of life as the skeletal figures of Death lay claim to all walks of life.

It is a stunning building, with roof views to die for – Notke would have liked the analogy - but another equally visually stunning visitation to make is to one of the city’s newest attractions: the ‘PoCo’ Pop and Contemporary Art Museum.

Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Banksy greet you in one dynamic private collection and, if you have anything resembling an interest in Pop Art, you will be knocked out.

Set up by Estonian digital visionary, Linnar Viik (he was an early investor in Skype) it is less than a year old. Fancy a piece of NFT (Non-Fungible Token) ‘crypto’ art?

Then have your cheque book at the ready…. $16m should get you started! Also, another place to see a modern take on Notke’s ‘The Dance of Death’!

In between all of the art and history there is also a practical need: food! And Tallinn has some cracking eateries.

There are not many blokes can claim to have delivered the ultimate Valentine Day dinner but I did: 175m off the ground in the 22nd floor Tallinn TV Tower Restaurant on the outskirts of the Estonian capital.

That’s where you find a unique café-restaurant offering regional flavours in a contemporary style.

Friendly service, homemade baked bread, and the use of ingredients from local small-scale producers, create a beautiful combination and an enchantingly different experience.

But, not before you have ascended in a high-speed lift.

Get ready for popping ears!

Restaurant Pegasus, back in town, promises to give wings to your tastebuds.

Located on Harju Street in the heart of Lower Old Town Tallinn, the restaurant which opened in 1962, has a versatile and fascinating floor pan that spans three levels, along with a nice menu offering.

Satiated we headed down the street, only this time it wasn’t so much food on our minds as a trip through time. VR Tallinn 1939/44 is like nothing I have experienced before.

Wearing 3D glasses, you are walked into town and given an immersive journey through time. First, you look at today’s streets then, using your 3D glasses, are shown a life-sized replica of what the very same streets looked like in 1939, then 1944 following Russia’s bombing of Estonia’s Nazi occupied capital. It really is a mind blower. Fantastic!

This is a city that delivers at every twist and turn, literally and metaphorically.

You can visit Europe’s oldest continuing pharmacy still operating from its original 1422 site…

…or, for things of a ghostly nature, Danish King Garden where you can see the ‘headless monks’.

Two brothers were said to have fallen in love with the same woman. One killed the other then regretted his actions and took his own life.

Now, he is destined, it would seem, to walk the pathways of Tallinn along with his lady lover in white…..but only at midnight, so beware the witching hour!

There’s the 247 flower market and St Catherine’s passage in the Old Town, where you will find small artisan workshops in which you can witness production whilst purchasing pottery, glass, leather goods and even old-style hats.

Indeed, if Tallinn’s mediaeval walls could speak – 26 original towers still stand - they would tell of battles, a country with 2222 islands, of Russian bombs that flattened numerous buildings in 1944 and of Soviet occupation from 1944-91 – accounting, perhaps, for the country’s largely non-religious population.

The cross in Freedom Square speaks for the nation: FREEDOM and we like it!

But, if there is any religion at all – and by and large it is in the minority – then look up one word in the dictionary: sauna!

The ubiquitous sauna can be found in most homes and, in these parts, it is genuinely a way of life that runs from the cradle to the grave. Something almost spiritual.

Tallinn’s Iglupark sauna in the Noblessner district is, perhaps, one of the coolest sauna parks in Estonia.

Located on the shore of the Baltic Sea, guided sauna sessions involve a ‘whisking’ process for physical and mental fortification.

Here you are talking shamans, ancient runo healing songs, cold dips in the sea, hot sweats and gentle beating of the body with traditional oak leaves (‘whisking’).

You will leave feeling a million dollars. Apparently, David Beckham was so impressed he bought an igloo!

However, whether he made the 10-minute walk to the nearby Restaurant Pohjala Tap Room & Brewery, is debateable: no better way to replace lost fluids and to take in some calories after a freezing dip in the Baltic!

Time permitting Kadriorg Palace on the outskirts of town will afford you a momentary view into the lives of Russia’s once powerful Royalty, as well as giving you an opportunity to peruse the city’s foreign art collection.

Tallinn’s highest rooftop terrace: floor 24 of the Radisson Collection Hotel building – will tickle your tastebuds with culinary delights from East Asia and South America, courtesy of Issei restaurant...

...but, as you leave this glorious city to fly home, take note of Tallinn Airport’s toilets!

They are quirky to say the least with lessons on how to achieve the ultimate tie knot and advice on how to prevent snoring using a tennis ball! But there is story to accompany these intriguing instructions!

In 1997 Estonia’s first president, Lennar Meri, returned to his country from Japan where, clearly, he’d been inspired by the country’s cleanliness. Awaiting journalists were immediately ushered into the airport toilets which were not in the best of order.

“That’s the first thing that people will judge us on,” went the paraphrased narrative. They were rapidly improved.

We had been told the story by our guide at Tartu’s Estonian National Museum.

The dry but hilarious lady also translated a pencil note in an 18th century cookbook dating back to 1781.

It read, she said: ‘This cookery book is shit and of no value!”

Happy to report that Tallinn Airport toilets are bucking the trend!

They are some of nicest I have seen and, if value is your byword, then you will get a tonne in Tallinn. Well worth a visit.

Getting There
Regent Holidays (www.regent-holidays.co.uk / 01174 535 461) is offering a new six-day Tallinn and Tartu twin-centre city break from £865 per person.

Price is based on two adults sharing and includes return flights from the UK to Tallinn, transfers, three-nights in Tallinn at the Nordic Hotel Forum (consider upgrading to Nunne Boutique Hotel) and two-nights in Tartu at the Hotel Lydia on a B&B basis with return train or bus tickets from Tallinn to Tartu.

More details: www.visitestonia.com