Pikk Jalg. Our apartment is in the gray building just before the tower. |
We heralded our last afternoon in Tallinn with contented sighs. Nothing like a delicious meal to put me in a good mood! We left the restaurant and headed down a very familiar street, Piik Jalg. Our wandering continued - we had to burn off the several hundred calories we had just ingested.
Our walk took us back to the small square across the street from the Information Center. I have to say, Tallinn is so much more charming when the sun is out and it's not flooded with tourists!
I wanted to head back there to see if St. Nicholas' Church which had been closed the day before was open for visitors as it was a good time to visit Niguliste Museum which is housed inside. Unfortunately, it was not. Oh well. Perhaps on my next trip back to Tallinn :-)
Wandering around the church, we happened upon a small square. Perfect stop for a breather.
We sat on a bench until we saw one of the loungers freeing up. We made a beeline for it. It was wide enough for both of us to sit on. It felt so good to prop up our legs and rest our feet. The sun was to our back which was perfect - our backs were warm and we could watch the world go by without having to squint our eyes. Lounging was the perfect bit of respite. Unfortunately, you can only have chairs like this in a place like Tallinn where you don't have to worry about people, especially the homeless, using them as beds.
It was only suppose to be a quick break but I think we were there for almost an hour. It was such a comfortable spot to be in that neither of us felt in a rush to leave it.
We took the long route back to the apartment so we could enjoy a long stroll. We headed back towards the main square.
Here are some views in and around the main square.
Surprisingly, these were the only street performers we saw in all of Old Town. |
Taking another breather as the sun begins to set. |
Bro is a curious fellow as am I so we ended up exploring nooks and crannies and alleyways. Always something interesting and often something unexpected to see. We ended up in an area filled with art galleries and restaurants. We were just far off the tourist beaten path enough to enjoy a stroll through what felt like a quiet neighborhood.
The yellow building on the left is the Estonian History Museum and the yellow one on the right is one of Tallin's landmark establishments - Maiasmokk which is known for its marzipan and chocolates. |
The lower part of Pikk Jalg. |
Rataskaevu. We had been down this street countless times in just two days! |
Back in the apartment, we quickly settled into our nightly duties with Bro taking the helm at the stove. At the same time, I was prepping for our ferry ride to Helsinki. Making hard boiled eggs and sandwiches which are roadtrip staples in our family. Growing up, Mom would often pack both in for our weekend roadtrips and it's become sort of a tradition for us.
Another meal of pasta with sausage, smoked chicken and cheese. This time, Bro added the dill for that "Baltic touch" :-) |
I love the eggs here! Yolks are a bright orange and stand high. Super fresh! |
After dinner, we spent time packing our backpacks - taking a change of clothing, toiletries and other necessities for our two day, two night side trip to Helsinki.
Even though it's just been two days and three nights in Tallinn, I've already fallen into a comfortable groove here. So, while I'm very much looking forward to Helsinki, there's a small part of me that just wants to hang back here.
Good night from Tallinn! We'll be back in a couple of days.