Arrival in Estonia - first impressions of Tallinn

 Upon arrival in Estonia, we got the bus from the airport to the city, and followed the hostel's useful instructions (i.e. 'follow the crowds to the old town') to our hostel. We immediately went back out for food, choosing a traditional restaurant called 'Olde Hansa' for the authentic Estonian experience. It had pots around the tables containing an assortment of herbs. I assume you were supposed to help yourself to season your meal.

Our lunch was a plate of medieval fare, and I suspect it's from a time before they worked out what actually tasted good. The plate contained bitter, nasty berry things, spelt, pickles and other scary vegetables soaked in vinegar or something, a fairly tasty baked cheese thing, wild boar, and sauerkraut. It was interesting, but definitely not enjoyable.

Outside the restaurant, people dressed in medieval garb were selling almonds rolled and roasted in a delicious combination of spices and sugar. Very tasty.

From there, we walked up the hill through the grey day to Town Hall square (Raekoja plats), where, unsurprisingly, lies the Town Hall. There was an awesome beastie attached to the Town Hall. It had TEETH!

We kept walking uphill in search of excitement. On the way we found the Niguliste church, which is a bizarre mix of styles and colours. It's apparently a concert hall. Shame we didn't go in actually. It has a big tower.

We finally found ourselves up in the Toompea area, which is the seat of the church, government and rich people. We went into the much-talked-about Alexander Nevsky cathedral - a Soviet relic that the locals aren't terribly keen on. Inside it has some very strange red, white, and blue candy stripes running up the walls. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside. We saw the houses of parliament on Toompea Hill, with Tall Hermann Tower keeping watch over them. And in the distance, the sea, the TV tower (that you can no longer go up), the Soviet war memorial, and something that looks suspiciously like the Brandenburg Gate ('it's Germany', says Dan).

We called in briefly at the Tallinn flower show. We couldn't work out why someone had recreated their bedroom in their garden . . . The flowers were pretty but unimaginative

And then visited Oleviste church (St Olaf's). There was a fantastic photo opportunity looking straight up to the vaulting through the chandelier, and I took advantage of it. This church spire was the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625.

That evening for dinner, we visited a restaurant called Tchaikovsky that had caught our eye from the beginning. It's the restaurant of a hotel, but the service and the food (and the port) are phenomenal. For dessert we had a souffle *inside* a crepe. It was perfect and amazing! And they had very pretty serviettes in the shape of swans.