Tallinn Backpackers!

(Tallinn Backpackers- great hostel!)

January has really been dragging on...  (and now it's finally February!) As much as I've enjoyed relaxing and not doing anything, I'm ready to get back to work on school things and regain a normal schedule!  To fill the time I decided to take a quick trip to Tallinn to visit the brothers and sisters of the North.  I had not been to Tallinn before and in my guilt to take advantage of my geographical closeness I bit the bullet, packed my backpack and took the bus to the city!  Such a quick and easy trip- four hours on the bus, pretty much the same kind of drive from PA to the Catskills.  Why hadn't I done this sooner?!

(Square in Old Town, Tallinn)

(View of Old Town and the harbor in the distance)

I arrived in Tallinn with the goal to put my camera to good use because I had been falling behind in my photography hobby.  I stayed in a great hostel in Old Town.  Tallinn Backpackers was the top rated hostel on hostelworld.com.  Staying in a hostel was not new to me, I had done it before with friends while traveling to Barcelona, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc.  But somehow this time I felt more confident about the situation and took to the atmosphere with more ease than before.  It also helped that this hostel was full of entertaining and ready-to-party employees, mostly Australian, who really opened everybody up to a fun time.  Not only did the hostel have its own cheap happy hour, but the guys introduced us to some great bars to continue the evening festivities.  So that's what I did in Tallinn, walked around the city taking in the beautiful architecture, freezing because it is finally cold in Europe and relaxing in my last weeks of study-freedom!

 (Old Town at night)

I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to put into words the differences between Tallinn and Riga.  Seemingly similar, but somehow so different. A certain air of maturity among the inhabitants, in the city.  Obvious differences include language and the use of the Euro, but some things were completely the same- like going to Rimi for groceries.  Old Town was noticeably quieter, as my friend Julija pointed out, it's not as handy for the everyday person living in Tallinn compared to Rīga, which has a mall, supermarket, etc.  But I thoroughly enjoyed the hills and the views overlooking Tallinn from the top of Old Town were beautiful (even if I was freezing while taking them in!).  Noticeably more colorful in its architecture, Tallinn's Old Town does pride itself on its preservation of its medieval past.

(Entrance into Old Town... and getting attacked by pigeons)

Unfortunately, this was short a joy trip to get my grips on the city.  Next time I head up will be to do more official sight-seeing, going to museums and definitely checking out the stadium, which hosts the Estonian song festivals.  But that's okay! You've always got to leave a reason to come back!

(Retrofuturism... maybe the best way to describe Tallinn)

The Doors of Tallinn: