TALLINN, ESTONIA

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Tallinn, Estonia, for work. Estonia is a small Baltic Sea nation that borders Russia and Latvia and is south of Finland across the Gulf of Finland. Estonia’s history includes foreign occupation by Germany, Sweden, and Russia (including the Soviet Union) until its independence in 1991. In 2004, Estonia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Estonia became one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies and, since then, has provided Ukraine with more than 1.4% of its GDP in military assistance. Estonia’s history provided context for my travel and observations in Tallinn, the nation’s capital.

Tallinn is the most populous city in Estonia and maintains its medieval charm. I checked into the Palace Hotel across from Freedom Square. That evening, my co-worker and I walked through Freedom Square and up towards the Alexander Nevsky Eastern Orthodox Church on top of the hill. Then, we walked toward another city center where the famous Estonia Christmas Market is held. We stopped and had dinner at the Tule Estonia – a medieval-themed – restaurant where I enjoyed the Braised Bear Meat with mashed potatoes and a locally brewed Estonian lager beer. If you wonder what bear meat tastes like, it tastes like a tougher version of beef. I’ve had bear meat before visiting a cousin in Pennsylvania when I tried bear burgers. They were good but greasier than a typical beef burger. We also attempted to order black bread with butter since we were told it was a local delicacy; however, the waiter misunderstood us and brought German Rye bread without butter. The next day, we were corrected and told to order the dark garlic bread, which you rub a piece of garlic on the bread to make it spicier.

Afterward, we walked toward the old city wall, where the street was lined with restaurants and shops, and it appeared that many of the Christmas lighting decorations remained illuminating the area.

The next day, I returned to the area around Freedom Square and walked back toward the Orthodox Church. Next to the church was the Kiek In de Kök fortress tower, which also included a museum. The fortress area was impressive and kept in good condition. As I walked around, I came across statue silhouettes of what appeared to be priests and nuns.

Next, I returned to the old town where I had my bear meat dinner the previous night. The area was pleasantly lined with shops, restaurants, beer breweries, and a nice-looking whiskey bar. I stopped at a souvenir to pick up some postcards and a memorable magnet for my travel collection.

After about two hours of walking around, the cold beat me. I grew up in upstate New York, spent two years in South Korea enduring the Siberian cold, winter in Afghanistan, and finally a year in Ontario, Canada, and felt I was used to being cold. However, I also recently lived in Tampa, Florida, for seven years, and my blood became thinner. Despite wearing two coats, two sets of gloves, and a hat, the Baltic Sea winter made me humble. I proceeded back to the hotel and ordered a larger hot cup of coffee to warm up.

The following day, I departed for the airport, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by my experience there. I checked in, dropped my bag off, and cleared security in less than ten minutes. Once inside the terminal, I enjoyed a cappuccino and a cinnamon roll. Next, I walked around for a bit and was amazed at how the terminal was designed to entertain folks in areas with board games, exercise equipment such as a virtual skier and peloton bike, craft bars, and more.

Finally, once I boarded and took off, it felt like my pilot was a former fighter pilot. The plane accelerated down the run faster than I am commonly used to, and the rate of climb until we hit cruising altitude, was faster than I had experienced before. Of course, I am grateful since it felt like he got me back to Frankfurt, Germany, an hour earlier than planned. Overall, I would say I had a pleasant experience in Tallinn, Estonia, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially in the summer.