Estonia - Tallinn Knights

 July 10-11

Hello everyone!

Another bus ride has taken me from the most populated Baltic capital to the smallest. One whose name translates to ‘Danish Town’...

Old Thomas, the guardian of the city also
known as the Silicon Valley of Europe

Throughout history, it's also been called Reval,
which links to a man killing a deer and then
feeling sad. Should've called it Bambi...

More a Norwegian town when I went to watch
the FIFA men's World Cup quarter-final here...

I wouldn’t suggest to an Estonian that they are Danish. But it is a nod to the smallest Baltic country’s history that they have been externally influenced over the centuries. A big influence, which I feel differs from Riga and Vilnius, is that Tallinn is a truly coastal city.

Beach on the eastern side of Tallinn

A lovely skyline sunset - this was after 10pm

Tallinn is the red dot, Parnu is the blue dot

It may be small, but Estonia does have the longest coastline of the three Baltic nations. All of them sit on the Baltic Sea, a key feature which has forged alliances, forced wars and developed trade and identity in the region. I had my first proper view of this when we made a brief stop at the beach town of Pӓrnu.

The main street of Pӓrnu

The Baltic Sea has only existed for around
8000 years, making it a very young sea!

The sea here was less a sea, and more a lake. Technically it is the Gulf of Riga, and it had very little ripple in its shallow waters. On possibly the first truly warm day I’ve had in the Baltics, it was nice to dip my feet in. No time for any more to be submerged, so I can’t see how truly ‘Baltic’ the water was!

The water has a very low salt percentage, so
freshwater fish from rivers dip in and out of it

I imagine this is very busy on weekends

Pӓrnu itself is an interesting place, a mixture of beaches, little elephants and impressive churches. The Russian Orthodox church is particularly grand, and feeds into my instinct that there is a bit more of a Russian influence here. I’ve certainly heard more Russian than I did in Lithuania, for example.

The elephants are a city symbol, emanating from Estonia's first independence
when there were 2 wooden elephant structures in the sea at Pӓrnu

A Russian Orthodox church in Pӓrnu

Like the other two Baltic States, Estonia was part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, and was a Soviet state for 46 years of the 20th century. I found it interesting to learn at the Estonian History Museum that many Estonians fought with the Germans against the Soviets during WW2.

Russian sub-machine guns used in WW2

Like the other Baltic countries, there is a strong
pro-Ukraine and anti-Russian feeling here

During the Cold War, Estonia was part of the USSR. Relics remain: one that I did not know was that Tallinn hosted part of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, as this was where the sailing events happened. The legacy lives in some respects, but not others, like the abandoned ziggurat complex.

Linnahall was originally called the "V. I. Lenin Palace of
Culture and Sport". Because, you know, Soviet...

There were many people sailing when I walked along the coast

Not that you could invoke the Olympic spirit and fully forget where you were during that regatta. On the edge of the water lies a fortress called Patarei, built by Nicholas I and then used as a Soviet prison. It’s currently closed as they prepare to reopen it to the public - not that there was a lack of people in the area, as a maritime festival was being held. They like a festival in Tallinn.

Patarei Fortress was built in the early 19th century

A kebab stall in front of a large ship. Standard weekend in Tallinn?

What I found interesting about Tallinn is that, rather than focusing on this era of history like Latvia, Lithuania and Poland do, Estonia’s capital commemorates its earlier history. It really leans into the medieval period.

The city walls

Part of the Dominican friar building

There is a folk festival of sorts here this weekend, which obviously amplifies the effect. But seeing many people dressed in Middle Ages gear as they walk through narrow alleys near domineering castle walls helps to add to the medieval vibe.

Not the only costumes I saw on the weekend

Town Hall Square

Though a 17th century fire damaged many buildings in the Old Town, the UNESCO protected area of the city houses many elements from a previous era. Its town hall, looming high above the square, dates from 1402. Heading up the narrow spiralling tower, you can imagine the power felt by the bell ringer as they lay eyes upon the settlement far below.

These stalls were part of the medieval weekend festival 

The view from the Town Hall tower

A nearby pharmacy lays claim to be the oldest continually functioning pharmacy in Europe, having started selling ‘medicine’ in 1422. Whether you see things such as novacaine and arsenic as treating or exacerbating an ailment is up to you.

It actually was on its third owner by 1422,
so must have been open before that

It made me thankful for advances in modern medicine

Near that pharmacy are some narrow alleys that again evoke images of a medieval era. St Catherine’s Passage is a great example of this. The monk statues found elsewhere in the city, in the Danish King’s Garden, could also bring that feeling. There is a ghost story connected with them - if you’ve read the previous blogs, you’ll know that Baltic countries love a legend or ghost story. 

This area was in a state of disrepair until independence in 1991

Murdered monk?

Another medieval story passed down through time is linked to two passageways, which are dubbed ‘Long Leg’ and ‘Short Leg’. The gates within separated the upper town (aristocrats) and lower town (the rest). Love story between a man from high and a woman from low, man being told not to marry by family, woman gets sad and cries at the sea - usual stuff. Less usual is that the woman was referred to as Fat Margaret, and has a tower named after her.

The gate in question is now a popular photo spot

Tallinn: city of love?

There are also tales about a water well (in which locals sacrificed animals such as sheep and cats to ward off evil spirits - good thing they were drinking beer rather than water) and a nearby building which now has an artificial window. Once upon a time, the owner of this house was short of money, so rented a room to a stranger with a black cloak. During the night, he peeked through the keyhole as there was a lot of commotion. What he saw was a wedding…with the groom having devil horns…

Tallinn's Cat's Well

The artificial window is in the top left of this picture

All of these strange and spooky stories took place within the walls of the city, which were recognised as one of the strongest defensive structures in Europe in the Middle Ages. Towers rising even higher from it, such as the Hellemann Tower, would have been very imposing for any visitor or prospective invader.

Long Leg street - not the high walls either side 

There are 26 defensive towers in total

Tallinn is much more welcoming now. It has redefined itself as a tech hub - Skype and Bolt were created here. Based on the amount of support for Norway at a large screening of their World Cup match with England, it seems that Estonians are getting on well with all but one of their neighbours. Not that anyone seemed anti-English - it was a very friendly atmosphere.

Modern buildings like this are numerous outside the centre

At one point a man tried to initiate the 'Norway Row' by banging on
the metal fence. He banged with a glass bottle. The row didn't last long...

It also has lovely areas outside of the Old Town, particularly to the east. It was in this area that I was able to run right in from of the Estonian President’s residence, find a beautiful palace called Kadriorg complete with stunning garden, stop at a house belonging to Peter the Great, circle possibly one of the world’s smaller Japanese gardens, find a monument to a sunken Russian warship, and the beach. As it was a sunny afternoon, this green and fresh area of town was pretty popular. 

Kadriorg Palace was commissioned by Peter the Great for his wife  

Not much Japanese about this garden, I feel...

The "Russalka" memorial for the eponymous ship that sank in 1893

I enjoyed my time in Tallinn, and it is different to the other cities that I have visited on this trip. Maybe it’s the Baltic Sea air, maybe it’s the focus on all things medieval rather than 20th century brutality and repression. Maybe it’s writing this after returning to my hotel at almost 3am with the city never having truly gotten dark…

Standing in the Baltic! Well, kind of...

Tallinn: touristy but cute

Kadriorg Palace gardens

View of Old Town from the Town Hall tower

Love you all,

Matt

Latvia - Latvia’s Legends

July 7, 9

Hello everyone!

Over 50% of Latvia is forest, and contains some beautiful places outside of its lovely capital, Riga. This will show two places I visited: Rundale Palace and Gauja National Park.

Peeking out at Turaida Castle from its tower

Wild eyes - arguably added by a person who wasn't using theirs -
on this animal head. The antlers are real, the head is not.

One of these is a summer palace in the small village of Rundale. It was purposely built far away from any settlement, not that it needed to be close to anything. It is that grand.

They actually had an even bigger residence in a place called Jelgava

The Meeting Room - the Duke would sit at one end

The palace, a short distance north of the border with Lithuania, belonged to the Duke of Courland, which is a historical Latvian land in the west of the modern-day country. 

Ernst Johann von Biron: the Duke of Courland

French Gardens at Rundale Palace

We were shown around the palace by a funny and withering guide, who talked us through the history and different rooms of the palace. It was owned initially by a duke called Ersnest Johann von Biron. The palace was completed in 1740; von Biron was only able to enjoy it for a matter of months before being captured and exiled to Siberia.

That bit in the corner was the fireplace

Lavish paintings adorn many ceilings

Decades later, in 1762, the Russian leader Catherine the Great reinstated von Biron as duke, so returned to Rundale. He and his family then got to use the vast grounds, including the French Gardens, until full Russian annexation of the region in 1795. It has since been used as a primary school, grain storage facility (hello USSR) and movie and TV set.

Portraits of key figures connected to the palace

Fascinating chess set in the games room

Another place that could be used for movie sets is Gauja National Park, an area found about 80 km east of Latvia’s capital. The term ‘national park’ is a bit of a misnomer, there are many villages within the confines of the borders.

Pond in Turaida Museum Reserve

Building in Turaida Museum Reserve

Parts of the park help you peek into Latvia’s medieval past, when it was part of an area called Livonia. This covered much of modern-day Latvia and Estonia. It has existed in many forms and under many names, but seems to have been at its peak in the fourteenth century. Middle Ages, we’d probably say.

Old jewellery - there's a tiny knife in each necklace

Different ways of getting around - there is a sledge at the back

You get a vibe for this in an area called Turaida. Its open air museum contains a blacksmiths, a stable house and a sauna, amongst other buildings that would have been used in the region at that time and a little bit beyond. 

Pond in Turaida Museum Reserve

Sauna - we are getting closer to Scandinavia...

Turaida was also home to a castle. Whilst some of it has been left as a ruin, other elements have been reconstructed. One part that didn’t need much mortar or brick was the tower, which stands almost 40 metres high.

I was told that 88% of the tower is original, which seems a very specific number

Inside the tower, before you get to the top

The 360 degree view from the top of the tower is stunning. Swathes of virgin pine forest separated by the meandering Gauja river.

First records of a castle being here are from 1214

Don't lean out too far!

A more complete castle can be found at Sigulda. Called Sigulda New Castle, it was built in the 1870s, and is actually much more manor house than defensive structure. There is a Russian connection, as Latvia was controlled by the Russian Empire at this time. I was more interested in the black rye bread ice cream that I got. Texture was a bit strange but it tasted surprisingly nice.

The internet tells me this is 'neo-gothic'

It was built in 1878

Not very black...the apple and cinnamon was delicious!

A short drive from these castles takes you to Gutman’s Cave, which is a small cave containing many engravings. The story behind this is that an infant was found during a war with Sweden. The infant, called Majia, grew up and fell in love with a gardener. They would meet at the cave. A Polish man got jealous and impersonated the gardener, met Majia, and tried to capture her. Majia gave him a scarf that she said made its wearer invulnerable. The Polish man tried it on her…killing her. A love story as old as time...

The widest and highest cave in the Baltics

Engravings - particularly hearts - are found around the cave

Away from legend and accidental murder, Latvia is generally quite a flat country. It was thus surprising to be told that skiing is quite popular here, and can be done in the park. Almost as surprising was seeing a bobsled track. It is said to be one of the fastest in the world, and you can organise going down with a Latvian Olympian. Next time!

Part of that forested area

The track can reach speeds of 125 km/h

Other areas of Gauja are more restrictive...

I think ‘next time’ sums up how I felt about going to Gauja National Park. I‘d have loved to have more time to actually hike or bike, to see its feted cliffs, and to truly get into nature. The reality of the tour I’m on is that there isn’t time for that. At the same time, I’d never have chosen to go to Rundale Palace, and that turned out to be interesting, so I’ll take what I get given!

Water lilies at Turaida

Different stuccos of cherubs denote different seasons in Rundale Palace

As mentioned in the previous post, I found Riga to be a charming and quite a green city. However, it’s always nice to get out of a capital to see other parts of a country. Even if the legends associated with those places are a bit random!

Rundale Palace

Turaida Castle

Love you all,

Matt