It is my last night in Tallin and I will be sad to say goodbye to this lovely, laid-back and funky town. I say town tho it is a city and out of the 1 million people in Estonia half live here in Tallin.
It has little or no trace of its Russian occupation except some pretty ugly structures mainly defensive but grey concrete reflecting the austere and realist approach dating to the Stalin era. About a quarter of Estonians are Russian and they seem to me distinctly Russian. I coin the phrase - as rude as a Russian..haha. Estonians are not friendly but not distant and rude either - I would say they are much like Canadians - friendly when approached and helpful.
Here in the old city it is a preserved and beautiful part of Tallin and lived in rather than just looked at. It houses many tourist shops and restaurants and of course there is the usual town square surrounded by the most expensive restaurants but really not so much compared to many other cities.
Not far away there is a beach - No 1A bus to Pirita and also parks and lots of trees and green space. There is a multitude of conifers everywhere and the wonderful weather brings out the people with their kids and dogs and they seem to be a relaxed bunch, quiet and interested in enjoying themselves.
The hostel is just ok - glad t0 have a little room but the facilities are poor and there is little or no interaction among guests. Staff are friendly and helpful and I just keep thinking the place could be so much better. Still - it is in a great part of Old Tallin and there has been a music festival all week just around the corner.
I really like it here and I think it would be fun to rent a car and drive around the country and see what is outside of here...more conifers I expect.
Did I mention my fave coffee place....mmmmm-off to Riga tomorrow...hope it is half as good as Tallin.
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