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| Tallinn's Old Town is one of the best preserved of any city in the world. Tourism opens up there this week. |
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| A stunning 19th Century Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, stands as a proud beacon to the Russian Orthodox religion in Tallin, Estonia, with travel returning. |
GET OUT THE BROCHURES, START PLANNING A TRIP AS THE COVID FOG BEGINS TO LIFT
Editor's Note: On June 1, travel restrictions resulting from Covid19 were eased and travel opened up with caution and new rules in many countries, including the Baltic Republics. We bring our story and photos, taken on our most recent international trip before the world of travel changed. We highly recommend Estonia.
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
STROLLING FROM the ship in Tallinn, Estonia's modern harbor is a trip back in time, from contemporary 21st Century architecture, to centuries old churches, squares and monuments.
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| Arriving by ship, one walks past a modern harbor into the Old Town. |
One enjoys the 20-minute walk to the picturesque Old Town, past modern sculpture and hundreds of welcoming marigolds. Slowly, the pavement shifts to cobblestone and the time travel begins. One is greeted by lively cafes, bustling shops and kiosks with eye-catching folk art. Embroidery, lace-making, woodwork and knitwear are proudly displayed, all practiced for generations by the people. The blue cornflower, "rukkilill," is the national flower and you'll see it in beautiful scarves, tablecloths and wall hangings.
IF YOU FANCY a bite or a drink, you'll find tasty beer and vodka, rye bread, potato rolls and ham sandwiches. Estonia is firmly part of Europe's "pork belt" and is also famous for its candy, with many flavors including liquor laced delicacies.
We'd arrived in Estonia’s capital on a 16-day cruise to ports on the beautiful Baltic Sea.
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| The Old Town of Tallinn is one of the world's best preserved medieval cities, clean and bright. |
We'd arrived in Estonia’s capital on a 16-day cruise to ports on the beautiful Baltic Sea.
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| Tallinn is a blend of old and new, with many influences from its time as part of the Russian Empire. |
We were excited to visit Estonia because it has so recently emerged from Soviet control, and we had long anticipated photographing this Unesco World Heritage site.
THE HISTORIC old town of Tallinn is known for its wonderfully preserved medieval architecture and its part in the "Struve Geodetic Arc," which Estonia shares with nine other countries: Belarus, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Moldova, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine.
Its charming walled Old Town is also home to a 15th-century defensive tower, a Gothic Town Hall and impressive places of worship which withstood Communist control.
St. Nicholas Church is a 13th-century landmark exhibiting ecclesiastical art. The newer Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its obvious Russian influence reminds of the time Estonia was part of the Russian Empire then controlled by the Communist Party which had quite a run, from 1940 to 1990. While blockish apartments and offices are a result of that 50-year period, the grand 1894 Nevsky Cathedral reflects the ornate Russian Revival style one sees in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This stately cathedral is Tallinn's largest orthodox cupola cathedral, dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky who in 1242 won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, in the territorial waters of present-day Estonia.
ONLY 43 MILES south of Helsinki, Estonia has long been a destination for Finns in search of a bargain, but our guide said she and other Estonians now find many goods cheaper to acquire in Helsinki than in Tallinn.
While convents, museums, theaters, parks and a bustling market are part of Tallinn's charms, this musician's favorite spot is the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, on which a giant choral festival is staged every five years.
A huge bronze monument to Estonia's beloved composer and choral director Gustav Ernesaks is a highlight of the huge park. Ernesaks lived from 1908 to 1993 and played an integral role in the country's famous non-violent "Singing Revolution" which led to Estonian independence in 1991.
He also helped engineer the Estonian Song Festival and helped establish the country's world renowned vocal tradition.
The Festival Grounds is a beautifully located outdoor venue, resting on a gentle hill near the sea offering lovely breezes and gorgeous views.
The enterprise has hosted a mix of global stars, ranging from Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones, to Elton John, Snoop Dogg and Metallica. The Michael Jackson concert there in 1997 broke records with 200,000 star-struck spectators.
Choral singers the world over praise the acoustics of the space which resounds with the sounds of Ernesaks' Song Festival which attracts thousands of singers.
ESTONIANS LOVE music, and host dozens of world class festivals for the organ, female vocal groups opera, ballet, theater and even Oriental dance. We were thrilled to find a young student playing Estonia's oldest string instrument, the kannel. It's plucked and played with a bow, and has the sound of a zither.
visitestonia.com/en/
Check individual cruise lines and get on their mailing lists if you want to cruise the Baltic. Many cruises are resuming in July-August. Risk is still a consideration with no vaccine yet. Many changes are in store.
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| Bruce Keller poses near an Estonian knight's armor. |
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| A grand bronze of Estonia's most famous musician, Gustav Ernesaks, attracted Cookie, also a musician. Ernesaks is revered by his countrymen. |
ONLY 43 MILES south of Helsinki, Estonia has long been a destination for Finns in search of a bargain, but our guide said she and other Estonians now find many goods cheaper to acquire in Helsinki than in Tallinn.
While convents, museums, theaters, parks and a bustling market are part of Tallinn's charms, this musician's favorite spot is the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, on which a giant choral festival is staged every five years.
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| Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers in Tallin. |
He also helped engineer the Estonian Song Festival and helped establish the country's world renowned vocal tradition.
The Festival Grounds is a beautifully located outdoor venue, resting on a gentle hill near the sea offering lovely breezes and gorgeous views.
The enterprise has hosted a mix of global stars, ranging from Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones, to Elton John, Snoop Dogg and Metallica. The Michael Jackson concert there in 1997 broke records with 200,000 star-struck spectators.
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| Beautiful sounds come from this Tallinn busker, playing his kannel for euros. |
ESTONIANS LOVE music, and host dozens of world class festivals for the organ, female vocal groups opera, ballet, theater and even Oriental dance. We were thrilled to find a young student playing Estonia's oldest string instrument, the kannel. It's plucked and played with a bow, and has the sound of a zither.
visitestonia.com/en/
Check individual cruise lines and get on their mailing lists if you want to cruise the Baltic. Many cruises are resuming in July-August. Risk is still a consideration with no vaccine yet. Many changes are in store.
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| St. Petersburg is up next, a must for arts loving travelers. |
Exciting news and good advice to check individual cruise lines, which differ widely as to when they're resuming. One of iur regular lines said July!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful. We jave been waiting for any cruise line to resume operations. European ones are back in business. Our U.S. based ones are exercising more caution.
ReplyDeleteFine reporting on the highlights of a peaceful, artistic country. We enjoyed our visit, too, and hope to return.
ReplyDeleteWe are chomping at the bit to return to northern Europe. Your Baltic cruise sounds like the ticket. Waiting to see what the cruise lines offer.
ReplyDeleteWatching the cruise lines, rrqdy to set sail again. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteBeen planning for a trip to Estonia for years. You have reignited the fires!
ReplyDelete