Adventures in Estonia

The weekend before Christmas we jumped on a 3 hour flight to Tallinn, Estonia to explore another new city and to experience a Christmas market in Europe. We had hoped for a winter wonderland but sadly, we did not see one.   single.   flake.

 

There is an incredible medieval feel to the Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn especially since the origins of the city date back to the 13th century. Tallinn is considered to be of outstanding international importance according to UNESCO therefore making it one of its world heritage sites. The Old Town is absolutely beautiful and feels as if you are in the midst of a fairy tale while wandering through the cobble stone streets dotted with colorful architecture.

One of the many beautiful buildings that make up Old Town Tallinn is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at the top of the hill of Toompea overlooking the city. Going into of the cathedral is also not to miss as it is very impressive inside.

The Old Town of Tallinn was not crowded and did not leave you with that touristy feel even for a moment. Just how we like it.

 

 

We already have pretty short days here in London this time of year but traveling north gave us a taste of what it's like living in a city with even fewer daylight hours. The days were so short (sunrise: 9:18, sunset 3:30) and even the mornings felt like the afternoon as the sun never got too far into the sky.

Colorful walls throughout the city made for fun photo opportunities when M wasn't being carried on Davis' back in the Ergo.

The food in Tallinn was delicious! When we travel we always try to eat at some of the best restaurants the city has to offer. Since we are not dining late with our toddler in tow, we now make lunch the meal of the day.

These elk dishes were our best meal in Tallinn at Rataskaevu 16.

The Christmas market was a lot smaller than we had expected but it was nice to not be overwhelmed with crowds of tourists. Merchants were selling everything from food to sweets, to things to keep you warm and cozy to things to decorate your home for the holidays. The gingerbread was our favorite and we also bought a few Christmas tree ornaments since we always bring one home from every trip we take.

 

 

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We rented this apartment through airbnb which is really the only way to go when traveling as a family. We're always keen on renting a place to stay that is centrally located so we don't have to commute into the area we are wanting to explore.

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We had some incredible meals at the following restaurants:

F-hoone 

Frank Bistro

Rataskaevu 16

Sfaar

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Be sure to wander through the streets looking at the different artisan shops in Tallinn. One that we found particularly lovely was Hindricus Anno 1393 as the shop owner told us all about the handicrafts and the artists that made the items she sold. 

While we were in Estonia for only a few days, we took a day trip to Helsinki, Finland as well so I will be back to share that adventure crossing the Gulf of Finland soon!