Journey to Tallinn, 08/04/2009

In the Baltic countries it is common to travel very comfortably by bus. Through the endless vastness along the Baltic Sea we travel past birch and pine forests, past wooden houses, stork nests and colorful roofs and finally reach Tallinn. There are many new buildings in the suburban areas, then a good mix of new and old. We get our first impression of the country during a conversation with our taxi driver Olev. He asks us about music and proudly talks about the contemporary Estonian composers like Arvo Pärt. In one breath he talks about the opera house in Tallinn, the excellent university in Tartu and its international reputation, Tallinn’s old city center, which is a cultural heritage and 2011, when Tallinn will be the European Cultural Capital along with Turku. He talks about the economic crisis, which hits the Baltic States very hard. According to him Estonia will be better off than the others because of the small reliance on foreign capital.
Our first evening walk takes us through the medieval ambience of the old town. We see local costumes and customs.
The next morning we write our travel diary, work on the photos for the website and then visit the KUMU – the most important art museum of Estonia, built by the Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuori.
This museum is known as a unique temple for culture, where exhibitions span over 5 floors.

Photos of Tallinn
Photos of Tallinn – Part 2