A City Imbued with Stories: Day 2

Time visited: September 2022

Time spent: Three nights

Day 2

The reason why quite a bit of the groceries we'd bought from the supermarket remained unused was Cafe Maiasmokk, Opened in 1864, the oldest cafe in Tallinn happened to be only a couple of hundred metres from our Airbnb and the most perfect spot to start our second day. We couldn't get enough of their hot chocolate, cakes and pastries!

But the cafe is also, perhaps more, famous for its marzipan room! Richard Ayoade painted his very own marzipan figurine in that room, and we had to have the same experience! Upon enquiring, we were booked into a workshop for the following afternoon. We couldn't take our eyes off the painted marzipan figurines on display!

We had booked a walking tour for 11:00, so there was still plenty of time to continue exploring the Old Town. We started at the Church of the Holy Spirit. It was a plain white building on the outside with an ornate clock on its facade and a beautiful wooden door.

The inside was anything but plain! Yes, the walls were still white, but the intricate carvings on the pulpit, the gleaming gold of the altar, and the sun filtering through the painted glass windows created unforgettable magic. And then the organ started playing! We had goosebumps!

We wondered why there was a Danish flag in an Estonian church! Well, on 15 June 1219, when the Danish were losing the battle with the Estonians, this flag fell from the sky and gave the Danes a vital boost of confidence, which helped them win the battle!

The original flag (!) is in the City Museum and this replica was given by the Danish people as a sign of friendship between Denmark and Estonia.

From the church, we went to St Catherine's Passage, an iconic alleyway in the Old Town. Believed to have been built over 700 years ago and last renovated in 1995, this alley feels medieval. It must look magical in winter, when the arches are covered in snow and the fairy lights twinkle around them! There are restored and preserved tombstones of notable members of society on display along the wall.

It was almost 10:30, so we headed to the meeting point for our Tallinn in a Nutshell Walking Tour, Our tour guide was Dominic. It was during this tour that we felt the city was truly built on stories - there was mystery, mayhem, and magic. Despite centuries of occupation - by Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Russia - the spirit of the country prevailed and it finally became independent in 1991. As we walked through historical Harju Street, we read about the Soviet bombing of 1944, which saw over 5,000 buildings destroyed and over 800 civilians, soldiers and prisoners of war killed, We also spotted the marks on the footpath where the rectangular Harju Gates used to be. It was here that Dominic told us about the strong bond between Finland and Estonia. The reason why the rest of the Old Town of Tallinn survived was because Finnish bombers followed the Soviet aircrafts and bombed their bases! And then the two countries independently chose the same melody for their national anthems!

We climbed the stairs past the War of Independence Victory Column and the flag of Tallinn flying high by its side. Dominic pointed out the recurring motif of the three blue lions, which are from the National Coat of Arms of Denmark. Given to Tallinn by the Danish King in the 13th century, when Denmark ruled Northern Estonia, the lions were accepted by the Estonian government much later as Tallinn's Coat of Arms. The lions also feature on Toompea Castle, which is the Estonian Parliament Building.

We arrived at the Danish King's Garden. This is where the Danish flag fell from the sky and the legend of the Danish Dannebrog, one of the oldest national flags in the world, was born. The view from the terrace was magnificent, but there were three ominous statues of a 'dodgy' monk whose ghost can still be seen in the complex! The 'monk', who had been an executioner's apprentice, was training to become a monk, but he couldn't leave his old ways behind and was killed before attaining monkhood. He appears on the wall a lot, apparently! I wouldn't visit there after the sun goes down!

From there, we went around St Mary's Church, which presented another goosebump-worthy moment! The first photo of the church below is from Google Images. As you can see, the copper spire has blackened. The second image is of the same spire during our visit. Dominic told us that the church had finally managed to raise enough funds to clean the spire and this was the first time since medieval times that the original colour of the copper was visible.

Our walking tour finished at Town Hall Square. Dominic pointed at the weather vane on the spire of the Town Hall - it was Old Thomas, keeping a watchful eye on Tallinn. The story of Old Thomas is a heartwarming one. Tallinn's wealthy had organised a crossbow firing competition for the high-born. Being a peasant, Thomas wasn't allowed to compete, but when he had the chance, he bolted to the crossbow, picked it up, fired it and hit the target before anyone could stop him! Thomas was the winner, but since the prize (whatever it was) couldn't be given to a low-born, Thomas was rewarded with a job for life - he was made the town's guard! He did a pretty good job as Town Guard and was immortalised as a weather vane high above Tallinn so that he could keep guarding the town from his vantage point!

We bade Dominic goodbye and headed to Raeapteek - the Town Hall Pharmacy, which has been operating since 1422! Bottles of coloured liquid on the window were used in medieval times to identify an apothecary shop. The colours were chosen based on the Hippocratic theory of bodily humours. The red and blue used at Raeapteek were symbols of blood (warm) and phlegm (cold).

We knew there would be a collection of unusual remedies; but we weren't prepared for powdered unicorn horn, and dried toads, nor were we prepared to see parched bees, sun-bleached dog faeces, scorched hedgehog and dried deer penis! Yes, those were some of the medieval remedies! The only remedy that made sense to us was Panis Martius, which is marzipan, believed to cure the ache of love,

One more place and we'd call it a day (or would we?)! Next, St Olaf's Church. We walked through the ornate door and headed to the tower. The climb, which cost €5, was probably our hardest thus far! The winding stone steps were VERY narrow and uneven and used by both ascenders and descenders! When we were going up, a dad was coming down with his toddler on his shoulders!

Then came our much-awaited dinner at Olde Hansa, a medieval restaurant that is highly recommended by every tourist! When we travel, we prepare most of our meals at 'home' mainly because it's economical but also because then we can afford to spend a bit more for a meal experience like the one we had at Olde Hansa. Our booking was for 6:00 pm, so instead of eating in candlelight, we ate in natural daylight, thanks to European summer!

Rakesh stuck to tap water, while I had Vana (Old) Tallinn Cream, which tasted like Baileys Irish Cream, and ShNaajh lingonberry juice. For our medieval meal, ShNaajh chose Honorable Cook Frederick's Game Sausages of Bear, Wild Boar and Elk, Rakesh Neptune's Divine Fish Platter, and I Earl's Forest Mushroom Soup. The utensils were medieval and very cool, especially the ones for the soup and berries.

Before ordering dessert, we asked the staff if we could move to a darker area where candles would be the only source of light! We were advised to climb to the top floor and sit at a table of our choice. The top floor was pretty empty, so finding a table with a satisfactory level of darkness wasn't difficult at all! The ambiance was enriched further by medieval tavern music. And then we had dessert: Apple and Honey under a Crispy Coat with sweet almond milk and Velvety Delight of the Nobility Rose Pudding. I even ate the rose petals!

We went for a stroll after the meal. The Town Hall gleamed, as did the square opposite the Victory Column. Our second day in Tallinn ended on a high.