Yesterday was bound to be a bit stressful. There were several things I was determined to figure out how to do, 1) ride a trolley into the city centre, 2) figure out what and where to eat, 3) find a grocery store because this eating out business is costing me a lot, and 4) not freezing to death.
So, first mission: riding the trolley. Trolley stop is almost directly outside my front door so that's easy enough, however, I need trolley tickets or exact Estonian change, neither of which I possess. The girl at the front desk was kind enough to give me 12 Estonian crowns on loan and then told me where to get off of the trolley and exchange my money. As I walked outside, the trolley arrived right on time (hey, Halifax Metro Transit, eat my dust). Trolleys look like buses but with several opening doors and large antennae on top of them as they are connected to electrical cables strung throughout Tallinn. They also have their own lanes!
I get on the trolley near the drivers door where I was told there would be a box for me to place my money, but, wait! Panic! I don't see a box! Trolley pulls away, I sit down and am now illegally riding the trolley. The next twenty minutes were an agony of waiting for someone to find out I didn't have a ticket and subsequently fining me. That didn't happen. I exited the trolley at the Kaubamaja stop and no harm, no foul. Phew.
Now, I'm standing in the middle of the city centre and it's -20 degrees centigrade. I don't know where I am. In my kerfuffle I forget where the exchange bureau is and just start walking in any direction that seems like it might lead indoors. I get hopelessly lost. I find sushi restaurant and a person in the sushi restaurant points me in the right direction. I walk until I find a giant mall called "Viru Keskus" whose sale ads incidentally are of a girl with a leather strap in her mouth with text that says "Sale Slave." Wow. I find an exchange bureau, and exchange my cash. Woo! Now, we're getting somewhere!
My next project is to figure out where to eat. I haven't consumed anything in 24 hours. In the mall I find an American looking restaurant somewhat akin to say, Jungle Jims. I order chicken fingers and fries, my trusted standby when I don't know what to order and wait impatiently for my meal. When it arrives, the fries and chicken are served with blue cheese sauce and roasted pepper mayo and a side of melon. How odd. I scarf down my meal, and leave the mall heading for Old Town, or, "Vanalinn".
For the first time since my arrival I am truly excited. This is what the pictures looked like online and despite that being fairly trivial, the fact I can recognize something and that it seems familiar is really wonderful. I've been walking for a while and my nose hairs have frost on them so I stop and buy some postcards before having a look around. I wander about in no particular direction, safe in the knowledge that Old Town is small and the chances of getting lost in it are slim. I find Town Square and St. Nicholas' Church, which is now a museum and decide to go in for a peek. Built in the 13thC, the church is a beautiful example of local architecture. It was constructed before the town wall fortifications and was therefore once used for defensive purposes as well. The art in here is fabulous but I can't take pictures so I'll need to commit this to memory and maybe purchase a card on the way out. The church is nice, but small, and I'm done after a short time. It doesn't help that one of the employees who can't speak English keeps following me around. On my way out, the ticket sales person helps me find where I want to go next and suggests for me to come back at 4pm to hear an organ concert. No need to ask twice, I'll definitely be back.
I find my next destination very easily. It's a part of Old Town called "Toopea" and is the oldest part of the city. Here I find plenty of tourists and plenty of photo opportunities. Home to the Alexander Nevzky Cathedral and Kiek in de Kok (an old 13C bastion) it is what I've looked up online and am now seeing in person. I get a bit too excited and start a half run towards the Cathedral sliding mostly the entire way. I rush through this part of town, knowing I'll be back to see it all again until I find the most magnificent look-off. From my perch I can see all of Old Town below and all the way to the harbour. In fact, I can see the cruise ship I came in on the day before. I take lots of photos (some complete with a view of my mitten) and make my way back to the Church.
Recognizing me from before, the ladies at the desk wave me inside and I find a quiet corner to sit in. An usher gives me a program and I wait for the organ to start. For a half an hour or so the Church is lifted up by some of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. I feel small, alone but quite serene for the duration of the concert. The music is moving enough to bring a tear to your eye and the 13C acoustics are unbelievable. This is something to savour for the rest of my journey. I am so pleased at having stumbled across this little gem. There are very few people in attendance and it's just nice to be able to sit and listen for a while.
Not long after the end of the concert my follower friend returned and so I made a quick escape to a coffee shop for some dinner. The cream of pumpkin soup is lovely, the coffee is American and the cake is delicious. On my way out of Old Town I stop at one of its many amber shops to view their selection. I choose one of the smallest pendants and a silver chain on which to hang it and carefully ferret my treasure out of Old Town. It's my first real souvenir of this whole adventure and I'm very proud of it. I need to be careful not to lose it.
Next stop, grocery shopping.
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