Pirita Beach, Tallinn, Estonia

Another part of Tallinn that I wanted to visit was the Pirita beach and the old Olympic village. We took a bus out to the east of Tallinn, where we wandered through a beautiful pine forest, before emerging onto an empty beach. In the distance stood a desolute looking, white soviet building, which formed part of the 1980 Olympic village. The whole area was incredibly quiet and peaceful.



There are many cycling and walking trails nearby, so we followed a path through woodland for a few miles. We were considering walking to the TV Tower, but it is a long walk from the main road (many miles), so we turned back and returned to Tallinn.

I wanted to see some of the new town, so we wandered through the modern city, with it's glass fronted department stores and high rise buildings. It felt like consumerism is really alive here. I missed the character of the old town and felt glad that we weren't staying here, as it would give such a different impression of Tallinn. Visually, it was an interesting place to be, with old soviet buildings in between ultra modern department stores.



In the morning, a medieval fair was being set up in the main square, and upon our return it was in full swing with stalls selling bags of spiced nuts and interesting crafts, such as pointy felt hats and traditional clothes. We found out that at the weekend, there would be many more stalls all over Tallinn, as part of a Medieval Festival and we had just caught the edge of it.



We had been admiring the menu of the Olde Hansa all week and decided that since it was our last night in Tallinn, we should go. So in the evening we headed to the old town hall, with its atmospheric lanterns at the entrance. It was a grand affair and we were greeted by the lady of the house wearing traditional costume, who led us into a magnificent banquetting hall with flickering candles and string musicians. The food was wonderful, with an incredible selection of hearty feasts from the middle ages, from wild bore to quail eggs and everything in between. The evening contained many surprises, including jesters and viking ships covered in sparklers. We both enjoyed our meals. I chose a meat dish accompanied with berries and a 'bean bag'. The waitors played the perfect hosts, as everything arrived with compliments and best wishes from the chef. The atmosphere was great too, with large parties of diners celebrating, it was easy to have a good time.