Day 29 - The Tightrope Walker of Tallinn

Thankfully the weather was a bit better today so I had a day of sightseeing planned. Obviously such sightseeing requires a good breakfast first, so I went all-out at the restaurant next door to the CityBox. It may have been an error trying to drink that entire pot of tea though…

With my campaign planned on the map above, I first went to the Viru Gate to the Old Town, and wandered back to the Town Hall Square, via a few geocaches and AdLabs of course!

As I was walking, everyone started to look up, and it became apparent that there was a tightrope walker going between two of the churches. I am pleased to report that he made it safely.

My main ‘target’ for today was the Kiek in de Kok fortifications museum (yes, teehee, it is hard to take seriously with that name…). There was so much to see here - not only an opportunity to walk along the city walls, but also interesting exhibits on medieval weaponry and the role of the defences throughout history (amongst other exhibitions - including, weirdly, an exhibition on cafes in Tallinn) and a trip down into the (slightly creepy) underground bastion passages.

I learnt lots here, not least that I am such a weakling that I could barely even lift chainmail!

I surfaced from the tunnels in Freedom Square. Obviously, there was a basketball and beach volleyball tournament going on here. Do not ask me what tournament, who was playing, or why.

There was a geocache hidden near here and as I searched, a group of Latvian geocachers also joined me. It turns out that geocaching is an excellent way to meet people.

After so much excitement, it was time for dunch and a very yummy spag bol. This provided me with the fuel I needed to climb up to a couple of the city’s viewing platforms and to enjoy the stunning rooftop views.

I then spent quite a lot of time at the train station, trying to find something that looked like a ticket office to help with the seat reservation for my train on Monday. Let’s just say that it was not obvious, and I was relieved that ChatGPT has a good knowledge of the layout of Tallinn station! What was even more annoying was that it turns out that the Interrail app was wrong and I don’t even need the seat reservation.

Anyway, one good thing about going to the station was that I discovered an incredible market next door. It was HUGE and a lot of fun to look around.

By this point, both my phone and my feet were running out of energy, so I decided to head back to my CityBox. I had contemplated going to see Flora FC, Tallinn’s premier football team, play this evening, but could not really muster the energy. Plus, the heavens have opened once more, so it seems like a good evening for admin and laundry… and maybe watching a bit of the opening weekend of the Premier League.

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