"Tallinn - Step in and Smile!" a Tallinn Travel Page by mightywease

Walking around the quiet streets of Toompea in companionable silence with the soft crunch of snow compacting underfoot seemed somehow an apt image to sum up my experience of Tallinn.

This is not a costermonger of a city, brashly shouting its wears to passers by, urging them to roll up, roll up. Rather it quietly sets its stall out, reserved yet confidant that its attractions will simply speak for themselves.

And so they do! Tallinn has an awful lot to offer a visitor. A depth of history and culture, a medieval Old Town which has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, excellent restaurants providing local and international cuisine plus a vibrant nightlife of bars and clubs.

I got the feeling that this was a city secure and proud of its identity. An identity that, over the years, has been challenged has been fought over but which has never been lost and, strengthened by such experience, is now flourishing.

Tallinn doesn't need to shout from the rooftops or bombard you with flashy ads , just quietly smile, step back and allow you to walk in and see for yourself. Confident that you won't be disappointed!

Our second visit to Tallinn was in July 2007 and it was very interesting to see how the complexion of the city had changed compared with our previous visit in March 2006.

In March the city was carpeted by snow and walking on the slippery cobbles could be treacherous – as were the icicles hanging from the eaves of houses which on occasion would fall and splinter onto the roped off pavements. An air of stillness hung over the city, it was beautifully quiet and there were times when we felt, especially walking round an almost deserted Toompea, like we were trespassing in someone’s private estate. It was also exceedingly cold, walking down towards Fat Margaret’s Tower one day I was possibly the coldest I have ever been

The cold, covering of snow and shorter days – sunrise at approx. 6.30 and sunset around 12 hours later – meant that we didn’t venture too far from the city centre, though we did make it to the museums in Kadriorg Park and made boot prints in the virgin snow. We felt cocooned in the quietness of the city, the warm bars, cosy restaurants and the muffled character of the streets.

In July the main town square and many side streets had sprouted outdoor tables and progress was slowed not by slippery cobbles but by the number of people and the pleasure of ambling along bustling streets on a warm day. There was a vibrancy about the city – not that it was at all dull before, far from it – but there seemed a celebratory atmosphere, embodied by the various wedding parties we witnessed.

Summer also gave us the opportunity to explore more sights such as the interior of The Town Hall and the tiring but rewarding walk up St. Olav’s Church Tower, both of which had been closed on our previous visit. And despite being busy it was still possible to find quiet corners, walking close to the Dome Church in Toompea it was as quiet as it had been in March and the Open Air Museum at Rocca al Mare soon swallowed us and other visitors in the tranquillity of its shaded woodland walks. Sitting on a wooden swing near the sea we pondered how the landscape of the museum would have looked in the snow much as in our winter trip we had wondered what the city would look like in the summer sunshine.

The sun – and an accompaniment of seagulls – woke us early while later, strolling through a dusk lit Raekoja plats and watching the fire jugglers, it seemed closer to 7.00 pm than the 10.45 pm it actually was so we stayed out late and enjoyed the extra time the daylight hours deemed us.

There were certainly a lot of differences between our fire and ice visits to Tallinn but one thing remained constant, the beauty and attractiveness of the city and the enjoyment we had for from being there. In whatever season, I doubt that will change.