28 October to 2 November 2023

We boarded a Viking Ferry for the 2.5 hour trip to Tallinn in Estonia from Helsinki. Once we had settled into our hotel we tracked down tourist information to plan out our next couple of days.

Our first booking was for a free walking tour. This was a top notch free walking tour. The guide Dominic was full of knowledge and stories and the old town is really stunning and extensive. From the entire history of Estonia, to its religion, stories related to all of its major buildings and historic events to quirky stories about its flag, national anthem and even an atheist that convinced a church to bury him at a doorway so people have to walk over him all the time and the executioner that became a monk but kept up the trade on the side. Super entertaining and lots of great spots and views. After dinner we had a wander on our own through old town to see if anything was happening, unfortunately it was a bit quiet but the buildings look great at night.

After a successful day exploring old town we took a guided day trip out to Laheema National Park (Spanish guide Jorge). We first went to Jagala Waterfall. This was a really wide crescent shaped waterfall but not very high. Water was low so was only running over about a third of it and the water had a yellow green colour due to the foliage in the water.

After the waterfall we went to Viru Bog. Quite interesting, as the further you get into the bog the smaller the trees are due to the acidity of the water. These are water reservoirs and as such their were icy pools of water everywhere interspersed with all of the flora and moss and small trees. You walk over it on a wood footpath which takes you to a tower viewpoint. We then went on further on a much narrower path, barely a person wide, while the guide went and got the car to meet us on the other side.

We then had lunch at a bistro, but not before having a swing in a village swing (Kiik). These are large swings made for multiple adults and they even have a sport based on it where the swingers have to make it go all around called Kiiking. After a really cheap lunch we went on to see some Mansions, originally owned by Germans when they ruled Estonia and then on to an old fishing village.

Next day was wet so we started out around 11am and first went to St Olaf‘s church to climb the 258 steps to the viewing platform. Narrow circular staircase with high stairs. Lovely views of the expansive old town. Afterwards we went to the oldest continuous pharmacy in the world. Going since 1422.

After cake and coffee we started climbing stairs on the outside to go up to views from the wall, ended up inside and wandered around to see our favourite spots and find new ones. More wall wandering and then to the markets to do some shopping

The next day was a travel day to Parnu in Estonia. This is a little town down the west coast. We travelled by bus and walked to our hostel by the beach. The receptionist queried why we came here when it is so cold and admitted we were virtually their only customers. After unpacking we took a short stroll to the beach.

After breakfast the following morning we went walking, armed with a map and advice from our friendly receptionist. First down the beach until we hit a 3 km long narrow breakwater made of stones. Legend has it that lovers kissing at the end will be together forever. We thought it more likely we would slip and break a leg and be in pain forever, so skipped that tradition.

From there we headed into town following a trail along the coast, then around a canal and back to the coast. Passing along and over bridges, lovely parkland and old buildings. Next we headed to old town but first we needed to find cake. After some research we found Pastoraat Cafe. We shared 2 different delectable gluten free cakes to give us energy for the next part.

That started with a walk along old town Main Street and then down to the river for a walk along the bank. We walked for about an hour and a half, watching the ducks and enjoying the crisp cold air and wide river with reeds. We turned around as we knew it would be time for dinner by the time we got back to old town.

We ate at Cafe XS sharing a pizza, pasta dish and a tomato and strawberry soup with ice cream for desert. By the time we tucked in for the night we had walked 25,100 steps and just over 17km, a new record for this trip.