Tallinn: Part 1 - Day 1 Afternoon: Arrival and Olde Hansa

I started the year with a trip to Tallinn which is located in Estonia. I never knew the existence of this country until my second sister brought back an Estonian girl to our home when I was 17. Then, I had no idea where was this country located either. Fast forward to 3 months back, I spoke to an old school friend whom I have not met since I was 17 (since we left high school) on Facebook when I found out she was in Estonia. That is so near to me! We have spoken occasionally to each other on Facebook but this time, we agreed that we should meet up. 

I bought my flight tickets on Skyscanner for SEK686. Flight to Tallinn via Polish Airlines and flight back to Stockholm via Norwegian Airlines. By the way, the price of my flight included check-in luggage but I did not utilise it because I was only going to be there for 3 days. And with it being winter, I was not going to change clothes often. I will be wearing the same set of winter jacket and ski pants. 

Day 1 (Afternoon)
Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1 Afternoon.

4/1 Day 1: Tram from Lennujaam Airport to Viru (nearest station to Old Town)

Must-Incur Costs
(1) Tram ticket: EUR5 for 3 days

Optional Costs

(1) Lunch at Olde Hansa: Game Fillet of the Burgemeister (described below and shared with my friend) EUR32,60, Dark honey beer EUR6,40

The Story

04012019 Afternoon: I took leave on a Friday and boarded the 9:30am flight. It was a cloudy and cold morning. As usual. This is the view of Arlanda airport from the top. 

It was just an hour flight to Tallinn. Actually, 50 minutes! I was so happy that it is just a short flight. There was a bus from the plane to the terminal. I won't enjoy walking in the cold to the terminal. It was -3 degrees but it was freezing. The weather app says that it felt like -8 degrees. I think it is greatly influenced by its neighbour, Russia.

My friend was waiting at the arrival lounge for me. We took tram number 4 from the airport to town. The tram stops right in front of the airport's entrance. The tram card costs EUR5 for 3 days. It was affordable as a single ticket costs EUR2. So, it is definitely more worth it to purchase the 3-day card.

The first place we visited was Old Town of Tallinn. Old Town of Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage and I love visiting UNESCO places. Vanalinn as written on the signboard. Vana = Old. Linn = Town. We entered via Viru Gate. The place has the aura of magic when I set my eyes on it. With the fortification and the snow white ground, it was like a fairytale or at least, the medieval area that I used to see in movies. Not to mention that it was snowing as I walked towards Old Town. I love the buildings' colours in Old Town as they were pastel and light. It feels easy to the eyes. The streets were wider. I preferred this better than Old Town in Stockholm. 

The first thing we did was to have lunch. I mentioned to my friend about my wish to see that restaurant that has the interior design of the medieval age. I did not realise that I took the photo of that restaurant until my friend pointed out that it was the restaurant! Gosh, even the exterior has already attracted tourists even before knowing what is inside. The restaurant is Olde Hansa, and I suspected that Hansa is from the word 'Hanseatic' - the German merchant traders. Tallinn was one of the stops for the Hanseatic traders. The restaurant has its own souvenir shop too. The staff were all dressed up. Everything inside says 'medieval' only.

The menus were so pretty too. Too bad the lighting inside is insufficient since they use candles only.

We asked the waiter for food and drinks recommendation. We ordered 'Game Fillet of the Burgemeister' where we had 2 pieces of elk meat, 1 wild boar meat, roasted potatoes, sauerkraut (sour cabbages), saffron rice with marinated garlic, lingonberry with pickled cucumber. It costs EUR32,60. For drinks, I had 500ml of dark honey beer (EUR6,40) where the beer was brewed by the restaurant. My friend had apple and ginger drink (EUR2). Both drinks were very tasty. The meat was tasty, tender and just perfect!

I had to go to the washroom and this is how the washroom is labelled. The drawing is funny! In the following photo, you can see how the washroom's door is opened with a pulley. There is a weight that goes up (when the door is opened) and drops down to close the door. Check out the hand basin in the last photo. It is definitely an experience to dine in this restaurant.

Next up, to explore Old Town!