My Heart Soars: Tallinn: Part 3 - Day 2 Morning: Town Hall

Day 2 (Morning)

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 2 Morning.

5/1 Day 2 Morning: Town Hall in Old Town of Tallinn

Optional Costs

(1) Entrance ticket to the Town Hall - EUR5
(2) McDonalds Coffee to use the toilet - EUR1,40

The Story

05012019 Morning: We took the tram to Old Town again. We were supposed to go to Saaremaa Island but we missed the bus and decided to explore more of Old Town. I was very surprised that the tram services trust the people so much. There was no conductor to check your tickets when you enter the tram. You just tap your card on the machine and get your seat. If you don't have a card, you pay EUR2 for a single adult ticket. I saw a passenger who knocked on the driver's compartment and wanted to pay. A little pocket opened and he paid. In my head - SUCH HONESTY! The last time I saw something like this - trust in its people - was when I visited Norway in August 2018. You can read my post here. Now, I know Norwegians and Estonians are trustworthy people.

We arrived too early at Old Town and none of the tourist places were opened yet. So, we headed towards McDonalds to use the toilet. There was a toilet code and one needs to buy something to have the toilet code printed on the receipt. I was surprised to find that there were no English instructions on the sugar sachet for the coffee. I gradually found out that not many Estonians can speak English.

That is the front of Kalev Chocolate Shop. The building in the middle. I went in there yesterday. The streets were still very quiet.

My friend mentioned to me that Viru Hotel in Tallinn houses KGB weapons. We asked the Tourist Center and a staff mentioned that one needs to book a guide to get in. I just checked the website and it costs EUR11 to get in! She recommended that we visit the KGB Prison Museum instead, which we did a bit later in the morning. This is the building with the door being the entrance to the prison museum.

We did not realise that the Town Hall was opened today. There were only selected days during winter that the Town Hall is opened. We were so lucky! The view of the Town Square with the Christmas Tree in the middle from the Town Hall was truly like a fairytale story. The walk in the Town Hall enlightened me with information that Tallinn was one of the stops of the Hanseatic Traders.

Tallinn Town Hall is the oldest city hall in North-Europe and the only preserved one in Gothic style. The story of the building dates back to the 13th century and it was completed, in its current form, in 1404. The town was ruled from the Town Hall for nearly 700 years. The Town Hall still has its historical role of being the town's representational building and it is used for carrying out receptions and concerts. Source from Visit Estonia.