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Monday, March 25, 2019

Tallinn Estonia Part 2

I posted about my first couple days of my last work trip in Israel and Estonia here. And now I am back to post the last two days.

On Thursday, we had meetings in the morning, but the afternoon was free. Since we had a free afternoon, we packed in a ton of things. We walked to Old Town first. We wanted to pick up some souvenirs and go on the free walking tour to learn more about Tallinn and Estonia. It was worth it. I would definitely recommend it.

Our first stop was just before the entrance where we came upon rows of flower stands. I would love to have flower stands like this in Nevada.
Tallinn Flower Stands

We went into a local handmade store and bought a few items. Then we made our way into the entrance of Old Town.
Old Town Tallinn Estonia

Old Town Tallinn Estonia

From here, we made our way around Old Town. We stopped by a church and then went into an old merchants home and shop which is now a theater.
Merchants house and shop in Tallinn
You can tell it is a Merchant's place by the pulley up top. Also another crazy fact is they were charged taxes by how many windows and sunlight got into the house (only on the front facade).

Merchants house and shop in Tallinn
They painted their beams.

Merchants house and shop in Tallinn
And had very small doors since people were not as tall as they are now. I had to duck way down to go through the door.

Next, we walked out and looked at a church. It used to be the tallest building in Europe at one point, but then the Eiffel Tower was built.
Church in Tallinn

 Next, we learned about guilds in Tallinn. We stopped at this one and I loved the door into the entrance.
Guilds in Tallinn

They say to build things properly with higher quality and they will last a long time. This clock was built a LONG time ago and it still works correctly.

We then made our way into the Town Center to hear about Thomas and his legend and then the tour was over. After the tour, we picked up some more souvenirs and then went to the Viru Hotel for the KGB tour. I watched Americans and remember the stories from the 80s and the KGB, so this was something that was super fascinating to me.

Basically, the KGB set up rooms in the hotel to listen to people. Plates, hotel rooms and many things were bugged to get intel. It was a fun tour. It is short, but worth it. Plus our tour guide told us the history of the Viru Hotel and the KGB. Definitely recommend this tour and it was only 11 Euro.

You get to go up to the 23rd floor where you can see the sights of Tallinn.
Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia
Looking out towards the Baltic Sea

We made our way back inside into a former KGB listening room. I guess the KGB abruptly left the room and they have "preserved" it and turned it into a museum.
KGB Museum in Tallinn

KGB Museum in Tallinn

KGB Museum in Tallinn

KGB Museum in Tallinn
This device was used in little spy holes between rooms to take photos of things going on in other rooms.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel. I worked out and then we met for dinner. We went to an Italian place and then headed back to the hotel since we had to be up at 3:45 am for an early flight. But when we got back to the hotel, I made my way over to the Tallinn Park and took some photos of a light display they had up.
Tallinn Park display

Tallinn Park display

Friday morning we were up early for our first flight to Frankfurt. But when we got through security, we walked around the airport and saw just how cool of an airport it was. They had playgrounds for kids, free phone charging areas, free virtual reality areas, ping pong tables, life size puzzles and all sorts of games and things to do in the airport.
Tallinn Estonia Airport

Tallinn Estonia Airport

I think all airports should have this. Maybe we all wouldn't be so cranky flying.

We were in Frankfurt for a bit before getting on a 12 hour flight to Los Angeles. As I said in my previous recap, I watched A Star is Born again among other movies. On my flight from LA to Reno, we flew over snow capped mountains and Lake Tahoe. Such beautiful sights from the airplane.

That is Lake Tahoe in the background!

And then I was home! I had the hardest time adjusting to PST. I think last Wednesday was the first night that I slept well and didn't wake up all night. And that ends my last work trip.

Have you ever been to Estonia?

16 comments :

  1. Never been, but wow! That architecture is amazing! I can't imagine how tough it must be adjusting back to your regular timezone. Welcome home!

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    1. It really is, but I feel fortunate enough to have been able to go!!!

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  2. I can't get over the beautiful sites and just how majestic everything looks! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  3. That looks like such a cool old city and the KGB museum sounds very interesting!

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    1. It was a really cool museum and something I didn't expect to go see. But so cool.

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  4. Wow!!! The sites are just amazing. We had an opportunity to live in Estonia for a while but it ended up not working out. Part of me is really bummed that we didn't get that experience.

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  5. It looks like you had an absolutely amazing trip!

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  6. It is so quaint and magical! Those flowers are incredible and I just love the old town vibe!

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  7. WHOOOO - that kgb room is crazy!!!!
    Isnt that nuts that people werent that tall? What in the world!!! So bizarre how even people's bodies change with the times!

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    1. It is really crazy. We had a guy on our tour who was around 6'4" and he had to bend way over. So crazy.

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  8. Ok you WIN! I just posted about a work trip to San Diego, but this more than takes the cake. AMAZING <3
    Green Fashionista

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    1. Haha. I LOVE SD though, so I bet it was a lot of fun!

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