When it was time to leave Riga in Latvia, I was up early and when I crawled out of my tent like an arthritic slug – everywhere was misty. A pea-souper, as they say… So after my breakfast and packing the bike, I waited for the mist to ease while sipping a mug of the finest tea. When it finally started to ease, I started the bike and rode north into Estonia, heading for Tallin.
I haven’t slept in a proper bed since Mostar in Bosnia, which was over two months ago and my back needed a break, so I booked myself into a guest house for a few nights. I also needed to wash all my clothes, as they were smelling decidedly ‘doggy’. I’ve been washing my clothes wherever possible, but hand washing doesn’t seem to be enough.
I arrived at City Centre Garden Camping around 2pm after a 320km ride. This gave me ample time to unpack the bike, wash all my clothes in the bath, hang them out, and then sit in the beautiful garden in the lovely hot sunshine while reading my kindle – wearing naught my boxer shorts and a tee shirt – which I will wash tomorrow. I’ve booked for three nights and its 104eu, which isn’t too bad as its clean, comfortable and very close to the city centre.
TALLIN is a very big city. In the centre there is the ‘Old Town’ which has the castle plus many grand old buildings and churches. And surrounding the ‘Old Town’ is a large, vibrant and modern city. I did find the riding a bit scary at first because of the bus lanes, which sometimes are in the centre of the road then sometimes to the side. There was also lots of trams and tram tracks to contend with, which you have to always be on the lookout for. The traffic is also very busy in Tallin, so you really have to be on your best ‘game’ when riding.
My first stop was to walk around the oldest part of the ‘Old Town’, which includes their Parliament building and many other fine old buildings and churches. In the newer ‘Old Town’ I went to visit the old KGB cells, which were established by the NKVD in 1941 in a rather grand art-deco building. It was also used by the Nazis, and then passed back into KGB control after WW2. The information provided was just enough, and it was a sad and poignant reminder of how fascist states work, especially when looking at the uncomfortable looking torture chair. Many Estonians passed through the KGB cells between the 1940’s to 1991, usually for a brief stop before heading off to jail, deportation to a gulag in Siberia or a 9mm bullet.
I really enjoyed walking around Tallin. The old town is higher than the main city, so you tend to spend alot of time walking up then down the cobbled streets. Most of all, there was a really good vibe when walking around. There are also some really interesting buildings to see while you are walking around, and enjoyed being here.
