Exploring Tallinn

Just a few weeks ago I joined a study trip organised by UPF to Tallinn. UPF is one of Liu’s many student associations. (If you don’t know what student associations are all about I will link you an overview of LiU’s student associations here.) Linköping is a great location to check out the Baltics or Finland (still on my bucket list). In only under two hours, you will arrive at Stockholm from where a lot of ferries set sail to the Baltics. This ferry ride does take 16 hours which sounds crazy but since we travelled overnight it was not an issue. On board there is fun entertainment and we had quite some fun with the duty-free shop. Sleeping on a ferry was an adventure for sure but cosier than I expected it to be. One and a half hour before we arrived, we got woken up by the captain through an announcement. This was very helpful since my alarm did not go off because there is an hour time difference to Estonia and for some reason my phone did not switch to the correct time. Thanks to the captain we got up early enough to shower and hopped off the boat ready to explore Tallinn!

Tallinn’s whole city centre is UNESCO world heritage which might give you an idea of how pretty it is. We enjoyed some beautiful cafes and restaurants and a fun selection of bars. But the most impressive meeting we had was with the Swedish ambassador. UPF organised for us to visit the Swedish ambassy and we got the chance to hear her speak about her job and the relations between Estonia and Sweden and we asked a lot of questions. That was very memorable also since Swedish politicians are very approachable and easy to talk with.

Other than the picturesque city centre Tallinn also offers an alternative part of the city, which is called Telliskivi. Besides beautiful graffities and an artsy atmosphere you will find a lot of nice restaurants and Tallinn’s night life here. We went out for a drink here since it is at least a little bit cheaper than in Sweden. We also had a great common dinner all together here at F-hoone, which I would really recommend. Between Telliskivi and the city centre you will find the Balti Jaama Turg which is a market hall. There you will find every food you can imagine. We went there every day of our trip and everything I have tried was delicious. In my opinion a must see in Tallinn!

Besides all that Tallinn also offers a good variety of museums. I visited a museum near the parliament in the old city wall which was very interesting. Furthermore, we have been at Lennusadam, a harbour museum, which offers the possibility to go inside a submarine! This was very nice!

The last day me and some friends went to see the memorial of the victims of communism because the ambassador had recommended it to us. It is located a little outside the city but by bus or bolt (which is Estonian and not at all expensive there) it is easy to reach. It is very impressive to see and tells you a lot about the history of Estonia. It makes you feel very touched and gives you a glimpse of the horror the country has been through under Russian oppression. To lighten the mood, nearby you will find an interesting museum, which was closed that day, but it has the most amazing playground in their garden. There we had some fun before we headed back to the hostel to get our luggage.

Then again, we went on board of the Baltic Queen and travelled 16 hours back to Sweden. Estonia said goodbye to us with a very beautiful sunset and Sweden greeted us the next morning with its beautiful coastline.