WORDS & PICTURES: Abi Prowse
It is a Tuesday afternoon in Tallinn, Estonia, and the streets are deserted, the only sound the soft crunch of my own slow footsteps. Blanketed in snow, the city’s old town sits calmly beneath a pale January sky, the air so piercingly cold that only the hardiest of locals and the craziest of tourists seem to brave it. During these winter months, where the word ‘freezing’ seems too banal to describe the way the air envelops you in its frosty, -16°C embrace, Tallinn is yours. Devoid of the summer’s hubbub of visitors, Tallinn Old Town takes on an almost-fantastical peacefulness; what this city may lack in atmosphere, it easily makes up for with its striking beauty and unique blend of cultures.
The northernmost of the Baltic States, Estonia is greatly influenced by both Soviet and Scandinavian cultures: an unusual concoction which is immediately evident in its architecture. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – an orthodox church designed in the style of the Russian Revival – stands watch over the city below, which is peppered with quaint, Scandi-inspired buildings, framing the gently-winding streets and alleyways, each quirkier than the last. Coffee culture here is woven into the city’s soul, with elegant coffee houses like Maiasmokk – Estonia’s oldest café – offering respite from the biting cold. Pay a visit also to Bogapott: a coffee house-slash-art workshop which sells a range of eccentric, handmade ceramics. But beneath the surface of this charming medieval city lies its modern heart; little-known to many who visit, Tallinn is often considered Europe’s technological hub, its New Town home to a number of world-famous companies and software creators. The industrial Kalamaja District, in fact, is proof of the city’s penchant for all things up-and-coming. Visit the innovative Balti Jaama Market, or spend an evening tasting craft beers in the Telliskivi Creative City.
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Just a two-hour bus ride from the capital, the compact town of Haapsalu offers a window into more traditional Estonian life. You are unlikely to find tourists, here: instead, the residential roads are frequented by locals, going about their daily lives. Haapsalu’s quaint wooden houses are reminiscent of Scandinavian settlements, the centre quietly dominated by Väike viik: a large lake which, during the winter, freezes over entirely, dousing the town in a soft carpet of snow. For true Estonian cuisine, modest restaurant Talumehe kõrts offers a menu of hearty meals, to be accompanied by a range of local beers.
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