Estonia is next on our virtual tour of Europe. It's easy to fall in love with this beautiful and complex country - it has so many fun things to do, it's considered the most advanced digital society in the world, and at the same time very green and in touch with nature. Thanks for coming along on our virtual visit - Hope you enjoy!
Mapwork by @Slalice_Draws
TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS
The attractions that we want to visit this week are split between the official capital city of Tallinn, the "cultural capital" of Tartu, and the "Summer capital" of Pärnu. For this reason, we will spend the week visiting each of these three locations.
First, in Tallinn, we will stay at the Hotel St. Petersbourg, a luxurious, 5-star boutique hotel, located in the Old Town section of the city.
In Tartu, we will stay in the beautiful Lydia Hotel.
Finally, at our third stop in the resort, coastal town of Pärnu, we will stay at the indulgent Hedon Spa and Hotel.
From Berlin, Germany, travel is extremely easy. Many airlines can get us there nonstop, for just over 100 Euros in an hour and a half.
ITINERARY
TALLINN
The 'Old Town' section of Tallinn, where we will be staying on our virtual visit is what we imagine when we think of a Medieval city, and looks to be tons of fun to walk around.
At the time it was built, this church was reportedly the tallest building in the world. It is also a well-known lightening conductor, as it has been struck by lightening at least 10 times, leading to it burning down three times throughout history. There is a great view of Old Town from the top of this tower.
As someone living in Germany - famous for its Christmas Markets - this year, I was surprised to learn that the Christmas Market in Tallinn is regularly voted as the best in Europe. If we are fortunate enough to be there at the right time of year, this should definitely be on our list.
Next we will learn a bit about the KGB's presence in Estonia during Soviet times.
After that, we will head a bit outside of Tallinn to explore the Rummu Underwater Prison. We can put our SCUBA skills to work, or if we don't have them, we can enjoy the experience here with this video.
We will then head over to one of the more fun museums to visit in Tallinn - the Seaplane Harbor Maritime Museum.
We can next check out Tallinn's creative center at Telliskivi Creative City.
This cool looking museum describes itself as an open-minded meeting place where world-class photography, honest and delicious food and music come together.
From a description online: "KuKu Club is a phenomenon of special significance in the Estonian cultural history in the 20th century. Before World War II, intellectuals came here to fight the expanding red-tapism and snobbism. In Soviet times, KuKu became a tiny oasis of freedom in the midst of totalitarianism. For creative people, it was like a second home, where they could always find friends or acquaintances with whom they could freely speak and mock the Soviet state." This will be a fun place to check out!
TARTU
Estonian National Museum
Our first stop in the 'Cultural Capital' of Estonia - Tartu, will be the Estonian National Museum, which, from this video, appears to be a beautiful museum with very creatively presented, interactive exhibits about the history and culture of the country.
Next, we will visit the largest science museum in the Baltic states - the AHHAA Science Center which looks to be a really fun and interactive museum.
Next, we will visit this cool museum dedicated to paper and printing.
We will next head a just a bit to the outskirts of Tartu for our next stops. The first is a visit to the Piusa Sand Caves.
Next, we will head into the forest to listen to nature... in a very unusual way.
UNESCO recognizes Seto Lelo singing as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We will visit Setomaa to see if we can have the good fortune to witness it. Either way, here is a wonderful video explaining this type of singing and its importance.
The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause. The first point in the arc is in Tartu, and we will certainly want to visit it!
PÄRNU
In addition to visiting the beaches and spas of the resort area of Parnu, we will first stop at the Alpacafarm!
We will stop at an abandoned manor that was built long ago by a prince for the lady he was hoping to marry. Tragically, they both ended up passing away before it was completed, and it has been left to ruin. It will be interesting to explore.
Next we will take a visit to the world's 8th largest meteorite crater.
We will then try out bog shoeing / bog walking through Soomaa National Park.
DAY TRIPS
If we have some extra time during our virtual visit and we are looking for something off the beaten path, we can check out these cool spots:
This is a small town that now is easy to locate, but during the Soviet era was a "secret" town that was missing from every map.
According to Atlas Obscura: "When a thriving shale oil mine in northern Estonia began to fall into decline, instead of abandoning the site or tearing it down, these proud miners turned it into the Kohtla Mining Park, a theme park of sorts where the country’s history of industry is celebrated by allowing people to enter the mines."
Narva is the border crossing city between Estonia and Russia. It's also a cool place to walk around.
Finally, we will end our visit to Estonia with some time at the Kuressaare Episcopal Castle - one of the most well preserved fortress in Estonia. There is also lots of cool programming associated with the castle, including a bishop's dinner, which we will certainly want to join! In the meanwhile, we can take a virtual tour of the castle and grounds here.
Phew! Such a full and busy virtual trip! What did you enjoy the most? Let me know in the comments below:
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