The Tallinn, Estonia Experience 🇪🇪 | Solo Travel Vlog

[@xwiirastusx]

I never thought I would say this, but I'm absolutely floored by your video. Noone as of yet has described my hometown in such a way - the sensualism, the research, the insight! You've put so much effort in one relatively short video. Kudos to you, Sir, you are a Prince among men!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks so much for this comment! I really appreciate it. Tallinn was an incredible city to visit. You have a great home town, and I hope to return in the future!

[@moonikalehtmaa2525]

The best video so far about my hometown Tallinn, which was also fact-based and accurate - from a tourist's point of view.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! I'm glad it was fairly accurate, I really found Tallinn fascinating

[@Meg_A_Byte]

Found this video randomly and as someone living there for few years now, I was intrigued what a traveller like you think of Tallinn. And I must say the style you present the video is absolutely great, the concept of smelling and hearing your surroundings is new to me in a youtube travel vlog. Two things especially caught my attention and that was the mention of certain controversy around Alexandr Nevsky Cathedral, which really shows that you know more than 99% of other "tourists". The second thing was your notion of cranes in the city and how it's good that they're there, because it means the city is growing and not dying. I've heard this saying from an architect many years ago and every time I see a different city, I think about it. Very wise words from you in a random youtube video :) Now I'm off to watch more of your content. Thanks!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks for watching :) And yes, it's always great to see cranes on the skyline. It's great to experience Tallinn's history and old town, but even better to know that Tallinn's best days are still ahead of it!

[@InMyHead1996]

Thanks for another great adventure Mike! These get better every time

[@asenseoftravel]

I appreciate that!

[@TheColorBox-b1b]

Wow, this looks like a place I would love!

[@asenseoftravel]

I fully agree! It's like a smaller Prague

[@AkiraAmatsuji]

Wow really nice city! I will add Estonia to my travel list! Btw I m from Tokyo Japan

[@asenseoftravel]

I love Tokyo! I was actually just there (and made a vlog) last fall! Such an incredible place.

[@Resonants]

You are most welcome here! I have visited Japan and Tokyo and I really loved it, most of all the people. Japanese and Estonians have a LOT in common btw :)

[@HelenGolovina-y9h]

You have captured the atmosphere of Tallinn really well. I say this as a Tallinner, a 14th generation Tallinner. And a good choice of music. You have clearly done your homework, as opposed to most KZbinrs. You should stay here for longer and check out some other towns here (like Tartu, with the university from 1632 and among top 500 universities in the world), Pärnu, Haapsalu are just a few I recommend, my personal favourites. And estonian nature is a surreal experience. We have a lot of it, it is almost entirely public property (all beaches and shores have to remain open for everyone by law) and if you are ridiculous enough to build a home there then you just have to let people come into your front yard. You cane be in nature in 30 minutes from Tallinn city centre, so it is very accessible. We have declared our animals to be Estonian citizens and we have their holograms in our passports. Wolf is the national animal, officially. But you will not see a wolf here. Fortunately we have enough nature so they can keep away from humans. But if you do want to se them, and other animals, we have special cabins in the woods equipped for waiting for them. Mostly used by photographers but anyone can come. There are feeding places at these cabins to lure them and cameras that anyone can watch on the internet. Some people have already named some of the animals, who come there regularly and some animals in the forests have personal camera:) 50-75% of our territory is forest (depending on how exactly you define a forest). It is well preserved. We respect our nature, it is a basic part of our upbringing to leave nature be. It is illegal to annoy birds or animals (that includes all birds and animals, also pigeons, gulls etc, those who some people consider pests), especially during nesting periods. We have bogs. I recommend them. Do not worry, you will not sink in because they have wooden trails. By the way, j in Estonian (Balti Jaam) is pronounced like Y in Yes in English) And g is pronounced like g in pig. Not like g in gem It was quiet because it was Sunday night. All the screaming idiots are already too tired after 2 days of partying. Honestly, I hope all the partying took place somewhere else, not the Old town. Sunday and Monday are quite quiet and they they start all over again. We do not really consider ourselves Baltic. We feel solidarity and respect for Latvia and Lithuania but we are culturally and linguistically very distinct from them. The Baltic languages are Indo European, like English. Estonian is Uralic, like Finnish. Kalamaja is the favourite of many Estonians. these simple wooden houses and their simple gardens with apple trees and lilacs (very Estonian trees/bushes) area reminder of the First Republic (though legally there is no such thing as first or second republic, it is all one since 1918 and we are 106 years old). It reminds us of our great grandparents. It may be hard for foreigners to understand why parts of town like Kalamaja are so special for us. It is because they trigger a lot of nostalgia. And they are by law considered to be "places of atmospheric value" so is is illegal to build something out of place there). Very recently the houses there did not have bathrooms or toilets in every apartment and they would be heated by their own stoves. This is not the case anymore but I would actually love to live in a house like that for a while because of the memories. I would love to heat my own place with firewood and maybe some elctrical radiators. The Russian church on Toompea is definitely not loved by Estonians, no question about that. First and foremost, we have a very understanding that the Old Town will not have new buildings in it. Today it would be against the law. This is why you could feel that the town is so well preserved and kept within its walls. It was always a conscious effort to keep it that way. That Russian church, however, was built only in 1900, too new for the old town. Also, a Russian orthodox church, in the middle of the Gothic mediaeval town.. really? It is disgusting. And it WAS built as a sign of Russian power here back then. It came very close to be taken down, once in the first period of independence and again in the second period. Somehow it has remained. Probably people have not wanted to take down a church. It is a church, after all. All others monuments to Russian or Soviet regime have all been taken down or at least removed to special museums and military cemeteries. there are loads of Russian orthodox churches in Estonia. Russian orthodoxia is the second religion here after Lutheran. And nobody has anything against them. Most of them are cute small wooden churches pretty much in forests. They are fine. But this is monster there on Toompea hill that should be there. I would remove it. Not destroy it, it is a sacred place for many. But removed and put up in some other place. Toompea has the office of the Prime minister. The office of the President is not in the Old town at all, it is in Kadriorg, a really nice baroque style park on the seaside, built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine the Great for her to stay during visits to Tallinn which Peter the Great loved. It is the only nice Russian legacy we have. Toompea has always been the place of the power. The fortress there was built by the Danes in the beginning of 1200-s right after they took over this place. Before that there was probably an Estonian fortress here but the archaeologists have never really been able to find the exact sight. Now it is the place that has the tower (Hermann tower) that has our flag´. The flag that is on that tower has always been the statement of who is in power. So now, as you can see, it is us who are in power, finally. The flag is always raised at sunrise and taken down on sunset, accompanied by the national anthem. Every single day, except for Midsummer eve, then it stays there for the night also, for the entire 10 minutes of night time we have on that day. The Dome church (the white one, not the stupid Russian monster that was built in 1900 as a symbol of russification) was always the seat of the bishop, so also a place of power. And yes, today all the Government offices, including that of the Prime minister, are there. And a lot of embassies. The ones who can afford it there. In history, it used to be the place of the rural aristocracy. They lived in their mansions in summer and came to Toompea for winter. Because in the harsh Nordic winters it was easier to be social when living so close together. Legally Toompea was not a part of Tallinn. Tallinn was a merchant town ruled by the Lübeck town law since the 13th century. Toompea belonged to German merchants and Lübeck law did not apply. the two parts of town never got along and there was a wall between them as you could see. The Dome church was built in 1200s, in the beginning. Not the 12th century as you said. In the 12 century this was a quiet place with nobody here to build stone churches. We were not Christian at that time. There was a really nice play about that time staged also in Toompea- a philosophical meditation of a Danish king who magically arrived here before anybody conquered anything yet. And he talks about how how it feels like to be here when there is nothing here yet. And all the time the audience can see all these iconic buildings from the windows that the Danish king is talking about that are not there yet. Tallinn before it became a city. (What actually was or was not here before, nobody really knows. Most probably not, probably the Estonian ancient fortress was a bit further away) Notice how there i no security in front of the Parliament building. This is very characteristic of Estonia. No security almost anywhere, at least not that you can see. And nothing ever really happens.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you so much for this! It's so great hearing local perspectives on things. I've heard amazing things about Tartu, so I would love to explore that area next time I'm in Estonia. I can see what you mean in terms of not being "Baltic." I definitely felt a closer cultural connection between Tallinn and Helsinki than between Tallinn and Riga or Vilnius. I'm glad to hear that places like the Old Town and Kalamaja can't be altered or changed very much. I wish that we had done a better job in the US of retaining the history that we do have, even if much shorter. Our cities were demolished for roads and highways throughout the 20th century, so there's very little left outside of NYC, Boston, Washington DC, and San Francisco for example. I definitely felt a strong sense of safety in Tallinn. Hopefully, this video will inspire a few more people to visit! (But not too many, don't want your city to be overrun with tourists!)

[@HelenGolovina-y9h]

@@asenseoftravel In Estonia and in Tallinn also a lot has been ruined. For example the big gate in the town wall (Nunne gate), maybe you remember, right at the Railway station, a really big gate: did not exist before the second half of 19th century when a part of the wall was blown up to create a direct road from city centre to the train station. And there are many example of this, a lot has been torn down, especially during the industrial revolution. Also the Swedes, after weapons had changed and the city needed towers and protection against fire weapons, the Swedes tore a lot down and built new stuff. All the hills around the Old town were created like this during the Swedish times to resist cannon fire from Russians. And then later they were turned into parks. Tallinn was a prosperous and powerful city in the Middle Ages. the golden times were probably the 14th century. After that it became poorer and for centuries people just had no money to do much rebuilding. That is why the Old town has survived to a great extent. Unlike in Riga, who had money to build all kinds of ridiculous mixtures of baroque and god knows what, and today Riga Old town is all over the place, all sorts of various styles and no soul really. Although in the Middle ages Tallinn and Riga must have been quite similar. Tallinn has also had many major fires. One huge fire at least every century that burnt down everything. The city had strict laws about how to build so as to minimize the risk of fire but they still happened. And actually the old town you see has been rebuilt at least five times. The original mediaeval style was maintained but there is very little in Tallinn Old town that you can touch and be sure that you are touching something from the Middle ages. It looks like it though. The last time Tallinn was destroyed was in 1943 by the Soviet bombing. My grandmother was in Tallinn at the time of the bombing, she was 10. I have seen films of the bombing, films filmed back then. It is awful to see your hometown being burnt to the ground, and then go out and see that all these buildings are here again, still. We owe a lot of gratitude to Polish restaurateurs actually. They have done most of the restauration work of the 20th century here. And a fun fact: Tallinn has never been taken by storm. Once the city surrendered because of the plague. But it has never been taken by force. Tartu is quite different from Tallinn. There majority of the center are buildings and places that belong to the university. I also attended that university. Very little medieval stuff has survived in Tartu. As for tourists, there are already too many. I guess everyone in the world feels like that about their home town. But tourism is nothing compared to the herds of Russians (delivered to us by Stalin after killing off all of the Russian elite, and their rootless descendants (and now also Ukrainians, makes no difference really, same manners, same entitled behaviour) who are still doing everything they can to destroy everything: yelling, peeing on all the laws and traditions concerning behaviour in public places, leaving their trash everywhere, bullying birds etc. I am not a nationalist but I believe one should not live in the place that they have no respect for and no concern for its well being. Anyway, I got carried away again. Hope you come back. An enjoy some of our nature as well.

[@HelenGolovina-y9h]

And yes, Tallinn is quite a safe city. And Estonia in general is safe. Estonians might say the opposite, because we love to wine about everything. But there is almost no serious crime and also very little theft. It is quite funny to see all the tourists with their bags on their stomach. I just want to tell them there is no need for that. A year ago I dropped 70 euros from my pocket in Tallinn bus station. And the next time I was there the security guard came to me and gave me my money. Someone had found it and given it to the guard. How exactly they managed to notice when I came, i have no idea. Our police does not carry guns. Guns are kepyt in a safe at the police station and only taken with them if there is a specific reason. And since they mostly deal with drunk people who have fallen aslepp on a bench outside in winter to take them home before they freeze to death, they do not need guns. So I can really say that I feel completely safe everywhere here. I have actually felt safe everywhere else as well. Except for Turkey when if you are a female walking alone at night all the cars will start signalling to you. Probably to tell you that it is not safe. But I just ignore them as well and I feel safe everywhere. In Barcelona I got my bag stolen by some Albanian idiots but that was my own fault.

[@HelenGolovina-y9h]

I mean the "rootless descendants" of the working class, or not even that, but of the constantly drunk idiots who were of no use to anything. I did not mean rootless descendants of the Russian elite. I love the Russians who have a mind of their own, their writers, composers, poets. One Russian poet who fled Russia because he published an anti war poetry collection and is now living in Riga, is one of my best friends. But Stalin killed off as many of the elite as possible, leaving brainless sheep (no offence to sheep) and then shattered them all over the newly conquered territories to destroy all nationalities and make everyone one big Soviet nation. Did not work in the Baltics but this is the reason why we have so many Russians. Not because we are Russia somehow. This forceful relocation actually sadly worked in many other countries that they managed to russify. And those Russians are actually sad people: they have no roots, no home, they do not belong anywhere. they are not Estonians. They are not Russians anymore either. Although we have made huge efforts as a country to help them integrate, most of them do not want to. So there are those two parallel worlds here. I have nothing against any nationality. But being a nation of one million, we cannot afford half a million stangers here who have no plans of integrating and no love or even respect for the country. Before the IIWorld War we had 2% of our population being Russian. Now almost 30 %

[@wemit.]

@@HelenGolovina-y9h Our police does carry pistols on themselves and they also regularly have a heavier firearm (for example R-20) in their patrol car. Dunno where did you get your info but it is not true. Btw I feel a lot safer knowing that my police has lethal weapons on them and not just rubber batons lol.

[@Tvjameswatchor2.0]

I learn more at this channel than in geography class

[@asenseoftravel]

@@Tvjameswatchor2.0 haha, on one hand, thank you! On the other hand, you must be a geography student here in the US 😂 I knew a girl in high school who thought London was in Canada.

[@Gcloudy2004]

Good video . And good explanation as Estonian. 🇪🇪👋

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks! 😃

[@hukatus]

Outstanding video, well narrated. Very nice production. Also accurate information, can confirm.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I loved every minute in Tallinn!

[@NadavMendoza]

Beautiful. Thank you so much. I’m literally in Tallinn right now planning for tomorrow

[@asenseoftravel]

How was it? I imagine the city looks beautiful with the autumn leaves right about now!

[@jiawa5946]

Very nice video format with the sense descriptors! One of the best reviews of Tallinn I've seen if not the best. Also, you got my apartment building in 2 separate shots which felt weird :D

[@asenseoftravel]

Your apartment is famous now! Haha, but thank you. It's fascinating to me how different those sensory experiences can be in different cities around the world. Just another layer to what already makes them so unique!

[@suevialania]

I was there and i loved it! Greetings from Portugal 🇵🇹

[@asenseoftravel]

@@suevialania Portugal is one of my favorite countries on earth!

[@suevialania]

@@asenseoftravel welcome! Thanks !

[@kullulillu]

Greetings from Estonia 🇪🇪. 👋

[@suevialania]

@@kullulillu Thanks! Obrigado!

[@Christopher-kf2rb]

As somebody who spends every summer in Estonia, I can absolutely recommend Tallinn. It's a perfect blend of Historical and postmodern Art Vibe. You shouldn't miss the Telliskivi area though - it's a bit like Berlin Friedrichshain, with a lot of top foods and tap rooms.

[@asenseoftravel]

Is this the neighborhood near Blati Jaama?

[@Christopher-kf2rb]

@@asenseoftravel Yes, exactly - towards the rail tracks

[@pianoman4Jesus]

@7:08 The tower of Oleviste kirik was the tallest in the world when it was built. @7:50 Toompea Hill was always the part of Tallinn where the foreign power occupying Estonia resided at any given time through history. Lower Tallinn was where the Estonian people resided. @17:46 You should look up an older photo of this building.... from the 1990's. 🧐 @18:11 Comfort food used to be plate meals with 1) a protein 2) a starch 3) salad 4) a different sauce on each! Estonian Rye bread came standard on the side. And NNNNOOOO substitutions... I would want to pair one protein with the other starch... swap potatoes for rice. My wife (Estonian) would always remind me: "No substitutions!" (Yes yes, Chief Didier from the film "Last Holiday"... "No substitutions!" And the first time I saw the film was on the plane ride back to USA from Estonia.... I watched it TWICE!) Good documentary film. Bravo for making it to the Estonian Open Air Museum.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks for all of this info! I guess no substitutions is what keeps that cuisine consistent through the generations. And yes the open air museum was great! One of my favorite things to do when visiting country's capitals. It feels like a good way to get the feeling of the country as a whole rather than just the "big city"

[@fujiko1601]

@@asenseoftravel Actually the story about Oleviste church being the tallest in the world at one point is not true. The error originates from different units of measurements were between towns back then yet people want to believe it so much that the story keeps popping up everywhere.

[@HelenGolovina-y9h]

Lower town was where the German (mostly) merchants resided. Well, yes, some Estonians too. But the masters and the purse and the lawgivers were the German merchants. And their Lübeck law which did not apply in Toompea. Since most of the actual builders and stonemasons were local Estonians, then probably Tallinn was physically built by Estonians. This is something very few Estonians know but we should be proud of that fact.

[@DallasFreemanVO]

Dude I wanna go there now

[@asenseoftravel]

Make it a package deal with Bruge. Like a fairytale, eh?

[@Giahomemadeproductions]

Another beautiful video! Impressive well done! I will be in Tallinn and Helsinki for eight days in two weeks. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@asenseoftravel]

Have a great time! I'm sure it will be a bit more pleasant weather wise than when I was there

[@kullulillu]

Greetings from Estonia 🇪🇪. 👋

[@ProGamer1115]

Estonian here. Pirukas is pretty much just a catch-all term for baked pastries. Almost any baked pastry can be called a pirukas. I guess the only exception to this is cakes, we just call them kook

[@asenseoftravel]

Interesting! Is there one that's more "classic" than another?

[@ProGamer1115]

​@@asenseoftravel Hmmm... I'd say sausage rolls and minced meat pastries are the most popular ones here

[@AttitudeAdjusterAA]

you might me the next Rick Steves, at least your voice has the same calm and precise timbre while providing accurate historical information

[@asenseoftravel]

I would love to be his protege haha. Thank you for this comment! That's a big compliment

[@TRHardware]

Really good video of Tallinn!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks a ton!

[@WorldTrotterHereandBeyond]

good job

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you!

[@Autism-Powers]

Martsipan. Dude buys a whole loaf and just goes for it 😀

[@asenseoftravel]

Like a candy bar haha

[@SturmFlut]

It's "Marzipan"

[@SluttChops]

@@SturmFlut It's "martsipan" in Estonian.

[@BFWRT]

@@SturmFlut not in Estonian 🙂

[@scarba]

Have you been to Edinburgh? It’s packed with ancient history and architecture. Lots of creepy medieval cemeteries and narrow alleys and underground streets

[@asenseoftravel]

I'll actually have an Edinburgh vlog to share later this year! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@insansiregar6158]

Please go to: *-Europe:* Edinburgh (Scotland), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Carcasonne (France), St. Petersburg (Russia) *-Asia:* Kyoto/Heian (Japan), Xian/Changán (China), and Gyeongju (Korea) They have old medieval and even ancient towns too

[@asenseoftravel]

Several of these places are on my bucket list!

[@toivotraks]

St. Petersburg is not medieval - it was built at the beginning of 18th century by Italian architects led by Rastrelli. Thats why it looks European in central areas with certain Russian coloring. If you venture to the outskirts of St. Petersburg, or even behind the beautiful facade in the centre, you travel to a post-soviet period - if you venture to the outskirts of Tallinn, it looks Nordic in modern buildings and private residential areas and even the Soviet residential areas are mostly totally renovated.

[@hannakuusmann9497]

hey, actually fyi the presidents´s residence and office is not located in Toompea but actually in Kadriorg :))

[@asenseoftravel]

Oh, interesting! What is the Presidential office in Toompea used for?

[@PaleTyche]

​​​@@asenseoftravelThe parliament is in Toompea and so is the prime minister's office. In Estonia, the prime minister is the head of the government (executive function). Our presidential office is not there. It is in the Kadriorg Park in the midst of greenery and several buildings where our art museum can be found. (Some buildings of the art museum are also in the Old Town -- in the same way you can find the City Museum or Maritime museum in many locations). You can always go and say hello to the president's bees while walking from one museum building to another (or even say hello to the president when you pop into him -- many expats have taken selfies together with the president or prime minister when accidentally meeting them somewhere -- I mean, the prime minister can queue next to you at the grocery shop even or push their trolley next to you at the fruit and vegetable aisle. It is a small country, so you are bound to bump into people you recognise or have already met from time to time).

[@PaleTyche]

Re buildings in the Open Air Museum: there are no replicas. All the buildings are authentic (be it wooden church, the tavern, blacksmith workshop, village "colonial goods" shop, volunteer firebrigade building, watermill, windmills, old village school, isherman sheds, farmhouses from 18th to 20th century, stables, barns, saunas, outdoor kitchebs, granaries, store houses, village swing, and so on. All have been sourced from several areas in Estonia (the rural architecture was rather different in different areas), taken apart all logs/elements painstakingly numbered and marked and reassembled carefully at the Open Air Museum grounds. So, no replicas there, all you see are authentic actual buildings that have been brought over there. :) (You said that the roadside tavern was a replica but it is not, it is a real one, just "living its life" elsewhere until brought over there to be looked after and learnt from). :)

[@asenseoftravel]

Oh wow, that's awesome! I didn't realize these were the original structures - that makes the museum all the more fascinating!

[@janleograu1828]

Onion domes: in 1721 sweeden sold Estonia, Karelia, Livonia to Russia Nystadt Treaty, and German knights forced catholic religion to local Pagans, we are the very atheist country. Preferably we go to cemetery instead of the church, burn fire in the wildernes and go to sauna in the wild is the best. Once every two years we get together en masse and sing dance folk too.😊

[@geenius6]

go to lasnamae beautiful place

[@asenseoftravel]

Is that near Tallinn?

[@inimene-n7y]

@@asenseoftravel Yea its a suburb of Tallinn and one with a very bad reputation (do not recommend going there)

[@ProGamer1115]

hahahahahaha hea troll

[@Trammiliin_nr2]

⁠@@asenseoftravelLasnamäe is the biggest district of Soviet block buildings in Tallinn and the majority of the population are Russian-speaking people. The population is larger than Tartu and sometimes it’s jokingly called the second biggest city in Estonia. As I grew up there, I sometimes joke that I’m not from Tallinn but from Lasnamäe. It has bad reputation, but I’d say it’s vastly undeserved. The real estate is cheaper than elsewhere in Tallinn, so most of the residents are just regular laborers, young families still building up their lives, pensioners etc. It also has all the necessary facilities and services from supermarkets to medical care. Due to lower rental costs it also attracts socially disadvantaged individuals. But I do agree that there’s probably not a huge point of going there as there’s really nothing to see. Only block buildings, car parks and maybe a tree or few. And in the spring time tons of dog poop melting out of snow. 😅

[@Tulemasin]

Living in Tallinn, you realize it is dante's secon circle of hell where sinners of lust souls are cast about in a restless, unreasoning wind.

[@eksiarvamus]

"Estonia's old onion domes"? Those came to be only since the 18th century during the Russian imperial rule. Estonians are not an Orthodox nation.

[@asenseoftravel]

Good to know! I didn't realize that the onion domes were specifically associated with the orthodox church

[@eksiarvamus]

@@asenseoftravel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_dome#In_Russian_architecture

[@TRHardware]

@@eksiarvamus There are not a single estonian speaking native, who likes that russian church there!

[@kessekesse9544]

@@asenseoftravel Estonians have a slang word for Russians "sibul" (an onion) because of these domes.