Gazing out my Tallinn hotel window, the swirling curtain of early morning mist was lifting from the Old Town, as if a theatre production was bursting into life at the start of a new day. There's much to spell-binding Tallinn that does border on the theatrical. A whirring web of wonderment awaits all-comers to the Old Town, which like many of the Baltic cities, is where the biggest treats are located. What makes the Old Town of Estonia's buzzing capital particularly enchanting is the fact that its virtually fully encircled by medieval walls, ramping up Tallinn's snap-happy vistas.
Further accentuating the city's pin-up good looks is its contemporary creative verve and bags of hedonistic energy. Our city exploratory was under the command of a vivacious Insights Vacations' local guide, Christina. We commenced proceedings at Toompea, the hill where the all-conquering Danes built their fortress exactly 800 years ago. The name Tallinn derives from "Danish fortress." Throughout the Middle Ages, Teutonic Knights controlled the city, building many of the sturdy gate towers that still look so stately, while the Swedes and Russians have also ruled the roost. According to legend, Toompea is also the grave of Kalev, the mythical ancestor of the Estonians.
Taking pride of place on the site of the original Danish fort is the pastel pink Toompea Castle, now home to Estonia's parliament. We took time to take selfies in front of the splendid confection directly across the plaza from the parliament, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. This imposing onion-domed Orthodox church is an enduring reminder of the two centuries Tallinn spent under tsarist rule. Built in 1900, it was one of the last such constructions commissioned by the Tsar prior to the revolution. We popped inside to see the faithful deep in prayer, surrounded by its gilded splendour.
My fellow Insight Vacations' guests and I were besotted by the 14th century walls that surround the Old Town, studded with 20 watch towers. As we soaked up the fork-dropping views from one perch, a particularly friendly seagull seemingly stopped to pose longingly on the wall, lapping up the attention. And unlike most gulls, he wasn't hassling passers-by for food. Christina revealed he appears on the same spot, every day, and has apparently done so for ten years. A stamp-seller used to ply his wares from the same spot, and according Christina, following the day he died, Mr Seagull took up residence. The locals reckon it's the stamp-seller reincarnated. Tall story or not, there was something unquestionably soulful about that bird's demeanour. Christina is a believer.
We purred down the Old Town's storied main street, Pikk, a cobbled artery spanning the city's heart. With an atmosphere you can't design or buy, the magnificent market square is called Raekoja plats. It's as old as the city itself, wrapped in grand old buildings glowing with a faded glory, some hunchbacked seemingly leaning towards each other like gossiping old friends. Al-fresco bars and eateries were doing a brisk trade in the four-seasons-in-one-day spring weather. Don't miss taking a peek at the Town Pharmacy, a venerable specimen, which happens to be the one of the world's oldest continually operating apothecaries, selling potions and ointments since 1422.