The call is loud and clear but sadly a trip there will have to wait. The last time I visited Tallinn was in June 2020 with my kids for a day trip. I don’t know what possessed me to go, as the day was quite stressful. I was unable to relax with the thought of the virus on my mind every time we went indoors. Nevertheless, let me share some snapshots from my mom’s birthday trip in February 2020 just before everything changed.
My mom and I rented a fantastic Airbnb apartment nearby the Old Town. It was described as a “Stalinistic building” which I thought was interesting. From the outside it did look like a bleak concrete block but inside it was lovely and spacious. I would love to stay there again. Walking to the apartment from the ferry terminal, I popped into the bakery RØST, for their divine cinnamon buns.
A view towards the Old Town, the American Embassy was the other way.
As my mom has been an avid Tallin visitor like me, I wanted to show her one of the newish areas, Noblessner. It was once the major submarine shipyard of Imperial Russia! Now it has been transformed into a trendy area with stylish restaurants with terraces towards the sea in summer.
I had heard good things about Lore Bistroo, so we headed there for dinner. The restaurant was really cute and the food was delicious.
Afterwards, we visited the Kai Art Center in a former submarine plant, housing small exhibitions.
The next day we visited Kumu for some art.
The weather was quite drab but hey, perfect to visit a cosy café!
In the evening we went to the Estonia National Opera to see La Boheme. The building is stunning, designed by Finnish architects Armas Lindgren and Wivi Lönn. I love walking around the corridors exploring. They have the best intermission selections for sweet and savoury products I have ever seen.
On our last morning we had coffee and cake at one of the bookshop cafés nearby – Vanalinna Rahva Raamat. I adore the idea of books and cake, don’t you?
Before taking the ferry back, we did some shopping at the Viru Keskus and tried out the new pizzeria opposite the Viru Keskus – POMO Restorante. It has huge windows so you can look out to the Tammsaare park whilst enjoying your Italian pizza.
I really miss Tallinn, as my visits used to be very frequent, almost once a month! However, I will wait for better times to go again. I hope all the best for all the restaurants and businesses in the city during these tough times ❤ I can’t wait to visit my favourite city as soon as it’s possible.
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 