On arrival in Estonia I didn't really have anything planned except a tour of the KGB museum in Hotel Viru at 1600 (thanks
@Mattg for the suggestion!) Whilst chilling in the lounge, I was also talking to a group of American travel agents (who appear to work for Oneworld?) and one of them suggested checking out the Olde Hansa restaurant which is Medieval themed and features dishes such as game, venison... and bear. Of course, I had to try the bear!
Whilst in the lounge I made a new friend (shoutout to Julie if you ever see this!) and as we didn't have anything firm planned we decided to go with the flow and explore the Old Town together. Highlights of the meandering included the KGB Prison Cells in a beautiful residential building, Restoran Olde Hansa, some churches, and the Hotel Viru and KGB Museum.
First stop was one of many churches in Old Tallinn - this one allowed you to climb the tower (which had 350 steps, trust me I counted) for 3 euros. At the top there were some stunning views of the surrounding area. Old Tallinn has about 5 cathedrals, some of which you have to pay to enter and others of which are free. All of them look different and are worth checking out, they're onl about 5-10 mins walk from each other.
The next stop was the former KGB Prison Cells which have been turned into a museum. They were briefly residential buildings and standing outside and looking at the facade its hard to imagine the horrors that were committed inside during the Soviet occupation. Entry is 9 euros, and it's worth taking a look at the displays inside and hearing more about the stories and realities of living under the KGB during the Cold War.
Lunch was at Restoran Olde Hansa, a medieval themed restaurant with limited lighting inside. The servers dress in medieval garb, beer is served in tankards, the menu is written in calligraphic script, and the waiters talk to you in ye olde english. An interesting - and as I discovered not cheap - experience. I did order the bear, which came with a fruit compote, stewed apples, a cheese bread, and spatz. It was reasonably tasty, not tough, and to me seemed to taste like duck - but I don't know if that was because of the berry sauce, which is a common accompaniment for duck. I also ordered it with the recommended glass of French red, which from memory was 20 euros and was the smallest glass of red I've ever had in my life. Seemed more like a taster, which for 20 euros is a bit of a joke. All up, the meal cost 90 euros, so not cheap at all, but hey, I've tried bear now. And I guess you pay for the medieval experience part too, which in my opinion was not really gimmicky and seemed quite well executed all up.
We then wandered some more throughout the afternoon, checked out more cathedrals and also stopped for coffee and cake at Cafe Maiasmokk, the oldest cafe in Tallinn. It's a nice enough cafe, but ordering took forever as you had to queue at the counter and there seemed to be only one lady who was taking orders and also making all the coffees, so all it took was one person to order for the table and you were standing there for a while. I had a chocolate cake and cappuccino and both were nice, this time for a more reasonable 9.5 euros.
I then made my way to Viru Keskus (Hotel Viru) for the KGB museum. The museum is on the 23rd floor of the hotel and consists of memorabilia and a picture. It is only accessible through a guided tour which can be booked online or at the hotel. They run about 6 sessions a day and 4 of them (including mine) were fully booked by the time of the tour so get in quick! It was a very interesting experience, going for a bit over an hour. Our guide was a local lady who had grown up during the hotel's operation and she had a very dry sense of humour, coupled with some very entertaining stories. She gave excellent insight into what it was like for the Estonians working at the hotel, which was essentially a giant tourist trap to get hard currency from Western tourists, and advance Soviet propaganda. She provided a real window on what it was like living under Soviet rule, the lengths they went to to convince the locals that they were living in a perfect state, and how clearly the locals saw through all of this but played the game.
Some interesting things are that it had over 1,000 staff and at its max only 800 guests. Staff and guests were spied on by KGB agents on the 23rd floor - the KGB denied the existence of such a facility. When they left in 1991, they left a lot behind and this was preserved by the hotel's Finnish owners. And the rest, they say, is history. Highly recommend checking this tour out when you're there.
After that, it was back to the terminal for the ferry home. Tomorrow, I'm off to the airport for my flight to LHR on the A350 where I will be able to experience firsthand the divisive Finnair couch. Then a, 8.5hr layover featuring the Concorde Room and then BA First to Washington.
Also checkout the ferry's on-board buffet option if you dont have any specific dinner plans (thanks to @Kerrodt for recommendations back in May this year!)
