Tallinn

Estonia

“His whole future seemed suddenly to be unrolled before him; and passing down its endless emptiness he saw the dwindling figure of a man to whom nothing was ever to happen.”

Edith Wharton

Another sleep in before an invigorating walk.

Latvia does cemeteries well. Not a plastic flower in sight. It is like a wonderful park filled with dead people.

Constitutional claesthetics and breakfast on the road.

Rachelle finds an excellent bakery in Valmiera called Kēkss. Delicious savoury baked goods and wonderful cakes. I eat two cakes. Driving is demanding on the appetite.

A short drive to Tallinn. Just the one night before we catch the ferry tomorrow morning to Finland.

We take a stroll around the Tallinn old city. It is very cool. I think I am coming down with some ailment. I have a sore throat and generally do not feel my usual self.

Fortunately, we have dinner booked at Väike Rataskaevu, which has an extensive wine list. I feel large volumes of alcohol are the path to my returned vitality.

We head to Vixen Vinoteek for pre dinner drinks. It is here we find out that Estonians from Tallinn cannot stand the Finns.

Starting with two whites –

2023 Weingut am Stein VINZ organic Silvaner – Würzburg, Germany

2021 Domaine de Pedrycourt Chablis – Chablis, France

Some complimentary chips and olives with chorizo. Another white and a Chianti before we head to dinner.

2025 Weingut Bründlmayer Kamptal Riesling – Langnelois, Austria

2022 Castello Di Varrazzano Chianti Classico – Chianti, Italy

A short stroll to Väike Rataskaevu, and our waiter is Robert. Robert has an Australian accent. He spent seven months in Australia, which means we are all great friends.

He confirms that Estonians dislike Finns. No sooner does he share this news than a Finnish couple arrives without a reservation and is offered a table. Despite a full restaurant, no reservation, the Finnish couple demand a better table than the one they are offered.

It is true, the Finns are rude.

We switch to beers and order our meals. Shell starts with the smoked eel soup. I go for the three cheese pie, which is a kitchen suggestion. We both go for the slow-cooked elk as a main.

It is illegal to farm elk in Estonia, and hunting elk is conducted under strict quotas. It is a rare privilege to eat this noble cervidae. Not to be confused with the elf, which is equally tasty but unrelated to the deer family.

The house made bread made with malt and molasses is something special.

Local craft beers by Põhjala, we go with the rye ale and the Vermalised IPA before switching to a 2023 Adagãme Portuguese Cabernet.

We skip dessert and decide on some ice cream for the walk home. It is raining, and the temperature is now cool. I am thinking about the hot summers in Dubai and Australia. I don’t mind these mild Baltic summers.

We stroll home with our dessert and wonder if we should have spent more time in Estonia.

Tomorrow we catch the ferry to Finland, where the people are dickheads.

“And the danger is that in this move toward new horizons and far directions, that I may lose what I have now, and not find anything except loneliness.”

Sylvia Plath