Today was a day of exploration. It all started with a guided tour of the old town after breakfast. We made our way through the coast gate (i.e. the city gate closest to the sea), went on via the church of St.Olaf, passing by the Russian embassy – and on to the main square with the town hall in gothic style. The tour continued from downtown to the upper part of the old center, with stops at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral.

From here it was back to the hotel – with the group already splitting on the way back. I had decided for myself, that I had enough of the old town with all its churches and – after a quick pit stop – made my way into (mostly) modern Tallinn.

I first passed through the Rotermanni quarter; here historical industrial buildings were renovated and repurposed to flats, shops, restaurants and in-places, various architects took part in the process – and the area shows an amazing combination of redeveloped and modernized industrial architecture.

I continued to Kadriorg Park with Kadriorg Palace and its gardens; also featuring a (disappointing – at least in my opinion) Japanese Garden. I followed the alley down to the sea – and straight for the Russalka Monument (a monument to the 177 victims of the sinking of the Russian monitor ship Rusalka in 1894). After a quick stop at the beach I made my way back to town along the seafront promenade, passing by the ferry terminal – and on to Linnahall (a multi-purpose venue, built for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, formerly known as Lenin Palace of Culture and Sports, today a lost place – and in search for an investor).

By now it was afternoon and I was in search for something to eat from this millennium; a quick scan of google maps gave me a destination – a craft beer brewery with a good selection of food at the other side of the old town – right in Tallinn’s central market.

I made my way – with an espresso stop in the old town. After some good food (and a nice IPA) I continued to explore the area further … an area full of cultural venues, bars and pubs. After some further stops (including a quick check of a normal residential area) I made it back to hotel – again crossing through the old town.

My cell phone had counted more than 30K steps for the day … and the option for a quick visit of the hotel spa was more than welcome – before some good sleep.