No Ukraine girls have knocked me out and I have not heard Moscow ladies scream and shout, but I can tell you the Estonian woman are tall and slender, and old Latvian babushkas sometimes look like either gender.
To be honest, I have never heard much about Estonia, so I had no expectations with my arrival. However, I truly now believe it is one of the best upcoming hot spots, and might possibly steal the golden spotlight from Prague one day.
Many people might think I am bonkers for thinking of this small, former U.S.S.R country as something worth seeing. But the following will hopefully intrigue you to pay a bit more attention to our post-soviet friends in the East.
Estonia is apart of the European Union and is on the Euro. If you don’t know where it is, it is nestled between Finland and Russia. We all might be thinking that the euro is expensive, and therefore, it will be a pocket drainer. In the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, things are reasonably priced, especially if you stay out of the tourist trap markets. I haggled my way through those tent deserts!
The old city is medieval, and the local’s take pride on their ye olde century history. There is a famous restaurant called Ye Olde Hansa, which is more like a tourist monopoly in the old town center with their high prices. We didn’t either there, however, the lack of modern daylights (oh yes, they use thousands of candles), and lacking any pleasures of the future (you’re lucky if you get a plate). Although we didn’t eat there, Ye Olde Hansa is a restaurant to walk in, take in the wooden architecture and stumble your way up and down the four stories of medieval brilliance.
Where to Eat
Kuldse Notsu Korts, Dine on authentic food including beetroot root soup, crispy boar ears and gnaw on pork hocks, all for a traveler’s budget. I really enjoyed how cute and cozy this restaurant was! The waitresses dressed in authentic clothing as well, which is always entertaining.
Von Krahli Aed, If you’re on a budget, the most expensive thing on the menu is €14. Not huge portions but food was tasty and well presented. Inside decor was rustic and every table was reserved. I had the chicken breast for €8 and a starter for €4
Nightlife
Lots of Go-Go dancers, techno-color club lights and all the top 40 dance hits of the world. We favored club Hollywood (see linked Youtube video) because the outside looked like the White House, which we found humorous. Drinks are not cheap, but the liquor in the stores was very reasonable for some pre-funk magic. Where to Stay
As for accommodation, we rented an apartment. We had done the backpacker’s hostel thing and thought that renting an apartment would be a different idea. We choose CityHeart Apartments because they were central and next to a shopping district which included a movie theater (5 euro late night movies? I think that is a YES) We were on the 6th floor and had an amazing view of the city. I think we paid 30 euro each a night and had a kitchen, free WiFi, and cable. This building featured in the picture is NOT the apartment, but an old historical factory that was located in the shopping district. It was really beautiful even though it looks eery.
Tallinn and Estonia are amazing places to visit. In the summer there are more activities like taking hikes or visiting castles in the surrounding areas. We went in March, so it was a bit colder, but still had a blast. We are almost willing to throw our American passports in the Baltic Sea and move to Estonia to drink beer and eat pork hocks for the rest of our lives.
When figuring out your next European destination, I suggest Estonia be on your map before everyone else takes advantage of this diamond of the East!
