The Baltics or Baltic States are geopolitical terms used to group the three Northern European sovereign states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania located on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.
To be honest, I had few preconceptions of these countries. When I was growing up, I remember them being behind the Iron Curtain, and it's only fairly recently in historical terms that they gained their independence. So, it was out of curiosity perhaps that this was our chosen trip.
On arrival from the UK, we found ourselves in a small but refreshingly pleasant airport. Our tour was starting in Estonia, the smallest of the three countries with an area of 45,227km2, 4000 miles of coastline and included 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea.
We met our first couple of the trip, who'd had the same idea as us to arrive a day early. We were transferred to the hotel, which was quite luxurious from first appearances. Our room was reasonably big with a nice ensuite but unfortunately, as we were gasping for a cuppa by now, had no tea or coffee making facilities.
We went for a wander round Tallinn, Estonia's capital and largest city, with a population of 420,000. The Old Town, framed by old city walls, was only a stone's throw from the hotel. We entered through the main gates up to the Town Hall Square, then located the "Hell Hunt" pub (means 'Gentle Wolf') which had been recommended to us. The old town of cobbled streets and narrow alleyways retained a very medieval feel to it, but with a modern twist.
There was a connection here with cats, birds (cockerels) and sheep which we wanted to find out more about. Plus, it was known for its amber. We did learn that the cats' thing was probably due to the story of the 'Cat's Well'.
The wheel well on the corner of Dunkri was one of the main sources of water for the Tallinners. According to local legend, an evil spirit was believed to reside in the well and needed animal sacrifices so that the well wouldn't run dry. Some sheep and cattle carcasses were thrown down the well, but the main victims were stray cats who were tossed, sometimes live, down the well. The practice became so common that it became known as 'Cat's Well'. The town wells never ran dry, but the water quality wouldn't have been the best either. Today the water is much safer and the cats of the Old Town no longer live in fear!
Dating back to the 13th Century, the Old Town with its winding, cobbled streets, half-hidden lanes, courtyards, spired churches and old merchant homes of the medieval capital is the main draw here. The initial walkabout had given us a plan for the official first day of the tour, which was mostly free time to explore here.
It was getting chilly, so we went back to the hotel to change into warmer clothing before heading off to the "Hell Hunt" for tea. Having been up some fifteen hours by this stage and not having had a proper meal, we were both in need of some sustenance.
The "Hell Hunt" pub had its own craft beers, which we sampled (well, it was rude not to). I had a big bowl of crispy potatoes with mince and cheese followed by an Irish coffee, the latter which tasted more like a drop of coffee in a glass of whiskey. Andy had pike perch fillet with fried potatoes and some green stuff, possibly mashed asparagus, plus apple pie for dessert. We took a long wander back through the Old Town via Tammsaare Park to the hotel for a good night's sleep!
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