Estonia: Where medieval meets modern

Not only was this a logical route from Scandinavia to Eastern Europe, but ever since we watched Jane McDonald’s cruising program, we had a desire to visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

We drove off the ferry right into Tallinn town centre and took a short drive to the City marina where we parked up for €10 per night (with EHC). When we arrived at the site, the Nord stream ocean racing yachts were being loaded on transporters. This is an ocean race with Russia, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Finland taking part and its principal is to connect the Baltic countries through sport. This year, Russia won the coveted trophy.

A short bus ride back to the medieval walled town of Tallinn, of which the cobbled streets are adorned with cafes and souvenir shops, was a medieval themed market with the sellers dressed in appropriate costumes. The crafts that lined the streets were very impressive – mainly handcrafted wooden ornaments and women were spinning wool to make jumpers and gloves.

At midday, the clock tower chimes and out pop three actors to do a circuit around the town hall. We have no idea why, but it was amusing. There are many museums to visit and great architecture to admire while you sit at one of the many pavement cafes. Beyond the city is the new town and, to be honest, it felt no different to any other town. However, you can see why the cruise ships (of which there were many) now include this beautiful town as a must stop over.

From Tallinn, we headed to Narva that sits on the Russian border. Ninety-minutes past Narva, we arrived at Kuremae. We settled for the evening at the Puhtitsa Convent that dates back to 1891 and is the only functioning Russian Orthodox nunnery in Estonia. In ancient times, a sacred place of the Estonians was located here and a sacrificial spring was at the foot of the hill. The spring is known as a ‘holy spring’ today for the curative powers of its water. One can also bathe in the refreshing water. The convent gates are open and you can walk around and observe convent life.

We had a peaceful night and the next day I filled a 5-litre bottle with the holy water but, alas, it did not work for us as we then developed a tummy upset! So… back to supermarket water for us!

The next venue was Tartu, a city in Eastern Estonia. It’s known for the prestigious, 17th-century University of Tartu. The old town centres on the university’s neoclassical main building, and the cafe-filled Town Hall Square – home to The Kissing Students Statue. This is a vibrant city and felt very modern in its approach to daily life.

As Estonia is 5 times smaller than the UK, we were soon at the border with Latvia. It’s a great country to tour with a motorhome and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip here!