Tallinn
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Baltics and Scandinavia – Part 5
It’s Easter Day in Tallinn, and my hotel sensibly extends its breakfast hours until 11am. The restaurant is packed with visitors, including some very hungover young men and a couple of families with unruly children. I like to think of myself as a traveller, but an upmarket hotel on a holiday weekend just makes me…
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Baltics and Scandinavia – Part 4
Good Friday gets off to an early start. Today it’s all about getting to Tallin, the capital of Estonia. It is possible to get from Vilnius by train but you can’t do it all in one day. And so the bus is the only viable option. I decide to take a cab from the hotel…
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From showbiz to snowbiz
By the time we escape from the rehearsals of Eesti Laul, it’s been snowing, which gives Tallinn a pretty feel about it. Unlike the UK, several millimetres of snow doesn’t bring the whole city to a halt. That’s before we see the probable winners of this year’s contest, Traffic. Among the selection of power ballads…
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Oh go on then…
It’s some years since I first did this, and it’s always been something I thought I’d return to one day. Except the last time was in Malta, where the sun shines in February and all is well with the world. It’s just as well that much of the next three days will be spent indoors,…
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Swedish Clefs and Wartime Oompah
DAY FOUR – THURSDAY 15th SEPTEMBER – EVENING I wasn’t joking when I mentioned starting the evening with some light chamber music. I’d considered a night at the Opera – but frankly the Opera House is a bit of a trek across town. Plus the words would be in Japanese or whatever language they use for opera.…
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Stockmann, Aching and Waterman
DAY FOUR : Thursday 15th September I’ve managed to wake up early today – and I’ve seen something incredible. Not long after sunrise, Tallinn actually had some sunshine. It looked like a perfect day for exploring a bit of Estonia’s coastline. And then it started raining again. Fortunately, my Tour Bus ticket last for 24…
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Time Warp Tallinn
DAY THREE : Wednesday 14th September There are worse things to have named after you than a park. Much worse things, I reckon. After a lifetime of service to your country, the last thing you want to remembered for is having your name on something too small, like a memorial stone that dogs pee all over…
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Your Lux In
NIGHT TWO – TUESDAY 13th SEPTEMBER “Serge Gainsbourg – you might know him… he’s a famous French composer?” Greg Lami’s got a tough crowd tonight, at least when it comes to their musical knowledge. I think I’m the only customer in the Von Krahl bar who knows who Serge Gainsbourg is. Then again, I only really know him…
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Too Wet To Woo
DAY TWO – TUESDAY 13th SEPTEMBER I’m not really the suspicious type. When it comes to numbers I don’t really associate 13 with being unlucky. But it’s the 13th of the month, and I appear to have landed in Tallinn during the little-known Baltic Monsoon season. The weather today has gone from bright and sunny…
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A Taste of Home
MONDAY 12th SEPTEMBER – NIGHT “You know, I don’t care much for real ale. I can’t stand beer that’s served warm.” It’s the kind of line that might well land a punch from me. Or at least a glare. And I’m very good at glaring. But I could forgive Bobby, as (a) it’s the first…
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