Tallinn II: Telliskivi and Kalamaja

On our only sunny day of the trip, we visited the area west of the Old Town.  Telliskivi is a section of the city that once housed Soviet factories.  This area has been taken over by restaurants, shops, design centers; it is now called The Creative Area.  The night before we had reservations for a restaurant in Telliskivi called Hoone F.  We had the address, which we found, but couldn't see the restaurant anywhere near it.  Finally, I went into another restaurant seemingly at our restaurant's address and asked if someone could direct me to Hoone F.  The very nice manager said he would show us.  This was really kind of him, because I do not think we would otherwise have located it.  Taking us around this large rambling building where his restaurant was, right in the back (in the dark) was Hoone F.  Hoone F, he explained to us, was the first restaurant to set up in Telliskivi.  It has a kind of Soviet décor (sort of like Menza if you've read our Budapest eating history) and tasty Estonian food.

Here is a picture of the restaurant taken from our table.  As you can see, it's from above.  Our table was actually on a kind of balcony which you got to by clambering up two large steps.  (I sat down and slid to clamber down.)  It was an adventure.  But the food was really good.

We started with something called mushroom varenky in sour cream and herbs.  Kind of like ravioli or pierogi.

 

Then I had pork chop with cauliflower and melted cheese sauce (as unappetizing as it usually is) but also potato pancakes--the pancakes being the main reason I ordered it), and Tony had pasta. We shared something called gin and tonic cheesecake, which it really wasn't..Okay: enough about the food.

The next day we went to Telliskivi and saw it in the light.  (We were even more convinced that would have never found F Hoone on our own.)  We traversed the wonderful market and some of the design spaces.  Everything sparkled in the sunshine--a phenomenon we would not repeat in our Baltic trip.

Then we walked through Kalamaja, which was a kind of suburb where workers lived in the 1920s and 1930s in this newly industrialized part of Tallinn.  The houses are wooden and symmetrical and were painted in bright colors.  In recent years, this has all been trendy and the houses have been rejuvenated.

Interestingly, we saw the same kind of houses in the outskirts of town, as we took the bus to Riga.

We ended at the Baltic sea, which we were lucky enough to see in sunshine!

It was Restaurant Week in Tallinn when we were there lots of expensive restaurants serving prix fixe.  We ate at a Spanish restaurant called Alter Ego, and, though we hadn't been looking to eat Spanish food on this trip, really enjoyed it.  Ahi tuna, venison and samosas, and our first version of the ubiquitous Baltic/Russian dessert, a Pavlova.

Here's Tony looking happy at Hoone F and me at Alter Ego. 

Next up, we are off to Riga.

#TallinnEstonia

#Telliskvi
#Kalamaja

We're Going to the Baltics!

As those of you who read my blog know, I love Budapest.  For many reasons: architecture, food, music, wine, and more.  In general, I really like Central and Eastern Europe.  This interest began in 2001 when I had a Fulbright to a small city in Romania called Sibiu.  It culminated in 2009 when Tony had a Fulbright to TImisoara Romania.  In our various trips to Romania (Fulbright gigs), we came to know and love Budapest--because it was so close and affordable--and  then other cities, such as Prague, Vienna, Krakow, Bratislava, and more cities in Hungary. 

Readers of this blog will  also know that I am enamored of turn-of-the-centry architecture, particularly though not exclusively, Hungarian.  So when I read somewhere that Riga, Latvia had the most Art Nouveau architecture of any city in the world, I knew I had to go.  (Actually, I doubt that claim, or at least I think it must be per capita, because Budapest still has a LOT of secession architecture and it is a much larger city).  I had also at one time wanted to visit Tallin, Estonia because it has such a beautiful old town, another of those relatively few cities with an intact medieval core. Researching a visit to Riga and Tallin, I discovered that most triips include the third Baltic state, Lithuania, especially its capital city Vilnius. 

Three small countries, out of the way, (relatively) off the beaten tourist track, Central Europe, lots of architecture.  I was hooked.  I raised the subject with Tony who always says yes.  And voila.  We had our November trip.

EXCEPT we encountered major house renovation (another well trod topic of this blog).  So we delayed making a final decision until we knew what this was going to cost us. 

BUT we recently found out that the insurance company was going to cover the cost of the floor.  (This is another very long story which some people have  heard too much of.  I won't go into  the details except to say that it was a long battle to get them to agree and that my former experience as a technical writing teacher really came in handy--that and my stubborness).  So voila again!

We will be gone the first two weeks in November. (Yes I do know it will be cold, but it will not be crowded with tourists).  It is  an adventure and something that we better do sooner rather than later.  And the prospect of a trip lifts my spirits.


#TheBaltics