A Winter Wednesday Walk in the Old Town of Tallinn.

A Wednesday Walk in the Old Town of Tallinn.

That Wednesday my son's mother-in-law took me for a walk around the Old Town of Tallinn, the capital of our country Estonia. We started our walk from the train station, not from the main entrance, but it did not make our walk less picturesque.

We did not use the horse carriage from the top picture. It was only a great object for a photo, but we decided to walk around the Old Town, go on foot.

We are approaching the tower Kiek in de Kök or "Peep into the Kitchen" as its name sounds in English. It was built in the 15th century as an artillery tower with walls as thick as 4 metres - a serious object with such a frivolous name. There is an explanation for that. People say it comes from the ability of the curious tower occupants to see what is cooked in kitchens of nearby houses.
There is a museum and a photo gallery there now.

We passed the tower and headed to the centre of the Old Town along the stone walls of the ancient fortress.

The name of this street is Pikk Jalg, which can be translated as "Long Leg" because it leads to the same place as the street Lühike Jalg, or "Short Leg", and is much longer. I like these old, historical names.

There are lots of souvenir shops and art galleries in the Old Town. There is an art shop in this pretty yard too.

This old orthodox church looks like a cake beautifully decorated with cream and chocolate, doesn't it?

In the distance, you can see St. Nicholas Church or Niguliste kirik in Estonian. It dates back to the 13th century and was one of the main churches in the ancient Tallinn.

The church was dedicated to St. Nicholas - the patron of the fishermen and sailors. Now, it hosts a museum and is also used as a concert hall. I found in the Net that the Art Museum there focuses on ecclesiastical art from the Middle Ages onward. Sounds interesting! I must visit it next time when I come to Tallinn, but not now, not now... Today we are here for a walk.