Something to Declare

Estonia is great, I’m Tallinn ya!

Thursday-Friday, June 26-27, 2025

I wanted to subtitle this post, “Eesti meets Westsiders” (“Eesti” is the Estonian name for Estonia). But Stef overruled me.

The Tallink ferry, “MyStar“, was more like a luxurious ocean liner than, say, the Staten Island Ferry. We were among 2,800 passengers who left Helsinki for the two-hour sail to Tallinn. We’re told that many Finns make the trip on a regular basis, since a lot of stuff (alcohol) is cheaper there.

The logistics at the terminal are incredibly efficient, including inclined escalator-like walkways; all 2,800 of us boarded smoothly and on time. The seating arrangements on the ferry are not characterized by rows of seats; instead the passenger decks are arrayed with groups of lounge chairs, some connected to tables, which facilitated the passengers’ purchase and consumption of food and drink. (I assume this was the idea.) There also were video game rooms for kids and playrooms for toddlers.

Time passed swiftly and, before we knew it, there was Tallinn on the horizon (above, left).

Tallinn was originally a medieval stronghold of the Baltic trading world and the Hanseatic League (a much earlier version of the EU). Under Russian rule for most of its existence, it won independence in 1920, but then came back under Russian rule in 1945. It became independent again in 1991, and quickly westernized, joining the EU and NATO in 2004, and adopting the Euro currency in 2011. Estonia is a global trend-setter in technology: by 1998, every school was online. The software for Skype was invented here. They are among the least religious people in the world. According to Rick Steves, “the majority of Estonians are unaffiliated with any religion; 10% are Lutherans and 16% are Russian Orthodox.”

Stef and I were off to the Old Town of Tallinn, in search of lunch (what else?). On the border of our Tallinn map, we’d found an advertisement for what sounded like a lovely restaurant, and we made our way to it. The ad was true to its word: Stenhus (attached to the Hotel Schlössle) is a gem. A beautiful, leafy, flowery garden that happens to have restaurant tables.

Stef had a Caesar salad with shrimp, and I had the quail with sprat sauce, covered with cheese and greens, some home-made grainy bread, followed by ice cream.

Fortified, we started out on Rick Steve’s self-guided walking tour of the Old Town. The itinerary began with Vanalinn, the so-called Lower Town, which included the guild hall of the Brotherhood of the Black Heads, constructed in 1400:

This guild (sort of a commercial/artisan fraternity) consisted solely of bachelors. Since, according to some sources, their single status was taken as lack of attachment and commitment to the community, the Black Heads were treated by the merchant power structure of Tallinn as lower-tier, with no influence in the commercial hierarchy of the city. Thus, for example, they were the first to be conscripted to fight fires or battles or to do other lower-status community work.

Other sources do not agree with this derogatory characterization of the Black Heads, or their role in society. These sources describe the Black Heads as a sort of “apprentice” guild for younger and less-established merchants and artisans.

(For your information, the name “Black Heads” has nothing to do with skin blemishes. Rather the name is supposed to have originated from the guild’s connection with the figure of St. Maurice, a Roman soldier who became a Christian saint, often depicted as a black-skinned man.)

When a Black Head married, he was admitted to the Great Guild, (see the Great Guild Hall below).

Membership in the Great Guild came with higher status and influence, and the promise of a better economic and political life.

The Hall of the Great Guild is right next to the Russian Embassy to Estonia, which is festooned with protest posters relating to the invasion of Georgia and Ukraine (they haven’t forgotten former Soviet domination). One of these posters included a condemnation of the U.S. as well (for support of Israel):

The walking tour then moved through the Viru Tower Gate…

…to the Toompea (the Upper Town). This involved a climb up steep, cobbled streets, facilitated by a railing along the wall. In the Upper Town are the halls of government, some beautifully landscaped parks, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Overall we were struck by the lack of tourists, the vibrancy of the city of Tallinn, and the general feeling that being nice is part of the business-like culture. By this time I was feeling peckish and footsore; we returned to the ferry terminal area for an early dinner and some wine at a rooftop restaurant, before boarding the ferry.

It was10:00 pm when we got back to the apartment. The sun was still out.