Old Town

If I would have made a list of countries to visit, I would not have had Estonia on that list. But when my daughter, Emily, asked me to travel there with me, I said yes. We stayed right within the walls of Tallinn.

I quickly realized how special that decision had been. Walking through the old town felt like stepping into another century. Within these medieval walls, cobblestone streets curved between narrow buildings painted in soft colors. Tallinn’s Old Town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and recognized for being one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Europe.  

From the lower town, we climbed stone steps. From the overlooks, the view opened into a sea of red roofs. Below us were guild halls and merchant houses from the city’s days as a Hanseatic trading center. Tallinn was a major port in the Hanseatic League, linking merchants from Germany and Scandinavia with markets farther east. The wealth from that era built the stone warehouse, guild halls and defensive towers that still define the old town today.

Estonia has been at a crossroads between East and West. Over the centuries, it passed through Danish, Swedish and Russian rule before enduring decades under Soviet occupation in the 20th century. This small country regained its independence in 1991.

Tallinn proved to be a beautiful town enclosed within its ancient walls. Like so much in life, meaningful journeys begin with a simple “yes”.