Day 9: Tallinn

We arrived in Tallinn on the evening of the eighth day, and I must admit I slept extremely well that night. We had been promised a very nice hotel by our professor and he certainly did not disappoint; the Hotel Telegraaf was splendid. Not only were the beds extremely comfortable, the breakfast was luxurious, and the spa was incredibly relaxing. We also had two special and unexpected events while we were there. The first was that we just happened to be staying there at the same time as Lenny Kravitz (we shared a Turkish bath!) and secondly we got to see the crown princess of Sweden! But celebrities aside, Tallinn was not what I had expected. 

Oldest medieval house in Tallinn.

On the first morning we had a walking tour of the old part of the city. We had heard a lot beforehand about what a technologically advanced city it was, thus I was not expecting to have arrived in such a beautiful medieval place. It was touristy, but very very charming nonetheless. And what else would you expect from a city that has several cruise ships of tourists passing through each week?

Orthodox church on Toompea Hill. 

We admired the architecture and then paid a visit to the Estonian Parliament (Toompea Palace). This did in fact show to us the modernity of the city that I was expecting. I think it is remarkable that all voting in Estonia takes place electronically; it seems very progressive and efficient. This political decision clearly shows how committed Estonia is to promoting their 'Internet industry'. However, I believe there is a downside to having so much of the country's important information located online and dependent on the Internet - this is precisely why the cyberattacks of 2007 were so significant for Estonia; provoking a move by the NATO to establish a cyber defense headquarters in the country.

Inside the Estonian Parliament. 

The color scheme in this room (above) represents the colors of the Estonian flag. Blue for the sky over the native land, white for the purity of the people, and black for their attachment to the earth. 

Following this visit, we made our way to the President's house and made a stop at a beautiful look out point that really should not be missed by any Tallinn visitor. Beautiful photo opportunity.

Panoramic view of old Tallinn facing the Baltic Sea. 

The handsome men of our group.

The President's office.