18 June 2018, Monday
Wakey wakey, it’s my third and final full day in Tallinn today. Months ago, when I was still in the planning stages for this trip, I considered heading out of the city today to visit Lahemaa National Park, 70km east of Tallinn. Lahemaa is Estonia’s first and largest national park, and it’s a place of outstanding beauty. However, based on my research, it wasn’t easy getting there by public transport as there are no direct bus services. The journey will involve several bus transfers and it will not be worthwhile to make a day trip and back. Hence, I decided to stay put in the city today.
Since I cannot visit Lahemaa National Park, the next best thing will be to head out of the Old Town and go to Pääskula bog trail to get my fix of nature and hiking. Yesterday evening, I rented a mountain bike from City Bike for 24 hours, starting from 7pm. I had already collected the bicycle and stored it at my accommodation at Tabinoya. At 9:30am this morning, I set off on my bike towards Pääskula bog trail, about 10km south of the Old Town, in the Männiku area.
If you’re wondering what a bog is, let me tell you more. According to National Geographic (click here), a bog is a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. Bogs often develop in poorly draining lake basins created by glaciers during the most recent ice age. A bog is formed when a lake slowly fills with plant debris. The slowly decaying plants eventually form thick, spongy layers of peat.
Peat is a fossil fuel that is the first stage in the long process of plant material turning into coal. Peat has been harvested by man for thousands of years because it is a source of energy for heating, insulation and electricity. In the first half of the 20th century, Pääskula bog was drained for the peat industry. After peat mining ended in the 1950s, it became a waste ground and later a landfill in 1974. The landfill was finally closed in 2007.
Pääskula bog has now been completely drained and 90% of it is covered in forest. The oldest peat fields are hidden in the ground at a depth of 5m. In 2013, Pääskula bog was given protection status due to the size of the green area and its great natural diversity. About 300 species of plants, more than 140 species of birds and 17 species of dragonflies can be found here.
There are two hiking trails at Pääskula bog – a 2km trail and a 4km one. The 2km trail starts and ends at Hiiu Street while the 4km trail starts and ends at Kraavi Lane. With the aid of Google Maps, I had little trouble finding my way, and arrived at the start of the trail at Kraavi Lane at 10:30am.
I first encountered a pine grove before entering a boardwalk trail. Along the way, I passed by a small freshwater stream, where I spotted a duck waddling in the shallow water, and also a trench filled with still and slimy water. I also saw a few other people jogging but other than that, it was very quiet.
As it was a bog, the whole trail was flat and rather uneventful. I also didn’t see any other wildlife besides the lone duck. The most exciting part was the 10m-tall observation tower. From the top, I had a nice view of the pine tree canopy and the surrounding bog landscape.
I ended the hike at 11:45am. Of course, I can’t compare this to the Trolltunga or Preikestolen hikes in Norway because they are completely different terrains, but it felt good to get out of the city for a while and enjoy a different kind of nature experience.
After that, I cycled to the nearby Nõmme Ujula for a swim. The admission fee was €5 (S$8.13) for two hours’ usage. The 25m pool had six lanes and it wasn’t very crowded so I managed to get a good swim out of it. It felt great to burn off some calories from all the beers and alcohol I had consumed during the past few days!
After finishing my swim at about 1:30pm, I cycled back towards the city centre, but went to Telliskivi Creative City instead, about 1km away from Old Town. Telliskivi Creative City (click here) is an industrial wasteland reborn. During Soviet times, the area was dominated by machinery construction, electro-technical companies and the locomotive industry. At the end of 2007, development started to turn the area into a community for the creatives.
2009 saw the arrival of the first tenant, the headquarters of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Weekly flea markets and a skate park soon drew the crowds in, and it was followed by clubs, bands and restaurants. Today, the 10 buildings in Telliskivi Creative City host 250 companies, 1,500 people and many visitors. It is a vibrant place for the ever-poopular Saturday flea market, concerts, standup gigs and experimental theatre.
As soon as I stepped into the area, I could see the appeal immediately. It was funky, cool and hip. Street art was everywhere. The once-bare brick walls of the buildings were all covered with colourful and imaginative paintings, lending an edgy vibe worthy of a creative centre. There were also sections that remained gritty and derelict, keeping its roots as a former industrial area intact.
I then made my way to Balti Jaama Turg, a renovated building with a farmer’s market, supermarket, restaurants and shops. The second floor of the building also housed flea market stalls selling clothes, handicrafts and antiques.
I had my late lunch at F-Hoone, the first restaurant to be established here at Telliskivi Creative City in 2010. F-Hoone is located within a 100-year-old industrial building. It was suitably hip and cool. I ordered a hipster meal of grilled salmon with avocado, beans and seaweed (€10/S$16.25) and a latte (€2.80/S$4.55).
Following that, I cycled over to Kalma Saun (click here), one of the oldest saunas in Tallinn. In operation since 1928, it has a beautiful, classic Art Deco façade. The men’s sauna uses an old-fashioned, traditional wood-burning sauna stove, while the women’s sauna is electric-heated and is thus cheaper. I paid €10 for admission.
Kalma Saun offers a Russian-style banya (steam bath) experience, as you can purchase birch twig bunches to whack them all over the body like the Russians do. As I was alone, it was rather hard for me to strike up a conversation with the other patrons (who were all local), especially when you don’t have a stitch of clothing on you. It was an interesting experience for sure, but I didn’t linger for too long.
After that, I cycled back to the Old Town and returned my bicycle as my 24 hour rental was up. It had been an eventful day of exercise – cycling, hiking, swimming and walking. I then went to buy some groceries before heading back to Tabinoya.
At the hostel, I met a sprightly English lady, Pat, and we started talking. She was travelling solo and she shared with me her adventures in Lithuania and Latvia before coming to Tallinn. I was in awe of how fearless and adventurous she was. How I wish I can be like Pat and still travel solo at her age! Bless her kind soul!
The owner of Tabinoya, a young gentleman named Taro, was also at the hostel (he lived here too). He told us how he relocated to Estonia from Japan six years ago because he was trying to escape the hustle and bustle of his home country. He found what he was looking for in Estonia and decided to open Tabinoya when the opportunity came and the space was available. I really admired what he had done. I would love to run a cosy guest house like him, and meet travellers from all over the world too.
This is my favourite part about travelling – talking to other travellers and hearing their stories. It really doesn’t matter where you come from or how old you are. As long as you have an adventurous spirit, the world is your oyster!
At about 8:45pm, I went to my favourite pub, Hell Hunt, to watch the World Cup football match between England and Tunisia. It was my third night in a row here. As England was playing, the whole pub was packed to the brim and I ended up sitting outdoors. I ordered a plate of fish & chips and beer for €12.60 (S$20.50) while soaking up the wonderful atmosphere. Harry Kane scored a stoppage time winner and the whole pub (well, almost) went mad. What an end to my stay in Tallinn. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Russia and I’ll soon be watching the World Cup ‘live’ in the stadium. So excited!
