I had heard from some friends that while old town Tallinn is nice enough, the more interesting areas were the ones out beyond the touristic center. That said, while Balti Jaama Market is outside the old town center (just barely), it is far from unknown. Nonetheless, based on what I had seen and read I knew this would be one of the places I'd most want to see.
You walk in and are immediately presented with a few alluring options for a snack/beverage.
Like VegB12
Or Samsa Family Bakers (note, there are two Samsa options I saw; one right near the entrance, another further in; believe they are related).
Venture further in and you get multiple options for collecting your ingredients. Fruit & veg vendors, butchers, specialty & gourmet stands. There is also a full-on grocery store (Selver).
Upstairs is a wild and expansive selection of flea market stands / antiques shops / vintage/secondhand shops (saw a lot of second hand shops in Helsinki, too; appears to be in style).
The pics don't really do this justice, so I took a walking video.
So much stuff to check out. Unfortunately for me, not enough time.
But there was time for bringing home treats. Spent a good 10 minutes in Kalev selecting an assortment of things to bring home for Judy and I to try.
At this point it had been a few hours since my BK brunch on the ferry, so I stopped for a necessary espresso and some ham & cheese thing from the second Samsa location. Best I can describe it is like an Uzbek empanada/hot pocket.
For me it was a little too flaky and crunchy w/o that much actual ham & cheese. It would have to do, though, because I needed to head back outside to explore Telliskivi.
One quick vibe video of my POV while eating the Uzbek hot pocket before we go.
Of course the 'Creative City' would have been livelier on a warm and sunny Saturday, but I was in town on a cool and grey Sunday. Couldn't change that. Still, interesting to meander through while imagining what it could be at its best. First took a few pics as I found my way into the center of the area (if there is indeed a center).
Very creative / artsy / alt / indie vibes everywhere. I mostly observed from the exterior, though I did quickly duck into Fotografiska, which had a decent crowd for a Sunday afternoon. The whole area reminded me of Electric Avenue, in Gdansk, though what I saw there was largely closed up. But it does appeark to be a kindred entertainment development. (Fwiw, we passed through Electric Avenue during our bike tour in Gdansk earlier this year.)
Pretty sure that's F-Hoone, not FPizza, above and below.
This post will be light on narrative and heavy on photos. I took ~90 pictures while wandering around Tallinn's old town. Tried to edit myself and maybe feature ~25 of them. The thing is that everywhere you turn around town reveals another incredibly charming scene. Nothing wrong with just strolling around and enjoying the medieval scenery, am I right? So after my initial approach I did find Fat Margaret and used her as my entry point to the town.
Then with Fat Margaret behind me, I made my way down Lai toward Nunne.
And soon found my way to the Patkuli Stairs, which you can climb up for view and access to upper old town (aka Toompea).
And then bounced around the streets of Lower Town, taking a variety shots of the photogenic intersections, plazas, and boutiques.
In an ideal world I'd have had one or two nights to spend here and Judy would be walking around with me, ducking into the shops and trying some of the food. Maybe another time.
Next post will cover the Balti Jaama Turg and Creative City areas.
