After a long flight from Venice to Tallinn via Berlin and Riga I arrived in Estonia at midnight only to discover that my luggage containing my recording equipment, clothes, food had got lost in transit somewhere in Europe. This wasn’t an ideal way to start my time here but it is a part of modern day travel, first world problems!

To take my mind off the sickening feeling of losing everything that was needed to make this trip comfortable and productive I walked from the hotel into town and then to Tallinn’s medieval “Old Town” built between the 13th and 16th centuries. With no sound equipment I enjoyed walking around taking photos.

Outside of the “Old Town” there is a real Soviet era influence. I used to live in South Korea and the buildings in this area of Tallinn reminded me a lot of South Korean architecture and urban design: utilitarian.

Similar to South Korea there were small spaces where more traditional architecture survives:

The “Old Town” includes a fortress and town gates, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, a couple of Orthodox Churches, and a garden said to be the birthplace of the Danish Flag:

The walk was a fantastic introduction to what is to come over the next 4 weeks during my residency here in Estonia. Here’s hoping that my next walk will include a sound recorder that has freshly arrived from Tallinn airport’s “Lost and Found” department.