Securing a copy of Little Prince in Estonian
Tallinn, a surprisingly charming, beautiful Nordic city (despite - or in spite of ? - its "dark" past). Plus, the locals are extremely friendly (contrary to what they claim). This spontaneous decision was worth the side trip! Would definitely go back if given a chance. Maybe even cross to Helsinki by ferry, 80 km away!
We managed to book a seat at Ecolines and Hanna’s flat via Airbnb the night prior to our spontaneous trip to Tallinn from Riga. At 9pm in the chilly underground apartment one fine summer in 2019, B and I rushed to reserve seats at a bus and successfully booked a charming artist’s Airbnb just outside of the gates of the old city.
We arrived early morning in Tallinn, just before lunch. It was even more chilly in Tallinn but the sun was shining. The apartment was quite easy to access from the bus station via tram. We were met by the apartment owner when we got to her building. However, we had to climb five flight of stairs. Once settled, we grabbed some lunch in the nearby burger place called Jahu Tänavagurmee. There, we shared a table with another couple. They were probably Estonian. B and I politely greeted them. They greeted us back. Inevitably, we could hear each other’s conversations. They probably figured we were speaking French so when they left, they said their goodbyes in French. What a lovely couple. I decided I should also learn a few Estonian phrases.
Tere! Hi! Aitäh! Thank you. Finally, after 10 years of hearing this in the Eurovision performance of Urban Symphony, I finally figured the singer was thanking the audience in Estonian!
We went around the charming city of Tallinn for the rest of the afternoon. I got my copy of Little Prince from a nearby shopping center called Kristiine Centre after asking a few locals for a bookstore. We had to get out of the old town to reach the nearest mall which was near a busy boulevard. There, we also got some refreshments. Jet lag got the better of me. My energy started to dwindle. So much so that even if I asked for B’s help to look for the Little Prince, I couldn’t find it! I gave up and decided to ask the store attendant:
— “Excuse me, do you have a copy of the Estonian version of the Little Prince?”. The store attendant flashed a wide smile and pointed me to a shelf across him and where I was standing.
— “It’s right over there, Madame.” He might have noticed I was looking perplexed as I try to familiarize myself with the book covers. He extended his arm over the shelves and handed me a copy himself, still flashing his bright, charming smile. I felt flushed of embarrassment.
— “Aitäh, thank you, I’m just so tired I couldn’t barely notice anything in front of me,” I apologized. He asked if I need any more assistance. I was hoping that I could also pay through him, but he directed me to his colleague. I thanked him once again and bid him goodbye as I make my way to the cashier.
I wasn’t feeling adventurous during the first day. Too tired from the trips from Nice, to Klaipeda, to Riga all in two weeks and jet lagged. I could just hope that the next full day would be better for another thorough visit. More on that on another day!
How to get to Tallinn from Riga
By bus which will take roughly around 4 hours, book via Ecolines, ~20 EUR return ticket, take the Saint Petersburg route/direction and alight at Tallinn main bus station
How to get around Tallinn
Depending on your needs, you may want to get a single journey ticket from the machines, directly from the bus driver or purchase a Tallinn card from any kiosks
Helpful Estonian phrases
Tere ! Hi
Aitäh ! Thanks
Where to stay in Tallinn
We booked our lodging via AirBnB on last minute (less than 24 hours notice) and our host, Hanna, was very accommodating
