Train Trips to Tallinn

This week, we visited Tallinn again, and were able to visit some museums that we couldn’t see last time. The seaplane museum on the water was particularly interesting. There were many exhibits with both civilian and military boats and technology. We were able to visit the inside of a submarine and several boats. The museum also had several old Soviet guns that had been on boats in the past. We also visited the KGB cells museum. The museum is in a basement of a building in Old Town, and contains preserved holding cells that held political prisoners. There were many accounts from former prisoners describing some of the tortures they were subjected to, and many fascinating plaques talking about the history of the building. There was also an exhibit highlighting some of the current repressions by the Belarusian government.

To get to Tallinn, we rode the train. The train ride highlighted for me the luxury of efficient and cheap public transportation. In the US, it can be difficult to use public transportation. It is often expensive, dirty, and can be dangerous. In some cities, the public transportation is great, but in general, I prefer Estonia’s public transportation. It was very easy and inexpensive to get from place to place, whether that be from Narva to Tallinn or around Tallinn itself. I really enjoyed the process of the train ride, too. Estonia has a beautiful countryside, and I loved the opportunity to see the forests and fields go by.

I find it interesting how the weather has changed from the beginning of the summer to now. For the first two weeks that we were here, it was sunny all the time. It also felt as though the sun never set, and there was no rain at all. Now, however, the weather changes constantly. I can never predict whether it will be raining or sunny, and sometimes, it is rainy and sunny at the same time. Although I always have to carry an umbrella, I love these sun showers because there are often beautiful rainbows. The unpredictable weather has certainly been a change, but I enjoy it.