Museums; Open Air / Under Ground

The excitement of traveling around to another country for two days probably made everyone not get too much sleep. It didn't stop anybody, however, from being ready for a day's full of activities to come starting early Tuesday morning. The Adrenalin rush had everybody social and eager, for we not only had another chance to get to go into downtown Tallinn as well as old town again, but also a few new places to explore.

Our first major trip required a bus trip a short distance outside of the city to the Estonian open air museum which displayed the communities and lifestyles of historical settlements of the Tallinn area. From our first views there were already stark contrasts to where we had visited the day prior. Unlike the close, narrow quarters of old town, the open air museum filled with historic "log-cabin" communities was spacious with many trees, lush patches of grass, and fresh air. It was very neat to see the medieval Tallinn in a different form.

The farmlands were a major part of the nation, and being so close to the sea, it was not only beautiful, but educational to analyze the geography and lifestyles of the inhabitants living there only centuries before. The buildings were made of wood, and were garnished by thick moss that had grown over the years.

Throughout the park many workers were assuming the roles of making handicrafts while wearing the clothing of the period and relaxing at their "homes". The scenery was so pretty with the ocean in the background, hilly plains, humble houses, and even surprises such as horse carriages riding through the park.

The morning was filled with many things to look at and we were fortunate the weather was so beautiful.

Later on in the day, back in town, many of us decided together that we wanted to see another museum. There was information that caught our attention the previous day and it was for tours through the underground tunnels of Tallinn. The idea sounded very intriguing so a large group of us went together to find out what it was all about.

The Estonian bastions were first construed in the early 1600's by the Swedes for the purpose of having protected barriers while firing ammunition. Webbed between these bastions were passageways and tunnels the provided shelter, safety, storage, and mobility. It was fascinating to hear about this even before entering the tunnels to just ponder the idea, while looking over to the old town, that underneath everything was a sprawling underground connection system. Guests on the tour were offered lambs wool blankets since beneath the surface the temperature was below 40F. Much chillier than the sunny outdoors, we were able to see our breath condensating as we traveled lower into the musty abyss. Deep beneath the surface it was damp, and from all of the limestone around us the air was stale, but it was so cool walking single file through tunnels that were used hundreds of years over.

The progression and history of the tunnels was very interesting as well. The tunnels were used less frequently for warfare as time went on. In the 1700's they were used more for storage, and then less even in the 1800's. It wasn't until the early 1900's where the tunnels were used to their full potential once more. When the U.S.S.R. began forming, the Soviets used the tunnels once again for warfare storage, hiding, troop bases and more. Inside the tunnels there is a unique combination of centuries old construction along side decades old bed frames, lights and furnaces. History side by side like this is fascinating. In the 90's when the U.S.S.R. broke apart and Estonia was once again free ( although it is worth mentioning that the influence is still found all over Tallinn) the bastions were once again unused.

The sprawling mass of tunnels became a haven for the homeless of this European region ( for the summer it was very cool at 40F, but the temperature barely changes underground, so that is much safer and comfortable when temperatures above ground drop below zero in the winter!) . I was amazed that it wasn't until just a few years ago when the government reclaimed and renovated their historic land and turned it into a national historical site ( now for tours!). The cool, damp tunnels had so much information to reveal and I was drawn in by not only is long, ever changing history, but also how relatively recent our world has changed to turn this into the historical site that it is - we technically were in territories that had been revolutionized and reorganized only within less than two decades. This is what truly fascinated me. History, along with times of Revolution and Change was a lot closer than many of us pondered or perceived.

Our final hours in Tallinn were filled with getting around to as many places as we could with our remaining time. We checked out shops down the narrow old town streets, market squares, modern shopping centers, as well as just enjoyed strolling the unique atmosphere. We filled two days up with so many events that all of us left, traveling back home satisfied ( it was only commented on after the fact by someone after all of us were calling Finland home! It really had become that way for all of us.) The two days were truly exciting, but nothing was near slowing down since the upcoming few days had a huge amount of events still planned for us all around Helsinki!