Baltic States Tour - Tallinn, Estonia 4

We had only half a day to be in Tallinn. We had breakfast at the wonderful bakery, RØST again. I had another cinnamon bun and tried a Tikker this time. It was a pastry swirl, similar to a Pain aux raisins, and had green fruits. First I thought they were fresh green grapes but I don't know what they actually were. Anyway the pastry was lovely. J had a cheese and ham croissant and a Gougère (a French cheese puff). It may be the largest Gougère that I have ever seen. 

We wandered in the picturesque Old Town one more time. 

At the end we came back to the Town Hall square again. I contacted with a Town Hall representative on the day before and I was luckily able to book a private tour of the Town Hall. The Town Hall's opening hours during the off-season is very limited, but the Town Hall can be visited by appointment on weekdays. Meeting the original Old Thomas was the last thing I wanted to do before we leave Tallinn.

Old Thomas has been on top of the spire as a weather vane since 1530. The current one is the third Old Thomas.

The private tour was completely private. There was no other visitor or a tour guide. Just two of us. 

The Town Hall was first mentioned in a real estate record in 1322 although the history of the building goes back to the 13th century. The current architectural appearance was completed during 1402-04. It is the only surviving Gothic town hall in Northern Europe. Our tour began at the Town Hall Cellar. The basement was a museum space to learn the history of Tallinn. 

There was the original Thomas! He was placed on top of the spire in 1530 and served his duty until 1944 when the spire was burnt in the Soviet air raid. A new copy of Old Thomas was set in 1952, and it was replaced with the third in 1996 when the spire was renovated. The Original is enjoying his retirement there according to the Town Hall. My simple question was where the second was.

One of the main rooms on the upstairs was the ante-hall, called the Citizen's Hall. Currently the room can be used for events such as chamber concerts and civil wedding ceremonies. 

The next was he Council Chamber. The 14th and early 15th century carved bench ends were very unique.

There were also a kitchen with a big mantled hearth, chancery and treasury, adjoined to the Council Chamber.

Walking down though the medieval narrow stone staircase, our tour ended at the ground floor.

It was time to say Good-bye to Old Thomas and Tallinn. The water I saw right after takeoff was not the Baltic Sea but Lake Ülemiste, the largest of the lakes surrounding Tallinn, I guess. 

 To be continued...