Day 3 - Pirita and Botanical Gardens
Today we had wanted to go a bit further afield, either by train or bus but all other places of interest were over 2 hours away and most needed several changes of transport. So we decided to use the Tallinnn buses and get a €5.50 day ticket but even this was too complicated as you can only buy one if you have an existing travelcard which can only be bought from a few outlets and we didnt know where these were. We chose the pay as you go option using our credit cards.
We first went to a coastal resort called Pirita. It is a mainly residential district separated from the sea by a pine forest. We found the beach and sat on a bench on the sand just watching the sea. A few people were out for a walk and others came for a swim but generally it was very quiet. Quite a few ferries were coming in and out of Tallinn and we saw the one we will get tomorrow.
We then walked up to the mouth of the River Pirita where there is a marina. The complex was built to stage the rowing and yachting events for the Moscow 1980 Olympic games and international regattas are still held there today. The main building is in the shape of a boat and is called Olumpiakeskus.
We walked along the wall between the beach and the river and saw many jellyfish in the sea.
For some reason I dont have my watch charger with me so have switched it off to save the battery as I dont want it to run out before next Saturday. I have been trying to record walks with Strava on the phone but it keeps losing GPS and showing miles of walking instead of meters. Today was the first time I got a reasonable distance although it is a lot longer than I actually did.
We were heading to catch another bus to the botanical gardens when we saw a structure of church ruins so went to have a look. It was the ruins of the Convent of St Birgitta which was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible in 1577. and maintenance work is being done. It covers quite a big area both inside the structure and outside. There was a gate in one corner which was unlocked. Paul found that it went to a viewing platform right at the top. We both managed to climb to the top where we had some good views over the town.
We then went to the Botanical Gardens and started off by having a coffee and cake and a sit down. The gardens were very well maintained and although it is really autumn now, a lot of perennials and roses were still in flower and looked lovely. There were a lot of gardeners working there.
We then caught a bus back to Tallinn and went straight to the hotel to have a rest, do a bit of packing and get ready to go out for our last night in Estonia. We had dinner and a final walk around the Old Town.
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