“Holy cow. That may be the best bread I have ever had.” Moans from the group confirm our agreement with Angela’s declaration. The rustic brown beer bread has a delicious buttery crust yet is somehow soft on the inside. The pop and crunch from the hemp and pumpkin seeds is further complemented by the smooth butter topped with sea salt and chives.
This beer bread is made fresh daily here at Pegasus, an outstanding Estonian restaurant in Old Tallinn. Liisa, our waitress welcomed us with a cheery, “Hello Lovelies” and a bright smile. We had climbed the sketchy staircase to the top of Helleman tower for a beautiful view of the town. We had bartered with vendors for the perfect souvenirs: local linens, wooden creations, pottery, knitted woolen creations, and other handicrafts. We had walked the cobblestone streets of the old town and enjoyed the cool refreshing cucumber-infused water waiting on our table.
My attention is drawn back to Liisa and her bright red and black butterfly broach as she delightfully describes each Estonian dish. I order the hot mulled cider often served at Christmas: “Glog please.” Liisa hesitates and I can tell she is thinking. “Oh, glöge /glogay/” Liisa politely corrects, “The two dots make the ‘a’ sound.” The glass is too hot to touch at first, but I enjoy the warm cider with hints of cinnamon, anise, and cloves. I do not care for the slivered almonds, but rudely use my fork to dig out the delicious alcohol-soaked raisins at the bottom of the glass.
The two-fish soup may be my starter, but it can easily be a complete meal. The fresh squeezed lemon, chopped chives, and julienned vegetables complement the thin creamy broth. There is just the right amount of broth to match every bite of perfectly cooked salmon and cod fillets. This dish is also accompanied by bread topped with a subtle egg salad.
My delighted belly is glad I am sharing a main course. A large zucchini is stuffed with lentils, mushrooms, and cashews before it is topped off with broiled cheese. This and the grapefruit balsamic arugula salad are quite good but can’t help being overshadowed by everything else we have already enjoyed. While my companions’ meals look and smell equally delicious, I am too full to sample more than two bites of the best beet I’ve ever eaten. It takes some time to prepare our checks, but we are charmed by the sweet notes left for each of us and collectively when they arrive in books to symbolize the library that once existed here at Pegasus.
Liisa suggests taking a moment to see the architecture and views from the second and third floors, but I must join some of our group around the corner for the free walking tour at the tourist information booth. Soon my friends and I are greeted by another genuinely friendly young Estonian, Katarin. After a brief introduction, she asks for each of us to share what countries we are from. “United States,” “Australia” and many countries in Europe are announced, but there are also solo tourists visiting from Taiwan and India. I make a mental note to accept Katarin’s suggestion to get to know each other a bit as we walk between stops on her tour. She explains we can “enjoy the free tour and decide how much it is worth at the end of our time together.”
I had originally planned to learn more about Estonia in the Museum of Occupation because I was intrigued after reading the mystery, When the Doves Disappeared. Katrina's tour, however, includes much of this history as well as significant religious and cultural events in Tallinn and Estonia. I lose track of the number of stops, and stories she tells us, but we travel from the information booth up to Parliament, around two outstanding observation points, and end in the city market that she warms is not open every day in Raekoja Plats. When she begins with difficult times of occupations, she promises “this is the most depressing stop of the tour.” Her stories make me want to return for a ghost tour to learn more about the bloody drunken Danish war and Pope's re-blessing of St. Mary's after a battle inside.
She is an outstanding guide and explains the story behind Estonian pride for important things like independence, their flag, secularism, and singing rebellion. She also mentions small things for which people of Tallinn are “proud” like the composer Arvo Part, the oldest still functioning pharmacy, the debatable first public Christmas tree, and third longest human-chain in history. Not only is Katarin’s tour informative and entertaining, she obliges my questions between stops about refugees, literature, language, and religion. Unfortunately, her audience’s attention is waning when it runs 15 minutes over the two hours we expected - a ninety minute tour would be much better. I am running out of time so I give her a well-deserved tip and quick “Aitah” (thank you).
The square today is filled with vendors selling handmade treasures. I buy a few souvenirs for family and continue my search for the perfect beige knit cardigan long enough to reach from shoulder to wrist of my lanky-arm. While this attempt fails, I inquire about the nearest grocery store to purchase some of the dried berries, Estonian liquors, and Kalev chocolate I had sampled earlier in the day.
A few tips for Tallinn:
Wear comfortable shoes for exploring the cobblestone streets, watch out for speeding cars, and don’t bother with a bus pass.
Choose an affordable restaurant by selecting a menu with main courses less than 10 Euro (advice from our tour guide Katarin).
Make reservations at the Pegasus. They will respond with a confirmation to email requests; if the main restaurant is booked (as it was for us), they may send you to their secondary location down the street. (https://www.facebook.com/RestoranPegasus/#_=_)
Be wary of “Baltic” souvenirs unless you love them for what they are since the amber is likely from Latvia and Lithuania and the matryoshkas are Russian nesting dolls.
Negotiate prices with sellers on the streets, in the market, and in stores.
Save your food and alcohol purchases for the Centre located right outside Terminal D - prices are half what they are in Old Tallinn.
Pay the two or three Euro to climb a tower and see the town from above - Holleman Tower, St. Olav’s Church, and Oliviste Church are the best.
This beer bread is made fresh daily here at Pegasus, an outstanding Estonian restaurant in Old Tallinn. Liisa, our waitress welcomed us with a cheery, “Hello Lovelies” and a bright smile. We had climbed the sketchy staircase to the top of Helleman tower for a beautiful view of the town. We had bartered with vendors for the perfect souvenirs: local linens, wooden creations, pottery, knitted woolen creations, and other handicrafts. We had walked the cobblestone streets of the old town and enjoyed the cool refreshing cucumber-infused water waiting on our table.
My attention is drawn back to Liisa and her bright red and black butterfly broach as she delightfully describes each Estonian dish. I order the hot mulled cider often served at Christmas: “Glog please.” Liisa hesitates and I can tell she is thinking. “Oh, glöge /glogay/” Liisa politely corrects, “The two dots make the ‘a’ sound.” The glass is too hot to touch at first, but I enjoy the warm cider with hints of cinnamon, anise, and cloves. I do not care for the slivered almonds, but rudely use my fork to dig out the delicious alcohol-soaked raisins at the bottom of the glass.
The two-fish soup may be my starter, but it can easily be a complete meal. The fresh squeezed lemon, chopped chives, and julienned vegetables complement the thin creamy broth. There is just the right amount of broth to match every bite of perfectly cooked salmon and cod fillets. This dish is also accompanied by bread topped with a subtle egg salad.
My delighted belly is glad I am sharing a main course. A large zucchini is stuffed with lentils, mushrooms, and cashews before it is topped off with broiled cheese. This and the grapefruit balsamic arugula salad are quite good but can’t help being overshadowed by everything else we have already enjoyed. While my companions’ meals look and smell equally delicious, I am too full to sample more than two bites of the best beet I’ve ever eaten. It takes some time to prepare our checks, but we are charmed by the sweet notes left for each of us and collectively when they arrive in books to symbolize the library that once existed here at Pegasus.
Liisa suggests taking a moment to see the architecture and views from the second and third floors, but I must join some of our group around the corner for the free walking tour at the tourist information booth. Soon my friends and I are greeted by another genuinely friendly young Estonian, Katarin. After a brief introduction, she asks for each of us to share what countries we are from. “United States,” “Australia” and many countries in Europe are announced, but there are also solo tourists visiting from Taiwan and India. I make a mental note to accept Katarin’s suggestion to get to know each other a bit as we walk between stops on her tour. She explains we can “enjoy the free tour and decide how much it is worth at the end of our time together.”
I had originally planned to learn more about Estonia in the Museum of Occupation because I was intrigued after reading the mystery, When the Doves Disappeared. Katrina's tour, however, includes much of this history as well as significant religious and cultural events in Tallinn and Estonia. I lose track of the number of stops, and stories she tells us, but we travel from the information booth up to Parliament, around two outstanding observation points, and end in the city market that she warms is not open every day in Raekoja Plats. When she begins with difficult times of occupations, she promises “this is the most depressing stop of the tour.” Her stories make me want to return for a ghost tour to learn more about the bloody drunken Danish war and Pope's re-blessing of St. Mary's after a battle inside.
She is an outstanding guide and explains the story behind Estonian pride for important things like independence, their flag, secularism, and singing rebellion. She also mentions small things for which people of Tallinn are “proud” like the composer Arvo Part, the oldest still functioning pharmacy, the debatable first public Christmas tree, and third longest human-chain in history. Not only is Katarin’s tour informative and entertaining, she obliges my questions between stops about refugees, literature, language, and religion. Unfortunately, her audience’s attention is waning when it runs 15 minutes over the two hours we expected - a ninety minute tour would be much better. I am running out of time so I give her a well-deserved tip and quick “Aitah” (thank you).
The square today is filled with vendors selling handmade treasures. I buy a few souvenirs for family and continue my search for the perfect beige knit cardigan long enough to reach from shoulder to wrist of my lanky-arm. While this attempt fails, I inquire about the nearest grocery store to purchase some of the dried berries, Estonian liquors, and Kalev chocolate I had sampled earlier in the day.
A few tips for Tallinn:
Wear comfortable shoes for exploring the cobblestone streets, watch out for speeding cars, and don’t bother with a bus pass.
Choose an affordable restaurant by selecting a menu with main courses less than 10 Euro (advice from our tour guide Katarin).
Make reservations at the Pegasus. They will respond with a confirmation to email requests; if the main restaurant is booked (as it was for us), they may send you to their secondary location down the street. (https://www.facebook.com/RestoranPegasus/#_=_)
Be wary of “Baltic” souvenirs unless you love them for what they are since the amber is likely from Latvia and Lithuania and the matryoshkas are Russian nesting dolls.
Negotiate prices with sellers on the streets, in the market, and in stores.
Save your food and alcohol purchases for the Centre located right outside Terminal D - prices are half what they are in Old Tallinn.
Pay the two or three Euro to climb a tower and see the town from above - Holleman Tower, St. Olav’s Church, and Oliviste Church are the best.