slothis · English

Leaving Tallinn for St. Petersburg

2017-01-12 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →
Two legs stretched out lying on a green lawn, with a chimney and a bus visible in the distance.
A seagull standing on a dirt path with two backpacks placed next to it.

After lounging around all day soaking up the warm sunshine, it was almost time to catch my bus. On the way, I wanted to see the 21st-century side of Tallinn rather than the Old Town, so I walked toward the forest of skyscrapers visible in the distance. The area I stayed in was a cultural heritage protection zone, but Estonia is actually an IT powerhouse. I'm not sure if they just have the infrastructure without the development capabilities like Korea, but it's one of those countries where you can get Wi-Fi almost everywhere. Having only lived in Korea—specifically in highly developed Seoul—it doesn't feel like a massive shock to me, but if you travel around a bit, you quickly realize how amazing it is to have fast Wi-Fi anywhere you go. Countries that we consider more technologically advanced often have slower internet speeds because their infrastructure was built on older-generation tech. On the other hand, countries that haven't built their infrastructure yet are inconvenient because they have no internet at all. Korea and Estonia were lucky enough to start building their infrastructure right when telecommunications were rapidly advancing.

Even so, the vibe in the parks and downtown streets is completely different. In Seoul, people walk around in a rush with expressionless faces, much like our fast internet speeds. But here, more people seem to be jogging, taking a stroll, or just resting on a bench. Where on earth does this relaxed attitude come from? Is there some relaxation gene hidden in the DNA of white and Black people that Asian people don't have?

Several modern high-rise buildings standing under a blue sky.
Exterior of a large shopping mall building with the words Viru Keskus written on it.
A bustling street scene with glass-walled buildings and large billboards.
Interior of a large shopping mall with escalators and various shops.
I saw a place that looked like a department store and went inside, but the prices didn't feel cheap.

At an intersection leading right into the heart of the city, a man struck up a conversation, asking where I was from. Feeling defensive and wondering if he was a peddler or a thief, I kept my distance and gave brief answers. Whether he noticed my guardedness or not, he cheerfully said, "This city is really beautiful, but it's a shame there's so much construction going on. It must be especially disappointing for you since you came from so far away." Then, out of nowhere, he wished me good luck on the rest of my travels. I don't know why my heart seems to close up rather than open up the more I travel.

A parked red double-decker bus with Tallinn City Tour written on it.
A red information board showing the Tallinn City Tour bus route map, with a double-decker bus parked next to it.
A Hop-On Hop-Off bus, which I haven't seen in a while. Unfortunately, there's no Korean audio guide. Back when Japan's economy was booming, Japanese tourists traveled all over the world, so there are still Japanese guides. And now that Chinese tourists are traveling everywhere, the places without Chinese guides are steadily disappearing. I think Korea's time was somewhere in between. All three Northeast Asian countries stepped out into the world backed by developed economies, but Korea's influence seems uniquely nonexistent.
A person playing table tennis at an outdoor table in a park.
A street scene in Tallinn featuring a large mural of a girl's face painted on the exterior wall of a building.
A park walking path lined with tall trees, with a playground visible beyond it.
Two small dogs walking on a park path with a person passing by in the background.
Exterior of a gray building with a red sign that reads Tallinn Bus Terminal.
I walked all the way to the Tallinn Bus Terminal. The city really is quite small.
An outdoor scene with the stone exterior wall of a building and cars parked next to it.
There's an Ecolines office right across the street from the terminal. As I mentioned before, it's much more convenient and safer in many ways to go to the office and print your ticket. If you're in a huge rush, you'd have to show your phone, though.
Inside a bus terminal waiting room where people are lying down and resting on orange sofas.
What the bus terminal looked like when I arrived. For the departure day scenery, just imagine that everyone who was lying down is now sitting up.

It was about an hour before my bus arrived. I was looking out the window, humming to myself and trying to cram as much of Tallinn into my memory as possible, when someone spoke to me. Naturally, it started with "Where are you from?"—the universal icebreaker for travelers everywhere. I remembered the man who had wished me good luck earlier, so I felt a bit anxious, but I tried to keep the conversation as bright as possible. She was a Russian woman from St. Petersburg living in Finland, working as a musician (specifically, she said she did music performances). She showed me projects she had worked on, including a non-profit open project. Even though I don't know much about music, I found the performances she showed me on Facebook fascinating, and before I knew it, we were chatting about all sorts of things. Later, she insisted that I absolutely must visit Italy, happily calling it the most beautiful country she had ever been to, aside from the pickpockets. She also told me to learn to play an instrument, saying she would have been so sad if music had been missing from her life. True to form, she wished me luck on the rest of my journey before leaving.

My happiest moments while traveling are when I end up having unexpected conversations and making plans with open-minded strangers I've just met. Because I've been traveling alone and mostly just talking to myself, I haven't had many of those moments on this trip. Perhaps feeling sorry for me, this city gave me a wonderful gift on the day I left Tallinn. Next time, when my mind is a bit more at ease, let's meet again with a brighter smile. Thank you Tallinn. And good luck to everyone!

Expenses

Total Expenses €6.49

Total Travel Expenses 525,936 KRW + 47,499 RUB + $312.26 + €92.07