Day 46: A Bike Ride to the Jewish Museum and Tallinn TV Tower, Estonia

Monday, October 31, 2016

A few blocks from my hostel is the old city wall. I parked my rental bike, hoping I could walk on it, but apparently it's only possible in summer.

Next stop, the Estonian Jewish Museum, not far from the port.

The Jewish Museum is located in the Eesti Juddi Kogukond, or Jewish Community Center.

The Jewish Museum is well laid-out and quite extensive. I was given a headset as a guide.

The museum features the photos and stories of local Jewish people in Tallinn mostly.

This woman was not openly Jewish, but because of her darker features she was investigated, taken to a concentration camp and killed in 1941.

Some antisemitic political cartoons are on display, this one from 1923.

Most orthodox Jewish men cover their heads with small round caps called yarmulkes.

After the Jewish Museum, I rode my bike out to the coastal route called La Pirita.

La Pirita has separate paths for bikes and pedestrians.

I passed this angel statue on the way to the TV Tower and on the way back after dark.

More public art along the Baltic Sea waterfront.

I turned off the coast and rode through the woods.

My destination, the Tallinn TV Tower, built in 1980 for better communication during the Moscow Olympics. It is the tallest building in Tallinn at 314 meters (1030 ft.)

I would have loved to ride in this giant gyroscope, but I decided to check out the view first before it got too dark. By the time I got back down, they had closed the gyroscope. Bummer.

As you ride the elevator up to the top there is a meter of the height. 170 meters is 557 feet.

It was a little bit late and not a particularly clear day, but I still enjoyed the view. Since I was staying in the old walled city it was interesting to see all the skyscrapers in modern Tallinn.

The Tallinn TV Tower is so much more than just a view. They have an interactive science exhibit, activities, and an edge walk in the summer.

You can look down through numerous round windows on the floor.

I would have loved to do the Edgewalk, which is even higher up than the Extreme Skywalk I did in Cebu City, but it's only available in the summer. There are advantages to traveling off-season (fewer crowds, lower prices), but also many things are closed due to colder weather.

It's possible to walk outside. A metal mesh screen prevents anyone from falling or jumping.

Views were changing quickly at dusk.

The bike ride back to the hostel was a bit brisk. I stopped to take another photo of the angel statue along La Pirita.