The town of Rakvere was just over an hour train ride. And the train station was situated just outside of the Old Town I was staying in, so a brisk 20mins walk brought me to Estonia’s modern rail system.
Picture if you will – buying tickets online, boarding a perfectly clean train with broad and comfortable seats. Checking wifi to discover the train has free open wifi internet. And yet oddly, a chirpy ticket lady wanders the isles checking everyone’s ticket at every stop, scanning the QR codes. I was so impressed by the train system, I actively looked for other places to go just to use it. But alas, my planned next direction south-west didn’t have a rail line.
Tallinn was cold, especially when the sun retreated, but I was putting up with it. I knew eventually I’d need to fold and buy a jacket, but it was Rakvere where the cold increasingly tested my resilience as the wind bellowed frosty ice currents at me as I disembarked the train and began making my way through the streets toward the castle.
The original Rakvere castle dates back to the 14th century, and like most places here, and it was destroyed and rebuilt by a succession invaders from Sweden, Poland, and Russia. In it’s later life, it was the support castle for when western city of Narva would fall to those pesky Russians. The staff even joked how their friends next door keep invading them. Hopefully not while I’m visiting!
The castle, small and compact, surrounded by an enormous moat absent of water and sea monsters, was a treat. With its small size, it was easy to imagine the troops stationed here, with a chapel and war room at the top floor. To make the castle feel more authentic, the staff here were dressed in full medieval garb, most of them in full monk robes (the castle also housed a Franciscan monastery).
At the rear was a court yard for raising livestock, with an assortment of goats, ducks, and suspiciously giant rabbits. There’s even a bunch of kids areas to do some on-rails jousting and other sandpit activities. I can imagine the courtyard to be abuzz with kids when summertime rolls around.
Back in Tallinn, it was time to check out the Elevant Indian restaurant, which just so happened to be across the road from my hotel. The reason I needed to go here wasn’t just a simple curry fix, but they’re known for their more unusual approach to curries, particularly moose curry.
Even though I ummed and ahhed at what to order, I knew what I had to get – the moose. Moose Vindaloo was the order. I devoured it in the wink of a candle flames dance. The moose was insanely tender, with the texture and look of beef, but tasting more like a strong lamb. It just broke itself apart knowing when it was to be the next mouthful.
I wondered if I’d return here. As much as I like to eat at different places, the moose beacons. The moose call to me now. I’ve eaten Bullwinkle, and I’d put my fork up to eat him again, sorry Rocky.
The locals told me normally the cold weather subsides by April, but this year Jack Frost continued into May. With this in mind, I started asking about shopping centres I could buy a jacket at. I had planned to take a hike out to the Lahemaa National Park, but with my ankle not ready for a day of hiking through bogs and rocky beaches, I entered the low rise urban jungle of modern day Tallinn city.
I was recommended to go to Nautica, as all the other shopping centres were European fashion snob hubs and over priced. A quick hunt through the small shopping centre, I zero’d in on my prey and made the purchase of a light warm jacket that would save me from the cold for the rest of this trip.
The final act in Tallinn was to book my bus ticket to Pärnu, have some farewell drinks with the awesome staff at the Kennedy, and prepare to start making my way south the next day.