History does not tell us whether the Margaret whose name identifies the artillery tower in old Tallinn was indeed obese, but the structure itself has sufficient girth to have acquired this appellation on its own merit. Fat Margaret was built about 500 years ago at the entrance to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, one of the best preserved old cities of Europe, with the intention of scaring wannabe invaders away. That did not seem to have helped much, because after centuries of foreign domination, by one country or the other, only in 1991 did Estonia finally become free. Paks Margareeta, as it is known in Estonian, is the first landmark that one sees after scaling the steps of the drab Soviet-style promenade as one alights from the boat from Helsinki. Tallinn was just two hours away by the fast ferry, across the Gulf of Finland. Our Schengen visa was good for that country, too. Tallinn has expanded in all directions outside its historical boundaries, but, for the round one-day trip, our target was just the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. So, off the boat and over the steps, up to the public platform, and then, down again we headed straight for the 16th century tower which was once a store for guns and ammunition; for a while, it was even a prison, but today, it houses the Estonian Maritime Museum. It has four floors within its ample space, and exhibits models of boats, ships and marine paraphernalia from the maritime past of the country, including a real schooner’s mast, an old captain’s cabin and “floatation trousers” used once upon a time for rescue on the high seas. One gets a good view of old Tallinn and its harbour from the roof of Fat Margaret. The only question that did not get answered was: who exactly was Margaret? A Danish (The Danes ruled over Estonia at one point in their history and one of their queens is said to have proposed that the tower be built) queen, a roly-poly local cook or even a bulky canon, these were some of the options we could pick from. The old city fans out from the tower. Its cobbled roads and alleys can be best done on foot. We decided to follow the tourist map and took the peripheral road on the right, heading generally in the direction of Toompea Hill at its apogee. The street names can be as simple as Viru, Aia, Vus or Lai, or mouthfuls such as Muurivahe, Rannamae tee and Laboratooriumi. With frequent digressions into smaller alleys, we went past medieval churches, houses, shops and even Raeapteek, the oldest working pharmacy in Europe, established in 1422, stopping occasionally for a peek inside. Faded ochre, mustard, grey, canary, or just plain stone finish marks the facades of all buildings within old Tallinn, most of them built between the 15th and the 17th centuries. Some of the churches are of breathtaking beauty. The most prominent of these is the Alexander Nevsky cathedral. This is a Russian Orthodox church and it was not easy for the Estonians to accept its existence because of the unpleasant memories of Russian rule (Estonia became free of Russian rule in August, 1991). However, it was decided that history be preserved irrespective of its sad episodes, and, today, this shrine is a popular tourist site. The oldest cathedral in town, however, is the Catholic St Mary’s, which dates back to 1229 AD. Up the narrow path, near the top of the hill, lies the Maiden Tower museum-café, which, apart from the fare dished out on its three floors, gives a panoramic view of the historic town. Close to this lie the Raekoda Plats and Raekoda — the city square ringed with cafes and shops and the14th century town hall. It was also a good place to rest after having walked for about two hours — the circuit was only half done. As a matter of fact, at a leisurely pace, one can cover this distance in a comfortable stride, except that on cobblestones, it is advisable to wear thick rubber-soled shoes. Otherwise, the feet may protest and one may have to hitch a ride on one of the horse-drawn carriages. After some rest and lunch, we were good for a visit to the Tallinn City Museum, which captures its history. Its stately ball room has a stucco ceiling in rococo style. On the way back from the other side of the town, we could visit the old Dominican Monastery complete with its sacristy, dormitory, prior’s room and an old library, some of which were recessed deep into the masonry of the ancient building. Dolores Hoffman’s stained glass studio was another halt as we wound our way back to the harbor to catch the ferry back to Helsinki.
