Military History Photo Friday: The Medieval Walls of Tallinn, Estonia

In keeping with the theme of this week's Travel Tuesday post about Tallinn, here are some shots of Tallinn's medieval fortifications. The old city in Estonia's capital is ringed by a 14th century wall strengthened by several towers. Large stretches of it are open to the public.

Above you can see the wall from the back, where the catwalk is open to view. The wooden hoardings are, of course, modern. Hoardings were usually temporary structures put in when there was a threat of siege. Given the conditions in Tallinn, however, I bet the sentries wanted a little extra protection not from arrows, but the elements, and kept them up all the time.

Here's what it's like walking along it. Not as sheltered as I would like! Jump the cut for more photos.

Travel Tuesday: Winter in Tallinn, Estonia

Summer is heating up here in Madrid. It's already broken 40 degrees Centigrade on a few days. Everything is in bloom and the dominant colors are a bright blue sky, green trees, and harsh yellow sunlight.

So let's switch over to the whites and grays of winter. Winter in the capital of Estonia, to be precise. Tallinn is an artsy city, and what can be more artsy than two snow-covered lovers? It's also a historic city, so here's a shot of a medieval tower and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. I like how the snow keeps the pattern of the roof tiles on the cathedral.

People generally don't go to Estonia or any of the other Baltic states in winter, which is a shame because the mantle of snow beautifies the city and countryside and there are no crowds to contend with. So if you want a different sort of winter vacation, consider heading north!

All photos copyright Sean McLachlan

My travel year, a look back and a look forward

Tallinn in winter.

This past year has been pretty good for me as far as travel goes. I managed to visit three new countries—Estonia, Slovenia, and Austria. In addition I got in some other smaller trips such as visiting an Italian book festival to celebrate the translation of one of my books, did lots of caving, saw Edinburgh, plus the usual visits to Oxford and London. I also visited Tangier three times. I’ve really fallen for that relaxed Moroccan port and I’ve been getting a lot of work done on a novel set there.

Sadly, there was no great adventure travel in 2013. In 2012 I got to visit Iraq and the year before that I spent a couple of months living in Harar, Ethiopia. This year I spent entirely in Europe with a toehold in Africa. Am I getting old? No, it’s just that my travel funds are drying up thanks to my main sugar daddy, the travel blog Gadling, closing up shop.

This is going to make 2014 a tight travel year. Oxford and Tangier are in, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford much more than that. Both of those will be working/research trips. Beyond that, I may just hole up in my apartment and write a ton of fiction, like I mentioned in an earlier post.

Of course, the New Year might bring some surprises. Who knows where I may end up in the next twelve months?

What were your big trips in 2013? Anything good planned for the New Year?

I've started a travel series on Estonia on Gadling, the travel blog that sent me there last week. As you can imagine, the northernmost Baltic state was pretty snowy this time of year, although unusually mild--only 0C or 32F.

Anyway, hit the link and follow my adventures as I explore one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe, visit old Soviet military installations, and explore secret tunnels underneath the capital!