Good morning guys how are we all doing?
So today we're going to do things a little bit different from yesterday
yesterday we talked about Tallinn's history
and today we're going to find our whats happening in the modern times
Since the fall of communism, Tallinn has gone through a lot of changes
it is one of the most dynamic cities on the Baltic
and so we're going to start off by going to Kalamaja, it's like the up and coming neighborhood, the hipster place
and we're going to start off with some breakfast
let's go
Gotta have a good breakfast, the key to starting any day
ya Cafe Boheem was the first coffee shop to be opened in Kalamaja
by all accounts back in the day, it was not the nicest neighborhood to live in
but since 2008, when this restaurant and coffee shop opened, kind of started like a chain reaction
and the neighborhood has become one of the hipper, more desirable places to live here in Tallinn
Guys so Lina's going to show us the neighborhood of Kalamaja
what's the plan for today?
the plan is to take the bikes, cycle around, see some of the sites, some of the cooler places this area has to offer
I'm giving you kind of an overview of what this place has been and what it maybe will be one day as well
awesome, let's go
so a bit about this neighborhood this was originally a fishing village
that's where the name comes from
but in the 1870's Estonia, Tallinn was linked to St. Petersburg by train
the Tsars started industrialization here so there's a lot of factories
and they needed housing for the factory workers, that's why these houses were built
they were made from wood which was the cheapest material because Estonia's covered in forests
so there's a new sort of creative class moving in here and giving a bunch of new energy to the neighborhood
so we're going to hop on some bikes and go check it out
ok, our steeds for the day
hoped on some bicycles and we're headed to the Volta Factory
which used to make electric generators and is now kind of like a cool ruin thing, so we're going to cycle over there and take a look
we're in the Volta Factory area
Here in Soviet times it produced electric generators
Beginning of the 90's when Estonia becomes independent again, the eastern market collapses,
no one in the west wants our stuff and areas like this become subject to metal theft
This is freaky
I don't know if this is a good idea but there is a ladder up to the next level
and
time to take it to the next level
let's climb it
wow....this is cool
I don't know how safe it is up here but it's all made from limestone so....it's got to be sturdy right?
This is..pretty intense i'm not going to lie
It's crazy to see these places that, you know, once were vibrant, thriving factories
just kind of left as rubble and ruin
It's wild to think that when economies shit, when things change, that buildings like this are left behind
until anyone can figure out what to do with them, they kind of just sit here unused
but I can picture this in a decade being artists lofts with cafe's, restaurants, craft beer bar
this is definitely the cafe right here
but until then, it's just going to sit here unused
but it gives you some insight on how neighborhoods like this go through different transformations
and how modern Estonia is finding new ways to use these places
Right now we're on the Culture Kilometer
it's a bike path, walkway, built when Tallinn was the cultural capital of the EU in 2011
it's not actually a kilometer it's 2.2 kilometers but who's counting?
just the Vagabrothers
so from here we're going to a restaurant called Klaus, it's not so far, it's pretty "close"
get that? ya, that was a pretty bad joke
but the restaurant's pretty good apparently so stay tuned for that
menu on newspaper here, the Daily Klaus
that was an excellent excellent meal
but right next store we found this design gallery, so we're going to pop in and take a look
well this place is pretty cool
everything here is made by different Estonian designers
It's kind of like an eclectic collection of different things
you have clothes, beard combers, jewelry
get the bread groomers
nah dude
the president of Estonia wears a bowtie, it's his signature
signature piece of clothing
I might copy his style what do you think?
looks pretty good
so going for a little post lunch brew
at a local brewery called Põhjala
Baltic porter is a really popular style that's a cross between an English porter and an imperial Russian Stout
but this place has got a couple different styles including a San Diego Session IPA we tried the other day
we're going to go try it out, let's go
Beer time
3:15 perfect
If you know the Vagabrothers, you know we love good craft beer
and finding new places that make good craft beer
so right now we are at one of those places called Speakeasy
cheers guys
how do you say cheers in Estonian?
terviseks!
so what does that look like to you?
roasted barley malt
of course
four years ago, you could only get basically main stream stuff in the stores and nobody made good beer in Estonia
we kind of started experimenting on our own, home brewing
in a year or so we decided, ok this is pretty cool
maybe we can make a business out of it
cheers guys
terviseks
ooo never expected to find such a good San Diego Session IPA in the Baltics but this one is killer
as you said we're very quaffable, quaffable indeed
quaff it up
guys this place is awesome
you gotta love it it's got this kind of rough, raw feel to it
the beers are really good
very eye opening afternoon here in Tallinn
but we're not done yet there's plenty more to go so stick around
alright guys well we've just had a couple of beers, love it
and we are on our way to Telliskivi which is also known as the Creative City
what is the deal with Telliskivi bro?
Telliskivi is essentially a hub of entrepreneurs and small businesses, restaurants, bars, designers
that sprouted up in the old factory so it's kind of like the final stage of the abandoned factory we saw
it's been renovated and it really is like a city, there's a lot of things going on
so we're going to check it out, it's Saturday, there's a flee market
sweet!
and there's also some restaurants and some more beer
food, beer, good vibes
happy Vagabrothers
let's roll
Telliskivi has lots of different shops in here and pretty easy to find artistic inspiration here
you just have to walk from one shop to the next
we're going through the little secret back entrance maybe
so we're going up to the rooftop to get a view of the whole Telliskivi complex
and i'll tell you, fellow hipsters of the world take heart, there is a city designed for all of us it is here
woooaahh, look at this dude
My name is ? and I am the ? manager of Telliskivi creative city which is the biggest creative industry hub in Tallinn
physically it's the center of new culture as we call it
and it's a former industrial building that is now transformed into offices, bars, cafes, theaters, art exhibitions spaces
and lots of festival ground
this is the second abandoned building that we've been in today
but I think this one speaks really to the creativity, industriousness, and resourcefulness of the Estonian people
standing here and seeing the creativity that's coming out of this place, is just, shows what people can do with freedom
they can create and express themselves
it's only one of many such factories here in Tallinn
and I can only imagine what this new creative city is going to be like in a couple years
and how it will add to the old town that we saw yesterday
and just make this new really innovative, dynamic city here on the Baltic
well with some beers in our belly, we're going for dinner now at F-hoone
which was actually I think the first place to set up here
it's a restaurant, doubles as a night club
alright guys so we just finished dinner and we're going to round out the night at Pada
which is a music venue and cultural space house and a former power station
and there's a show on right now
so we're going to go catch a live music gig
It's been a fun couple of days exploring Tallinn
big thanks to Visit Estonia for making it all possible
and we highly recommend that you guys come to Tallinn, Estonia and check it out for yourselves
so if you liked the video make sure to give it a thumbs up, share it with your friends
and subscribe to Vagabrothers for new travel videos every Tuesday and Thursday
so make sure to stay tuned because we're headed to Ireland next for a 9 video vlog series that's going to be amazing
so in the meantime stay curious, keep exploring, and we'll see you guys on the road
in the Emerald Isle
peace