I missed my plane to Vilnius Friday evening because of a waaaaaaaay delayed train to the airport. To go home would have been an admission of defeat and a waste of a good, spontaneous night abroad, so I flew to Tallinn instead with a plan to carry on to Lithuania at daylight.

Anyway, I quite fancied a long stopover in the Estonian capital since my last visit was two years ago. (Although, I do remember it well. It was days after the riots, when they moved that Russian statue. And it was Julija’s and my first ‘date’, which lasted 40 hours).

Sauntering through Gatwick, I call my college friend Oliver: “Guess where I’ll be in 3 hours?”

He’s waiting for me at Tallinn’s airport. We dump my bags at a cheap hotel (I’m not planning on sleeping anyway), and walk up into the medieval city, talking about what’s new. I’m energized, feeling my first embrace of a proper winter this year. It’s cold. The cobblestones feel extra dense.

Ordering beers at the bar at Hell Hunt, my favourite casual watering hole here, I’m mistaken (by two attractive blondes, naturally) for a children’s show host called Ivo Eensalu. Apparently I look now like he did then, when they were young and adored him. Lucky me.

Oliver and I join them at their table.

Discussion takes place. Laughter happens. Time passes.

Oliver and I leave with them, on to the next bar. And the next. And the next.

The sun comes up and I board my plane.

I love northeastern Europe.

PS In the old town there’s a theatre with a smashed-up lightbox containing the poster of its current play (the iPhone did its best in the low light):

There's two sides to every story, you see....