Kui Richard Ayoade ei mängi parasjagu Maurice Mossi “The IT Crowd”is, võib teda näha Suurbritannia kanalil Channel 4 tema enda reisidokumentaalis “Travel Man” saatejuhina. Alates 2020. aastast juhib saadet hoopis koomik Joe Lycett, kuna pärast neli aastat saadet tehes sai Richard lõpuks aru, et talle ei meeldi väga reisimine. Ta eelistab jääda turvaliselt koju, kirjutades Gwyneth Paltrow’i filmidest raamatuid.
2018. aasta detsembris võttis EstAdventures’iga ühendust üks Richard’i produtsentidest, et uurida, kas Estadventures oleks nõus tegema Richardile tuuri Tallinnas. Järgmine episood Travel Man’ist ledis aset justnimelt siin. Olime muidugi kohe nõus!
Seriaali meeskond tuli Eestisse linna välja uurima ja kohtusid esialgu meie giidide Jonase ja Riinaga, kes tegid neile esmase tuuri Tallinna vanalinnas. Kõik sujus hästi ning paar kuud hiljem, 2019. aasta aprillis, tervitasime Richardit, tema meeskonda ja tema külaliskaaslast, saatejuhti Alice Levine’i, meie kaunisse kodulinna nende ametlikule tuurile! Alice on tuntud podcastist “My Dad Wrote a Porn“. Kui te pole seda kuulanud, soovitame seda!
Our enthusiastic guide Riina was chosen as their guide for the afternoon, and came fully prepared to give Richard the most authentic tour of Tallinn, complete with her own traditional Estonian costume. Richard’s extensive pre-existing knowledge of Estonia (that it is one of the Baltic States) gave Riina the freedom to share as much of her knowledge as she could, occupying the crew for almost four hours of sightseeing around the historic capital.
Starting at Fat Margaret’s tower to the north, Riina led Richard and Alice southwards down Pikk Street into the heart of the old medieval city of Tallinn, stopping on the way to tell them about the Peeping Tom of Tallinn: a man who lived on the opposite side of the road to a certain Russian businessman with a beautiful wife. The neighbour couldn’t resist taking a peek every time she changed her clothes and so the businessman had a peeping statue built on the roof of his house to spy on the spy!
Arriving in the old town square, Riina told Richard and Alice about the medieval policy that no executions were allowed inside the city walls. This policy was broken one time, however, when a certain monk was stabbed to death by an angry mob for killing a barmaid after she had served him warm beer! After this story, Alice questioned whether our tours were family friendly…
From the Town Hall Square, Riina led the crew up to the top of Toompea, the “Dome Hill”, upon which all the significant buildings of the town are located, including the parliament building situated on the site of the old Danish castle, and the Russian Orthodox Nevsky Cathedral. From here, they head to their final stop in the Danish King’s Garden; the site of a famous battle fought 800 years ago in 1219 between the Danish army and the Estonian tribes. Before they part ways, Richard and Alice thank Riina for the tour, with Richard affirming that it was one of the best tours he’d ever been on, not least due to the fascinating and grim stories!
What Riina was able to show Richard and Alice was just a small part of the rich history to be found both within and outside the walls of Tallinn. To see more, well, you’ll just have to come and see it for yourself, as recommended by Mr. Ayoade himself!
