I Had A Religious Experience

Part 1, Part 2

One thing yet to describe from the Tallinn, Estonia Steemit meetup, except for few people in there, is my solo-wandering in Old Town to an orthodox church that had a service going on.

On Saturday I woke up already at 6AM despite going to sleep at 2AM - 4 hours of "quality" sleep (alcohol might've had something to do with it, this likely is the reason also why I was grumpy that day towards the night). I still lied on my bed for 2-3 hours but couldn't fall asleep, hovering somewhere in the middle like one trying to do mindfulness but not knowing whether having been sleeping or meditating during the practice.

Finally I gave up and hopped down from the upper bunk and went to the hostel's sauna. After, I didn't really have anything to do at the hostel, so I just went exploring the Old Town while others were still most likely sleeping.

Soon I walked past a church I saw some people going into. Curiosity took the higher ground over me and I turned back to find out what's in it. Some guy was begging for coins near the entrance but I didn't have any at the moment.

I step in from the door and I find myself staring straight ahead of a huge shrine which was a wall covering the back of the church. It was golden, icons of Jesus Christs among many others I would assume - it was so overwhelming I have forgotten the details of all the forms and sculptures in it, but it wasn't solid wall all they way; it had niches from which one could see the priests behind, walking in circles, waving their incenses and singing as a choir some melody that I would assume is of some church mode. Well harmonizing together, I almost suspected it coming from a track, soon realizing this wasn't the case when a gap-prayer was launched by one of the priests and answered with the hand gestures of listeners sweeping across their chest.
From behind I saw these godly people - mostly old women wearing scarfs, apparently Russian speaking as I observed the Cyrillic alphabet while moving little in the back observing the artifacts and surroundings - in their prayers with fear of God towards what they believed was the source of all life and blessing.

I abandoned religion years ago myself but I couldn't come up with a better term than 'holy', the attitude of the people who truly in their faith think there is a higher power present in the room. Whether I think that myself, not necessarily, but it certainly was transmitted to me as such by the ones standing there.

I had had no idea I was stepping into the middle of a service, but luckily I am always careful with my steps when entering new places so my entrance wasn't intrusive and I blended in, standing there for a moment like any one else which was all strange, exciting and holy at the same time, letting all the "energy", I guess one could say, in the room soak in me, observing others and the way how it all affected me.

Maybe that's what they consider as the presence of God, but to me it's rather a phenomena of some sort happening in my head as I do not believe the God exists in a way Christianity portrays it, not necessarily in any other way either. Nonetheless it was a break from the ordinary, if not a presence of "higher power".

Why am I telling you this? Firstly, I think it was interesting, second, it made me think of traveling - and tourism. The latter of which simply doesn't give opportunities for experiences such as what I described above, because you simply cannot go into a church, to the middle of an actual service, with the mind of a tourist because a) tourist tours won't be rehearsed to a church in the middle of a service because b) it would be quite inappropriate. Also, photographing was forbidden with a sign, though it was quite clear even without that the place wasn't for that purpose.

There's nothing wrong with being a tourist and everyone is free to tour the same places at the same time - even though potentially quite annoying for others - with a guide and learning the history (how many tourist do honestly even care about it?) like everyone else but it won't give any unique perspective.

What also follows, is that you detach yourself from the environment not being part of it as if you were a local, but rather being in the group of other tourists. Now, obviously when traveling somewhere far away, people will realize your ethnicity and that you are likely a foreigner. But still, your own acting has a big difference on how people perceive you.

I believe there's a lot of value in trying to get into the level of a local common folk, that's where the "perspective" comes, right? Not just from looking at the sights from the "beacon" in an isolated island.

In the end, here's few shots from Tallinn which I yet didn't find any space for in the previous posts that were focused in different matters. Didn't take pictures that much, especially while with my photographing friends and their big cameras who did most of the job anyway.

_{Looks like medieval market.}

_{Guy painting, looks like he knows his drill.}

_{Run to the hills!}

_{Dat ass... I mean, architecture tho.}

_{Bad framing, on my part.}

_{Some cathedral I don't remember by name, featuring gutter - don't know about your artistic eye but that accidentally peaking from the corner actually pleases my eye adding some dynamic, or whatever fancy photography terminology one would use, for the picture.}

_{Looks like an attractive alley for... drug dealing (or vote trading)?}

_{Already used this, but did you notice that fancy pigeon tho?}

_{This reminds me of something... oh, Steemit's 'Trending' page. But seriously though, I feel bad for those who work there.}

_{"People, why so trash?"}

_{Uuu... what's there?}

_Ceramics.

_{Cute alley.}

_{Some outside wall.}

_{Old Town from above.}

_{Just another alley in the maze.}

_{Long way down.}