Not every team evening comes with a history lesson, a perfect sunset over the sea, and more than 300 bird species in one small corner just outside a city. But this one did.
On 27 August, straight after work, around 30 Wallester colleagues swapped their desks for the Paljassaare peninsula, a green strip of coast just north of central Tallinn. It was the kind of late-summer evening that makes you happy to be outside. It was also proof that some of the best team moments happen a long way from a meeting room.
From the Office to the Coast
People finished work at six and drifted over to the meeting point from about half past six, where the events team had a table of snacks waiting: sandwiches and drinks, along with the company’s new hoodies to hand out. For half an hour or so, it was just eating, catching up, and settling in before the group set off with a guide at seven.
What followed was a nice walk in nature, a little over two hours at an easy pace, with plenty of stops along the way. What made it more than a stroll was the guide, who filled the route with the peninsula’s history and wildlife, turning a walk by the sea into something closer to a tour.
A Peninsula With a Hidden Past
Paljassaare has a good deal of history packed into it. The area was first fortified centuries ago as part of the defences protecting St Petersburg from attack by sea. Later, during the Soviet era, it became a restricted military area. A railway once ran along the very path the group walked, while military supplies were tucked away out of sight beneath the grass and earth.
Military use continued until the 1990s, and parts of those old structures are still standing, quietly overgrown, for walkers to spot today. Since then, the peninsula has been handed back to the city and its residents. People bike, run, and walk there, boats and jet skis launch from the water, and there is diving, a public beach, barbecue spots, an outdoor gym, and a basketball court. A place once built to keep people out is now one of the spots locals head to on a warm evening.
A Nature Reserve in the City
It is also a protected nature reserve, a genuinely remarkable one. The guide pointed out that this area is home to more than 250 bird species, over half of all the species found anywhere in Estonia, along with around 50 hawks. For a patch of coast within reach of the city centre, that is an unusual concentration of wildlife, and a reminder of how quickly nature reclaims a place once people step back from it.
A Sunset Finish
The walk built to a well-timed finish. Coming out from the trees, the group reached a cliff above the sea just as the sun was going down, and stopped to take it in before looping back. By the time everyone started for home, close to ten, the light had gone and a full moon hung over the water. People were pleasantly tired, still chatting in twos and threes, and in no particular rush to leave.
Why These Evenings Matter
It was a simple evening and a good one. The group was small enough for easy conversation, the weather held, and the setting did the rest. After a full workday, a couple of hours by the sea with colleagues was a fine way to switch off.
Evenings like this are part of how Wallester stays a team as it grows. The work is always there the next morning. Time spent together away from it, walking, talking, and watching the sun set over the Baltic, is a lot of what keeps a growing company feeling like one.
