Tallinn, Estonia

June 21, Tallinn, Estonia.

We have had a wonderful day in the old walled part of Estonia – visited churches, enjoyed coffee in the main square, walked on the old wall, explored both the upper and lower parts of the old town.  It is our first visit to a former Soviet block country so weren`t sure what to expect.  I will have to read more about its history when we get home as we chose not to go into the Estonian history museum.  We do know it has been occupied by many conquering nations over its hundreds of years but is now enjoying its recent nationhood since 1991 when the former Soviet Union broke apart.  Some buildings look freshly cared for, some have crumbling cement facades.  The main square was as lively as any we have seen in Europe, its perimeter surrounded by outdoor cafes and restaurants.  There were 4 cruise ships in port today so the town was hopping!!  There were many young people working in the hospitality industry – selling postcards or toasted almonds or wooden trinkets from street carts; shilling for restaurants to attract customers;  working in the many, many souvenir shops.  All were friendly and spoke some English.   There were hordes of tour groups everywhere so it seems that the tourist industry is thriving in Tallinn.  Many of the buildings are painted in pastel colours – very nice effect as you gaze down a narrow, medieval street.  We went into a couple of antique stores – one was full of military items – helmets, coins, swords, gas masks, guns, etc.  including a Hitler mug and a helmet emblazoned with a Swastika, not items you see in Canada but likely left in Estonia after WWII.  The souvenir shops were full of beautiful linens, woollens, wood carvings, amber jewelry, and, of course, trinkets.  A word about the churches – a wide variety of styles with some very ornate and full of gold and bronze religious items; others very plain with little ornamentation.  The ornate ones did not allow photography so you will not see them (unless they are online – Alexander Nevski Cathedral and St. Nicholas).

And that concludes my ramblings from Estonia.  We have been having fun with our group on board.  Yesterday, Shon and I played deck shuffleboard in the morning then all of us played games in the afternoon – Sequence, Yahtzee and Wits End (like Trivial Pursuit with a heavy American emphasis) – girls have ruled that game.

And now it is time to head to dinner – last night was Italian night (the ship is Italian) so Italian food and entertainment.  Tonight is Brazilian carnival night .  The entertainment has been good the past two nights but we plan to skip the classical music night tonight and enjoy the Carnival in the dancing lounges – Lisa, wish you were here to dance to Brazilian music!

Lower old town Tallinn from Upper Town

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Russian Orthodox church

Main Square, Tallinn