TALLINN, ESTONIA

                                              Our position today--Tallinn, Estonia

        Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia with a population of nearly 450,000 and 1/3 of the population of Estonia live here.  The country of Estonia is located just to the west of Russia on the Gulf of Finland with Finland being opposite it.  Estonia joined the European Union in 2004 and is now also a member of NATO.  Seems all the Baltic states are part of NATO so as to be protected from Russia.  They do not want to be a part of Russia ever again!  Tallinn is just 50 miles south of Helsinki where we were before visiting Saint Petersburg.  Tallinn is a very old city as pottery has been found here dating back 3000 years BC.  It is an important port for trade between Russia and the rest of Scandinavia.  The Port of Tallinn is one of the biggest ports in the Baltic Sea Region.  Tourism has been growing here over the past decade and now 1.5 million tourists visit Tallinn annually.

        Tallinn is characterized by having two parts to the city: upper and lower town.  Upper town was once a separate town, heavily fortified, and has always been the seat of power.  The major attractions are the medieval Toompea Castle (today houses the Estonian Parliament) and two cathedrals.  The lower town is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe.  Today our walking tour was just of the lower, medieval part of Tallinn and most interesting.  Once again we were blessed with perfect weather-sunny skies and mid 80's.  The Old Town was just located a little over a mile from our ship's dock but we were taken by bus to it.  Our guide today was not as good mainly because her voice was weak and you had to stand right beside her to hear.  She went into too much detail anyway for me so I strayed from group and took photos. The most prominent feature of the Old Town is St Olaf's Church.  It's steeple made it the tallest building in the world between 1549-1625.  It has been struck by lightning several times and each time it is rebuilt less high.  Town Hall square and all the streets of the Old Town are cobblestone and it wears you out after a time of walking on them.  Rebecca about fell on her face today by tripping.  Anyway, the square was the heart of Tallinn life since markets first started here in the 11th Century.  The Town Hall is Gothic style and appears to be a church but never has been.  

        I think we both agree this is the most charming city on our 26 day itinerary.  All the port cities have been fantastic and so glad we could see them all.  The weather has been so nice and made touring a great experience for sure.  It has certainly made for good photo taking!  Well, our trip is not over as we will be spending two days in Stockholm after disembarking the ship tomorrow.  So there is more to come on my blog.       

        Summers are mild with daytime temps around 70F and night time temps of around 55F.  Winters are cold with temperatures hovering close to the freezing mark.

AGAIN I RECOMMEND YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TODAY, SO AS TO ENLARGE THEM, TO GET THE FULL BEAUTY OF THIS WELL PRESERVED MEDIEVAL OLD CITY.  

        Ok, back to packing bags.  Tonight is what Rebecca and I to refer as "The Last Supper".  (Last dinner on the ship.)  We should be off the ship before 9:00 am tomorrow and at the Stockholm Hilton shortly thereafter.  I want to be at the Palace to view the changing of the Royal Guards at noon.

                                          View from our dock into old town of Tallinn

                                            Katja, (on the right) our tour desk manager.

                                                             Our tour for today

                                Walking through gate to enter the lower part of old Tallinn.

                                             Front door of "The Three Sisters" hotel

                                                           Three Sisters Hotel

                                                      Approaching St Olaf's Church

                               Signs like this (in English too) on buildings to tell about them.

                                                        St Olaf's Church

 Steeple used to be highest in the world when built but lightning has struck it several times and each time it is rebuilt it is not as high.

 "Nun's Gate" and "Nun's Tower"--Gate was one way to enter the walled city and named that way as a nun's convent was just inside.

The fortress surrounding the Medieval city of Tallinn was at its mightiest around 1530.  There is nearly 2 miles of the wall, 20 defensive towers, and parts of two of the six outer gates still remaining today.

You can see  the "upper" part of the city where the government buildings and foreign embassies are located.

                               Antique store with military items.  I wanted to go in but it was closed.

 Tallinn's oldest public time piece on the side of "Holy Spirit Church".  Church from 14th century.

                                             Joe and Allison, our friends from Galveston

   Looks like a church but isn't.  It is Town Hall (built 1402-1404) sitting on Town Hall Square

                                                           Town Hall Square

                                                              Town Hall

                                   We had cappuccino and some truffle candy here on our break.

                                    Old pharmacy from 1422 (before Columbus's days even)

                                            This is the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin

 We went to this Medieval church for a 15 minute mini concert by the 2 women and 1 girl in following photos.

            The old St Catherine's Church was a city block long and built in the 13th Century.

                                              Showing how long the church is

 These are tombstones that were on the floor of the church as people were buried under the floor inside the church.  These date back to 1300-1500's.

                                                  Yes, there is a McDonalds in Estonia      

                             Amaresh, the Comptroller on ship and our friend, with his fiancee.