D&E Travel: Day #12 and #13 - Tuesday and Wednesday, June 7 and 8, 2011

It's Wednesday!! We are at sea at headed back to Gothenburg, Sweden. We didn't update our blog yesterday because we were so "busy" in Tallin, Estonia. It's a good day to blog because it is chilly outside and foggy. We also regained two of our lost hours so we are more rested today.

Tallin, Estonia - Tuesday, June 7

We departed the ship at 9:00 a.m. and had quite a walk from the Pier to where the motor coaches were lined up. The local Estonians were ready for us with their line of souvenier shops with all of their homemade local items. Our tour was of the Glory of Old Tallinn. Our tour guide, Dave, was very interesting and informative. It lasted four hours and then we went off on our own and came back on one of the shuttle buses at 3:30 p.m.

A little bit of history of Estonia. Itis the northern most and smallest of the Baltic States. It lies on the shores of the Gulf of Finland between Russia in the east and Latvia on the South. I see Poland on the map nearby so it's not too far away. Since my IPhone is out of service, I can't just Google and get the answer. Drives me crazy!!

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia and is on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, 53 miles by sea from Helsinki. With a population of 400,000, it's the country's largest industrial and cultural center. Tallinn is a very pretty town and the old town is from medieval time with old walls, towers, winding cobblestone lanes and buildings dating back the middle ages. It is known for being one of the best-preserved medieval towns. It's one of those places that you just keep taking more and more pictures because everything is so quaint! Today, the city's main industries include electrical and oil drilling, machinery, textile and paper manufacturing.

The first settlement in Tallinn begain around 2,500 B.C. by tribes who drifted across Europe from Asia. In 1219 the Danes conquered the area. The Estonians called Tallinn 'the City of Danes'. In 1516 Tallinn took an oath of allegience to King Eric XIV of Sweden to protect itself from invasion by Russia. After the Great Northern War of 1710, Russia took control and in 1870 a railway was connected to St. Petersburg and Tallinn became a principal port for Russian Imperial trade. That was the beginning of the more industrialized society. In 1918 the Estonians got their country back but in 1940 it was annexed to the Soviet Union. Shortly after it was invaded and occupied by German forces and was heavily bombed by Soviet planes in 1944. The outskirts of Tallinn was mostly affected and our guide indicated that only about 20 percent was destroyed. During and after the war, many women and children were deported to Siberia. Today half of the population is Russian. Our guide said their history consisted of constantly being occupied and trying to break away. Finally, in 1991 Estonia became independent once again from the Soviet Union and joined the United Nations.

Castle

Our tour started with a stop at Toompea Castle now the residence of the Estonian Parliament. We were not allowed to go inside. There were really no "famous" sites to see in Tallinn but we enjoyed seeing the old town. There are still several of the medieval buildings still standing. The City of Old Town is beautiful. We enjoyed walking the streets and hearing about the history of the area. It was a very warm and sunny day. It was the first day we had 86 degree weather. We have not been used to such that warm of temperatures. Yes, we know, we had better get ready for it back home.

Guide

We visited several Russian Orthodox cathedrals as well as Lutheren Churches. I would call them churches but anyway...they were interesting that the church walls are decorated with coats of arms of noble families. There must have been a lot of 'noble families' because the walls were decorated with more than 100 of them. We visited the St. Nicholas church where we sat and listened to a short classical music concert performed for us. It was a great way to take a break from walking but also listen to some soothing music.

Our walking tour continued to a scenic viewpoint where we looked over the Lower Town rooftops. Beautiful views and we took a short time for a Diet Coke break and shopping.

We then continued along the medieval narrow streets of the Lower Old Town and stopped to see the Town Hall Square, which played a very important part in the hstory of Tallinn, being its heart as well as a medieval marketplace. As we walking there, we went down a bunch of steps and off to our right were some mucians playing their instruments as we went by. We separated from the tour at 1:00 p.m. and went on our own for lunch and some shopping.

Town Square

Town Hall

Evonne and Hans

We found a cute little restaurant, Al Sole, and took a break. We had a little trouble with the menu but I am always safe with a Margarita Pizza but, of course, Dee had to have some meat!!

And, of course, my Diet Coke. I drank Diet Coke and Dee read his email. No telling what he might be missing at work!!

Would you believe we were sitting there, and two couples sat down at the table across from us and one of the men asked where we were from. When we said Oklahoma, he looked funny and then said they were from Ardmore and the other couple was from Muskogee. Is that crazy or what??? We had a good visit. They were on another ship and were on their way to St. Petersburg. It truly is a small world.

I tried to bring the doll home for Tenley and
Reese but Popx said I didn't have room in the suitcase.

We found our way back to the ship by shuttle and were ready for the evening events. We actually went to the headliner show at the theatre. John Taylor is an Illusionist. And man were we illusioned!! We loved it. I need to learn how to do that so I can make things disappear when I want them gone!!