Tallinn, Estonia

Old Town Talllinn
Alexander Nerevsky Church, Tall Herman, City Hall, the Dom

Estonia is one of the Baltic Republics who were among the first to break away from the Soviet Union.  It has a rich history which goes back to medieval times.  The old city center is an UNESCO World Heritage Site as a good example of a medieval town.

It was grey and gloomy when we got there… luckily it did not rain.  We did the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour so we got to see the basic sights and get a little feel for the city.

singing ground

 They have a singing ground – apparently it is a big thing to gather everyone and sing.  This amphitheater is backed by a huge hill and they set the world record for number of people singing under the direction of one conductor – 34,000.

TV Tower

Tallinn was the site of the 1980 sailing competition for the Moscow games.  One interesting note – sailing was illegal in Estonia.  Since Helsinki is only 50 miles away, the Soviets didn’t want anyone crossing the Gulf of Finland to freedom.  We saw the Olympic Village (now a hotel-casino) and the TV tower built to air the games.  It now has a restaurant, but it used to be that only Russians and Estonians could go up in it, no foreigners.  Wonder what the Soviets were trying to hide.  

Olympic Village

Old town was interesting -  cobblestone streets, a horse drawn carriage, and, in the background, a McDonald’s. 

Right in the middle of town is a big tower called Kiek-in-de-Kök.  (It means peek in the kitchens.)  It was a high enough vantage point for the soldiers to watch out for marauding invaders -- it helped hold off the Russians in the 16th century.  Houses today abut the old buildings, and some take advantage of the ancient stone works.  (They said Tallinn is the city that never stops building … if it does it will die.  We saw some areas where the house are rundown because there are disputes as to ownership… and other areas where they are renovating and restoring.)

They have a series of towers and fortresses.  On the high end of town is Troompea Palace, nicknamed Tall Herman, and on the low end, by the port, is a round armory, nicknamed Fat Margaret. 

Fat Margaret

This area is big for tourists from St. Petersburg and Finland, so it is a very busy ferry port.  One of the earliest visitors was Peter the great who built a small palace.  It is now an art museum and the formal grounds are a city park.  They had lots of parks, and are proud of being a green city.

ferry terminal

Our ship as viewed from the pier terminal.  Notice the "beach" created by a strong jetty.

The terminal offers free WiFi.  One of the crew members is taking advantage of that freebie.