Prologue: On the outset I said I did not think writing a blog while on cruises was a good idea. I was right! Yes, I wrote and saved my musings almost every night so the words I post are of the moment even though they are at least a couple of months old. What's the hold-up? Life! Life was waiting for us when we returned home on September 5. We did a quick catch-up on our house, went to Panama City Beach several times, safely escaped Hurricane Michael, attended a beautiful outdoor wedding and then returned to the beach to continue clean-up; fix-up and simply enjoying a quieter home.

And it's not just a matter of uploading the episodes. Each blog entry requires photos. Now that's the time consuming part. Still I am committed to finishing this story. There are three more ports on the Baltic I will cover and then you must hear of our impromptu two-week add-on adventure in Spain. Now to tell you about Tallinn, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia and so much more . . .

Tallinn, Estonia - August 11, 12, 2018

Yesterday, August 11, was a day at sea - one of my favorites. We always enjoy a "down day" on which there is no schedule. It is pure relaxation - a rare event for us. And the day was wonderful!!! We took our time doing our morning routine of coffee and working out and by the time we dressed, it was noon and time for lunch. Afterwards, we found a spot out of the breeze on the pool deck and enjoyed the sun, sea and listening to our books. Ash!

Cruise ships are notorious for offering quality entertainment performances. That night we thoroughly enjoyed a performance by international a dance troupe called "Burn The Floor." They did a "take" on ballroom dancing but with super-charged energy and great talent. I absolutely loved it! Then we had dinner at The Manhattan Room restaurant complete with live "Swing" music. Fun! And Free! Well, not exactly free, but certainly no additional cost.

Today we visited Tallinn, Estonia. Estonia is one of the oldest Baltic countries. Tallinn is its seaport capital. Tallinn has about 400,000 inhabitants and the entire Republic of Estonia has only 1.4 million. Estonia has a very complicated history dating back to medieval times and I certainly am not qualified to correctly relate the history but what I do know is that some of its remaining buildings date back to the 14th century. Much of the old wall that surrounds the city with its twenty-something remaining turrets that surrounds of the city is still intact. Part of the moat still exists and is used as a long pond in the grounds that are now a beautiful park. Estonia was conquered by Sweden in the early middle ages and the Estonian citizens were put into serfdom. In modern times in World War II Estonia fell into the hands of Soviet Russia.

During the Russian era, all resources; all wealth was taken but finally serfdom was abolished. The people were left with nothing. Natural resources were gone and the land farmed-out. But they were free to move about and no longer tied to the land. They sought their independence. In the late 1970's Moscow was preparing to host the 1980 Olympics and needed a port for the yachting competition. Tallinn sits on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and it was the only possible place to build a yacht basin in Russia. Russia agreed to give Estonia its independence and Estonia agreed to remain part of the Soviet Union until the Olympics were complete. Tallinn was the sight of the yachting event; the club and the housing for the competitors still are being used today. Russians granted Estonia their independence shortly after and Estonia became a Parliamentary Republic. Finally free, but they had little to work with. Since there were few natural marketable resources, they had to start from scratch. Cities like Tallinn today have economies based primarily on technology and service industry. As it was explained to me, because they had nothing when they received their independence, they leap-frogged old methodology, old technology and old equipment. Everything had to be new. Today, they have a highly educated and highly skilled population. Virtually everyone goes to university. Some, they say, go to the university to earn their degree to please the parents but then go to vocational school to do something they like.

We visited Old Town - which looks like a storybook town, by the way! We walked along the wall - first the outside; then the inside. After walking through an ancient gate, we got a glimpse back in medieval history. For a moment, please, picture the fortress wall featured in some of the very earliest episodes of Game of Thrones when Eddard Starke was the King's hand. The wall we saw today looked very similar. The high stone wall had wooden stairs leading up to a wooden walkway between the turrets. Soldiers and archers once ran from turret to turret defending the town with bows and arrows through vertical gaps in the stone. From the outside, the turrets were round to better deter hits by arrows or the enemies' stones. On the inside the turrets were flat. In peace time, pointed roofs were added to the turrets but before, the turrets were open for firing.

All the streets of Old Town are cobbled, rough and uneven. I can almost hear horse hooves and cart wheels on them. There were beautiful medieval three-story guild houses where craftsmen and merchants worked, marketed their goods and lived. In the courtyard was the gothic Town Hall - which strangely resembles a church. The sights were wonderful.

We next traveled into modern Tallinn. Schools and universities were pointed out as were churches. Most of the churches are no longer used as churches. Most were converted by the Soviets to utilitarian type buildings like gymnasiums, warehouses and even skating rinks. We saw stark undecorated buildings built in the Soviet era and then those more recent ones built in the modern Estonian style. We were taken to a huge music venue that hosts the annual Summer Song Festival in which some 30,000 choirs compete for high honors each year.

I'm glad we saw a bit of modern Tallinn but it's rather like any other new city. History, beauty and culture belong to the Old Town.