Sorry for the delay in the posts but I have not had reliable wifi since my last post and we’ve been very busy.

We arrived in Tallinn, Estonia. It’s wedged between Latvia & Russia and borders the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. Estonia has survived Teutonic Knights, Polish princes and Russian Tsars. Tallinn is the capital of Estonia. The Old Town is a medieval gem and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best way to describe it is that it’s a small town like a large castle. It is the sight of Toompea Hill, where Estonia’s parliament sits and is a natural fortification. It used to consist of 2 feuding towns - the upper town on the hill and the lower town which was the heart of the old trading town.

We decided to just stroll through the city and take in all the sights.
First stop was Fat Margaret (Paks Margaretta)Tower, which guarded the entry to the town in medieval times. Some say this was named for a large cannon and some say it was named after a cook called Margaret who lived here. Strolling up Pikk Street (Long Street) we could see the merchants’ main drag. One building dubbed the 3 sisters was a merchants home/ warehouse/ office from the 15th century.

The tallest spire in the land at the time belonged to Oleviste Kirk (St Olaf’s Church). It was a Baptist Church but today it is a typical Lutheran church, with a stark whitewashed interior. We passed a building (at 59 Pikk) that housed the local headquarters of the KGB before 1991. It gave me goose bumps imagining the horrors that could have occurred here.

On past a beautiful door that was once the entry to the Brotherhood of the Black Heads. It sounds pretty menacing but it was just a German merchant’s club for 500 years. Only single, German men could belong. When a Black Head member married they then gained a vested interest in the town’s local economy and could then join the prestigious Great Guild for German big shots. This gave them a promising economic and political future.

Continuing along Pikk we saw many fanciful facades. We passed the Great Guild Hall and Puhavaimu Kirik (Church of the Holy Ghost) from the 14th century. We arrived in Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square) which was bustling with activity. It’s lined with shops and restaurants and is dominated by the Town Hall (now a museum) which was built in 1402. A pharmacy boasts that it is the oldest one still operating in Europe, dating back to 1422. Passing the 13th century Gothic Niguliste Kirik (St Nicholas Church) we made our way up to the Upper Town via Lucile Jalg (Short Legs Lane).

We passed through a gate in the old wall that still has the original oak door and which is still the ritual meeting point for the mayor and prime minister when an important agreement between the town and country occurs. We found ourselves in the city walls and gardens. The Wall once had 46 towers. 26 still stand. We took in the great views and saw Kirk in de Kok (peek in the kitchen) tower. This is one of the eras mightiest defensive bastions with walls over 4 meters thick. It got its name because it literally allowed the guards to peek into townspeople’s homes. We walked up more and were rewarded with the sight of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral also known as Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. AMAZING! It was built in 1900 and is a sore point for Estonians as it was built at the end of the Russian domination. Across the street is Toompea Castle, a beautiful pink Palace from the 18th century which hoses Parliament today. Behind the Palace is the tallest tower of the castle, Pikk Hermann (The Herman Tower), which was once a prison. For 50 years, while Estonian flags were hidden in the cellars, the Soviet flag flew from this tower. Now it flies an Estonian flag. Toomkirik (the Dome Church), also known as St Marys Church, is Lutheran. It was built in the 13th century during Danish rule and rebuilt after a fire in 1684. We took in great vistas at a couple of viewpoints and then looked for a place to eat lunch while taking in the atmosphere. Then we went in search of a market to buy our illicit wine. We passed a hidden attraction and went up onto the ramparts and took in more sights. Then it was back to the ship, passing the “Sweater Wall”, named because there are women lined up selling knitwear, and out through the Viru Gate and past colourful flowerstalls.

Did you know...
- The city was built on salt. It was like gold back then - a rich commodity.
- In 1710 Estonia was part of the Russian empire as it declared independence before WW II. It was occupied from 1940-1991.
- Tallinn means Danish Town.
- Estonia is the least religious country in the EU - only 14% identify religion as an important part of their lives. What a waste! There are so many churches here.

Tomorrow is St. Petersburg.