Second Port of Call: Tallinn, Estonia

Our stop in Estonia was far shorter than our stop in Germany. I might even be able to cover this in one long post with pictures.

Tallinn, Estonia is not a place I would have made a separate trip to see, but I am very glad our boat docked there for seven hours. It is a charming walled-Medieval city. The Estonians have figured out how to make tourism a major industry. Every day cruise ships dock a 10-minute walk from the center of town and flood the area for several hours. I can only imagine the place is truly magical before and after the tourists leave. 

Between 9 AM and 4 PM every day they cater to the tourists. In 2008 Estonia received an award for having the most free WiFi, which is welcome to tourists who don't want to pay a small fortune for WiFi on their boats. I was able to check in with Carin. I didn't realize that would be my last time checking in with her.

I asked friends John and Kimberly how they spent their day in Tallinn. Their response was to follow Lonely Planet's walking tour. We eventually did this, but first we spent time trying to get away from tour groups. It felt good to immerse ourselves in the past. This former-Soviet enclave looks anything but dull 1960's Soviet architecture. It is a fairy tale step back in time to the Medieval era, complete with giant wall and stunning architecture. 

Reading Lonely Planet, Tallinn was settled in 2500 BC. I can't even fathom what life was like back then. It was developed in the 9th century AD. In 1227 the first stone fort was built and they began trading with Germany, probably following the same path our cruise ship took in a fraction of the time.

There is a lot more history than I feel like covering in this blog post, especially since I did not appreciate any of it at the time.

We mostly meandered through Tallinn's Old Town, a more photogenic city you will be hard-pressed to find. 

One of the guilds

Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral
(stunning inside, but no photos allowed)

There were two lookouts, worth meandering through the tour groups to find

When the drizzling stopped, artists set up their paintings along the walls.

Another guild

Though we were there on a Sunday, and we passed a church starting a worship service, we did not attend. The sign outside was even in English, clearly catering to the tour groups. 

After wandering around town we were hungry. Early in the day we passed a vegan restaurant. Though Ashley is not vegan, she is allergic to dairy. It is hard enough explaining to servers what no dairy means (no butter, no milk, no cream, etc.) when you speak the same language. With the added challenge of a foreign language, vegan restaurants were the key to having a successful meal. We even splurged for vegan cheesecake for dessert. 

The early port call meant we could rest up for our next adventures: two days on a guided tour of St. Petersburg.