We had a great visit to Tallinn. Tallinn is the capital of Estonia and its largest city. There is evidence of settlement dating back 5,000 years. In 1997, the Old Town or Tallinn was added to the list UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Old Town is a very charming area with old churches, shopping, restaurants, and residences. It is interesting to watch the culture shifts between Denmark, Germany, and Estonia. One thing we realize is that in all cultures anywhere in the world, the little children are the same. Babies are cute, little boys love puddles, and parents love their babies.
On the short walk from the boat, Chuck took the picture on the right. You just never know what you will find in a foreign city. There are statues of some sort in every city we have visited.
Our first stop was St. Olav’s church, once the tallest church in the world according to the guide we were given. In the picture on the left, the round structure is Fat Margaret’s tower. On the left is the interior of the church. As a Lutheran church, it is plainer than Catholic or Orthodox churches.
Caroline and Mary climbed 258 steps to the top of St. Olav’s church. Chuck, Mary, and Katy had the good sense to wait that one out <grin>. Here are two pictures from the top. In the second picture, you can see our ship.
There was another beautiful church at the top of the hill (visible in the center of the picture above in the middle. Chuck climbed up to it, but much of it was under construction and there was no good picture vantage point. And, pictures were not allowed inside. On the way down the hill from that church I saw the picture on the right. Normally I don’t take pictures of mimes and people in period costumes, I figured a picture of Shrek on Donkey was worth an Euro. If you removed the old building in the background,this could be an America city.
We chose NOT to eat at McDonalds and instead chose a cafe that was housed in a very old building. The sign says 1681. I’m not sure if that was the year the restaurant started, or the year of the building. We were outside enjoying the crowds walking by and had a very nice lunch and a cold drink. The beer drinkers had an Estonian beer which was quite good. In the picture to the right, we are eating just outside the first yellow building. As you can see it was very bust street with both tourists and locals. It was a great stop to refuel and rest our weary bones.