Tallinn, Day Two August 3, 2006

We started our walk around 10AM into Tallinn’s town center with a goal of seeing several historic sights and museums as well as having lunch before being back at the ferry terminal by 5PM.

We first skirted the old town walls which afforded us with several good views and photos. When we did enter the walls through one of the gates we immediately came upon the Maritime Museum. When given the chance we will always tour a maritime museum and this was no exception. This museum was not large but was well done and we spent about an hour there looking at the exhibits. Our only lament would be that all information was not in English which left us with some questions.

We next headed for high ground to find Toompea Castle which is located on a hill within the walls. We found the “castle” but were a little disappointed to find that it looked more like a small Russian palace because it had been rebuilt I the 18th century to house the provincial government. While on the hill we were able to take in a couple of panoramic view points. One in particular looks out over the old town and provides a great view.

We made our way back to the square and found the Estonian National Museum. Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and certainly deserves the honor and protection. Estonia was ruled by the Danes during parts of the 13th and 14th century who then sold it to the Germanic Teutonic Order who established Tallinn as a member of the Hanseatic Trading League of towns. Estonia aligned itself with Sweden against the Russians which was not the best decision because our old friend Peter the Great defeated the Swedes and took control of Estonia as part of the terms. The Russians ruled Estonia until 1918 when after the Russian Revolution Estonia declared itself independent. Independence lasted twenty years when the Soviets established both Army and Navy bases in anticipation of German aggression. The Germans defeated the Russians here in 1941 and retained control until September 1944, but not before massive damage was done to Tallinn during Soviet attacks. After the Soviets took control wide scale reprisals were initiated against the people of Estonia because of their co-operation with the Germans. Finally on August 20, 1991 Estonia again found itself independent with the fall of the Soviet Union although Russian troops remained in the country until 1994. The museum traces much of this history although it is somewhat small.

Lunch was next and again Holly picked a winner. We both agree that Tallinn is the best food we have had on the trip so far. It may because prices are more reasonable here and we are willing to try better restaurants because of this.

We toured the city hall next. We mistook the building for a church when we first saw it yesterday but our waiter set us straight. The exhibits in the hall focused on the history of building techniques in Tallinn including limestone quarries and working the stone into building material. It may not sound like the way to spend an afternoon but it was actually quite interesting. We climbed all the way to the attic above the vaulted rooms on the third floor where we could see the rafters as well as the top of the vaulted ceilings from the rooms below.

We headed back to the terminal after spending a few minutes with a tourist surveyor who was focused on food and beverage services here. We gave them high marks in all categories. Back at the terminal we picked up our packs that we had stored in lockers this morning, cleared customs, boarded the ship and found our way to our cabin.

This ferry will take us to Stockholm, a voyage of sixteen plus hours. The ship is large, my guess is 400-500 feet, and has everything we will need for the next 16 hours. We even have a TV in our cabin which has CNN, BBC and what looks to be the Australian version of The Travel Channel. Life is good for now and we look forward to reaching Stockholm where we will take it a little easier for a few days.