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Published: August 29th 2018
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Tallinn
We start our free guided tour at the tourist information centre in Tallinn We started our second day in Tallinn with a 2 hour free walking tour around the Old Town which started in Independence Square where we received a rundown on Estonian Customs and history which was very relevant to where we were standing as it is the centenary of Estonian Independence (1918-2018) even though that first independence would only last 1 day. Estonia has however enjoyed 27 years of independence since the fall of the iron curtain in 1991 however we were left with the impression that the multiple conquests over the last 600 years by the Fins, Swedes, Russians, Germans etc have left their mark on the country’s 1.3 million inhabitants in 2018.
From independence square, we walked up into the Toone area of Tallin visiting the old town wall and towers and hearing about the battles with Ivan the Terrible and later the Swedes and there are even some stone cannonballs from Ivan the Terribles army that were built into the recnstructed tower after Ivan’s retreat. We then proceeded up to the Parliament building, a palace built by Russian Queen Catherine as well as a Russian Orthodox Church opposite where we saw a practitioner using unorthodox methods of acquiring
Tallinn
Tish in Indepence Square with the 1918 independence memorial in the background. some Holy Water. We then proceeded to a Lutheran church which was the scene of the massacre of 100 Danish soldiers by some monks of the brotherhood of the sword. We then proceeded to a great lookout overlooking the old town and finished the walking tour back in the town square.
After grabbing a bite to eat, we took a tour of the tower museum and walked part of the old town wall. The tower became obsolete in the 1600’s but was used as a water supply storage after that time. The museum gave as a great insight into the history of water supply and waste water management from the 1500’s to present. In the evening, we ventured back to the town square and had some dinner tucker at one of the alfresco restaurants.
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Shauna Carroll
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LAST LEG!!
Fascinating history lessons guys! And the tucker throughout looks delish! (Beats spaghetti bolognese at home.... again!!) Where to next?? Must be nearly ready to start the homeward journey! Looking forward to an update of the last leg. Bon voyage Tish & Andrew! Safe home! Love Shauna, Fred & Bonnie. And Papa & GanGan xx