Tallinn

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Tallinn, Estonia

Yippee!!!! Marion and John are onboard. And the luggage is here too. Once they settled in, we left to explore Tallinn. The city has been an important commercial port throughout its long history. It is located fifty miles from Helsinki, Finland and many Finns come across by ferry to party and pick up cheap liquor. Tonight, Madonna will be performing so we expect to see Madonna fans as we tour.
We board a Hop-on-Hop off bus, HOHO, and ride through the modern lower town. The weather is sunny and Tallinn sparkles. The real gem is the Upper Town, an amazingly well preserved medieval town. Estonia has been under the rule of the Russians, Germans, Danes, Sweden, Russia and finally independent in 1991. The language of Estonian is similar to Finnish and Hungarian but most everyone we meet speaks beautiful English.
We hop off at the Tall Herman Tower, part of Toompea Castle that protected the town. We can see the moat and fortress walls still in tact after so many centuries. The streets are cobblestone and we begin to wind our way using Rick Steves as our guide. He walks us by the Parliament, the Alex Nevsky Cathedral and we stop at the St. Nicholas Church for a visit. Then it’s on to a lookout that provides a wonderful view of the town.
On the way we sample ginger crusted almonds and watch them as they are made. The aroma is as delicious as the nuts. At the lookout there is a musician playing a lute-like instrument and he is very good. John stops to mint a lucky coin for Marion, literally. The metal blank is placed in a mold and John takes tow mighty whacks at it. The result is a coin like disc with a hole in the middle and hangs from a leather thong around Marion’s neck. They need some good luck now but I’m afraid to ask for more as I have been so fortunate, I don’t want to spoil things. The view is lovely, overlooking the rooftops of the old city and down to the sea.
We meander through the lanes as enjoy the architecture of this finely preserved town, Visit another view point and see the town from a different vantage point. Now it’s time to stop for a libation and John and I choose the local beer while Marion enjoys a coffee. The beer is very good for a pilsner. I prefer a dark brew, stout or and ale. Marion enjoys the coffee. Here we see the Madonna fans. Strangely, they are women, seems to be Mom, and her two daughters and they are wearing a headdress resembling rabbit ears with “Like a Virgin” written across the front. Very strange!
After our rest we make our way back to the ship and meet at the aft pool for a soak in the hot tub. We enjoy our first dinner together and chat with another Marion, Virgil, Heddy and Jim. They are interesting dining companions. My knee has been cooperating and I’m hoping it will do so tomorrow in St. Petersburg where a long day awaits.

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