Tallin, Estonia

We are in Estonia!!!! Holy cow, never would have imagined that. We started out with an amazingly beautiful day for our adventure in the medieval city of Tallinn.

To get into town we had to walk about ten minutes from the pier, but we got a little taste of the shopping right when we got off the ship.

Looks like if we don't get our shopping done in town we can pick up a few things out here before we hop back on the ship.

Yet another country with a totally different currency and it was nice that they put up a little sign for us as we got off the ship to know what our dollar was worth.

Getting into was actually very easy as all you had to do was follow the blue line...well at least to the end of the port.

You've got to watch out the trams - they have signals but you can't miss them because they are rattley, but they are fast so get out of the way.

We finally made it to medieval part of the city and were greeted by the Fat Margaret Tower which faces seawards to impress visitors. This massive structure was built in the 1511-1530 is 82 feet in diameter with 17 ft thick walls. Once thought to be named after a cook who used to feed the soldiers in the walled city, but most likely after a large canon housed in it.

Being part of the former Soviet Union, the KGB had a definite presence here and as we walked into town we passed the old KGB building. It looked very ominous with and with the basement windows being bricked up I couldn't stomach the idea of what kind of horrible things happened in that building. It is said to have been the most feared building in the whole city and the plaque posted on the side of the building says in Estonian "This building housed the organ of repression of the Soviet occupational power. Here began the road to suffering for thousands of Estonians."

A little taste of American all the way in Estonia...

Kevin thought this restaurant sign looked intriguing.

This interesting door is the front of the Household of the Brotherhood of Black Heads. It's unusual name came from the Moorish St. Mauritius, who is the patron saint for the merchants and foreigners. His profile is pictured up on the top of these beautiful Renaissance-style doors colored with red, green, and gold.

It was funny when we looked back down this street but it totally reminded us of the split street in our other favorite medieval city of Rothenberg in Germany.

The Holy Spirit Church was a beautiful radiant white building with an octagonal tower dating back to the 14th century. On the outside there is an elaborate painted clock on it's side and is Tallinn's oldest public time piece dating to the late 17th century.

Inside the Holy Spirit Church has a beautiful interior as well. This pulpit is one of the oldest in Estonia dating back to 1597.

Throughout medieval times it served as the primary church of the "common folk." After the "Reformation," it was here that the first sermons were ever giving in the Estonian language instead of German. Also in 1535 the church's pastor wrote a catechism book which is thought to be the first book in Estonian.

We went up into the balcony to get a good view and to see who was playing the organ. We quickly headed back down as the children were getting a little to adventurous.

What a charming city...you can get yourself lost in little alley ways and tunnels. We got lead down a little path to a famous resturant in Tallinn known for it's garlic dishes. We didn't stay to eat but it's little courtyard was beautiful.

Getting ready to enter St. Catherine's passage which is home to the crafter's guilds so the little side street was filled with little craft workshops in 15-17th century houses.

Addison found a little friend.

The Viru Gates lead pedestrians into the old town where you feel like you step from the 21st century of the New City into the 18th century medieval Old Town. From here there are loads of pedestrian only streets that host loads of shops and quaint restaurants. The ivy that grows up all around it is so pretty. We made our way out the the newer part of town to walk around.

We ended up making a wrong turn and walked by a school where it was neat to see the kids all dressed up in their uniforms. Not something out of the ordinary for us to see but there must have been something special going on as there were loads of moms and dads there as well all dressed up.

We finally made our way to the Freedom Square which was a real symbol of a free nation that was open to "westernization." We took some time to sit and let the kids run around a bit on the big white stairs in the middle of the square while we watched the big screen TV.

We headed back into the Old part of town towards Toompea Castle. We made our way up this super crazy bendy and rough and steep Toompea hill and needed to take another break in the Danish Kings Garden. It was a good place to let the kids run around again and chase the birds. What an amazing place!

Walking through the tower gate, we saw a young lady shooting a straight bow and arrows. The kids affectionately called her Robin Hood. As we sat to take our family picture, it began to rain. Of course with it being sunny to start the day and no rain in the forecast, we didn't bring any umbrellas. So we ended up seeking shelter in the trees for over a half hour.

Fortunately we were ducking out right next to the Alexaner Nevsky Cathedral. It was our first look at the Russian Orthodox influence in the city. It was originally built during the 19th century Russification on orders from St. Petersburg. In 1924 the Estonian officials scheduled to tear down the this huge symbol of oppression, but it never happened due to a lack of funds. As the USSR was officially non-religious most of these types of churches were left for ruin, but interesting enough after Estonia gained independence in 1991 they restored the old church. Kevin and I took turns going into the church. It's funny but inside it smelt of carnations with all the huge flower arrangements and incense burning. There were huge elaborate gold figurines and carvings on the walls. There were no seats or pews, just a gated off alter area. What I found out later about the Russian orthodox church was that you had to stand during the services which could last for hours. Hence a big reason why most people didn't want to stay with the church.

After a little souvenir shopping (got Addison doll and a cool tree ornament of one of the towns towers), we made our way down the steep cobbled lane named Pikk Jalg ("Long Leg"). There is a nice long legged boot/drain pipe to mark the beginning of this famous road. We probably should have made our way up this hill as the Luhike (short leg) was the crazy steep and wobbly road we took to get up to Toompea Castle.

For a really late lunch after the kiddos fell asleep in the push chair Kevin and I stuck into Tallinn's famous Olde Hansa restaurant. Of course I'm sure it's touristy but also highly recommended by all the port reviews so we had to do it. We were most glad that we did as we got to sample some lovely comfort medieval foods. Kevin had pork, baked beans, barley, swede, potatoes, and "seed pouch" in a pastry of some sort, topped with a pickle. He had a honey flavored dark beer as it was common to flavor beers with honey and herbs since water was often not sanitary to drink.

I had a simple beef soup with bread and butter which was amazing and an apple juice as they only served period foods and drink. Our servers were all dressed up in period clothing and they were quite jolly entertainers as well.

Views of the Town Square were amazing as it was filled with market stalls and people, with medieval buildings and cobblestone streets. Things we've seen before but can never get tired of. In the middle of the town square there is a stone in the shape of a compass and it is said that if you stand in this spot you should be able to see all 5 of the tallest towers in the city...you really have to stretch but yes we found it is possible.

The skyline of the Old Town is absolutely amazing and to look back at it after being in of those places was surreal. St. Olav's church towers to the right of this picture while Alexander Nevsky's Cathedral is pointing up in the middle and St. Nicolas' Church spikes up on the left.

On the way back to the boat Harrison decided not to be a happy camper and refused to ride in the stroller. He screamed and screamed until we finally let him walk all the way back. I did talk everyone into stopping at the petrol station to pick up some bottled water and Coca-Colas to smuggle on the ship. Two waters and 4 Cokes cost me 75 Krones which was something like $14 US. Unlike most of the shops in town who took Euros, I ended up having to use my credit card which they made me leave my passport number on the receipt...craziness! But we continued on back to the ship and yes Harrison walked the entire way - over a whole mile on his little feet.

Here is a nice shot of the Splendor of the Seas which was our home away from home during this trip.

We also found the cement barriers used on the waterline. Reminded us of the spikes they used on the Normandy beaches...not really, but they were interesting.

Most of the day the kids had been begging us to go to Kid's Club so as soon as the boat set sail we all got something to eat in the buffet and dropped them off. Kevin and I then got another nice evening out together at Dazzles for drinks and to listen to the ship's band. We even did a little dancing and after a while we picked up the kiddos and went back to the room to find a new elephant friend waiting for us!