Day - 17: Friday, June 12, 2015
Starting Location: At Sea En-route to Tallinn, Estonia
Interim Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Ending Location: At Sea En-route to St. Petersburg, Russia
Arrival into Tallinn is one of the easier port entries with the new Marine Terminal well designed for a fair number of ships, maybe 4-6 at a time though it would make for large crowds at the tourist venues.
As with many European cities one of the first sights to be seen when arriving is the gargantuan communications tower.
At the terminal itself were another cruise ship, several large ferries and a French Navy auxiliary "AO/AE" type. One of the stranger things was the "Balloon Tallinn" ride; a tethered balloon that rises for an overlook view of the port area.
Our tour for the day was entitled "Tallinn & Old Town". As a bit of background, Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, the smallest of the Baltic States. The population of Estonia is around 1.5 million, with 25% of the population in greater Tallinn. Estonia declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 20th, 1991 and is a member of the EU and NATO.
We would visit the Upper Town and the Lower Town, both with old architecture and fortress like in nature.
As can be seen, we visited a variety of buildings and cathedrals within the fortress of old.
Evidencing the days of lords and ladies, one of the cathedrals is adorned with "coats of arms" for many historic Estonian families.
The old city is accessible by car, bus and certainly by foot but the streets are all narrow and cobble-stoned. I would again mention that this is only the "old" Tallinn, we didn't really see much of the new city but what we did see was like other 21st century European cities.
But back to the "old", Sheila actually mentioned that it had a "Williamsburg" feel. The Tallinn buildings were real as opposed to the reconstructed at W-Burg but the fact that so many people in the touristy areas and certainly around the central square were in costume gave it that W-Burg feel. The girls in yellow were an example, of course with the exception of the "running shoes".
With the "selfie-stick" broken we practiced the art of mirrored-window selfies.
Colorful flowers were evident everywhere including some black petunias, not purple but black.
In the central square there were numerous cafes and shops, there were many street artists and even a guy or it could have been a gal, in chain mail armor waving a large broad sword at passing tourists.
Can't say that I've visited too many places where archery is practiced against the castle wall.
I mentioned a French Navy ship moored across from our berth. Late in the afternoon the call must have gone out for a 30-man working party as French sailors lined the gangway and pier to the dumpster. It must have been "trash call" as bag after bag of trash was passed along the line to the awaiting depository. Would have thought there were easier ways to accomplish this task in the modern French navy.
The high-flying diner was interesting. I had seen this somewhere before, perhaps in New Zealand or Australia. Today was a windy day but as we were departing a group of diners were lofted into the sky for a high-flying dinner.
Interim Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Ending Location: At Sea En-route to St. Petersburg, Russia
Arrival into Tallinn is one of the easier port entries with the new Marine Terminal well designed for a fair number of ships, maybe 4-6 at a time though it would make for large crowds at the tourist venues.
As with many European cities one of the first sights to be seen when arriving is the gargantuan communications tower.
At the terminal itself were another cruise ship, several large ferries and a French Navy auxiliary "AO/AE" type. One of the stranger things was the "Balloon Tallinn" ride; a tethered balloon that rises for an overlook view of the port area.
Our tour for the day was entitled "Tallinn & Old Town". As a bit of background, Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, the smallest of the Baltic States. The population of Estonia is around 1.5 million, with 25% of the population in greater Tallinn. Estonia declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 20th, 1991 and is a member of the EU and NATO.
We would visit the Upper Town and the Lower Town, both with old architecture and fortress like in nature.
As can be seen, we visited a variety of buildings and cathedrals within the fortress of old.
 |
| Voldemar Panso Famous Estonian Artist |
Former boot maker's shop had a uniquely designed drain spout.
But back to the "old", Sheila actually mentioned that it had a "Williamsburg" feel. The Tallinn buildings were real as opposed to the reconstructed at W-Burg but the fact that so many people in the touristy areas and certainly around the central square were in costume gave it that W-Burg feel. The girls in yellow were an example, of course with the exception of the "running shoes".
 |
| Famous Deer That Fell Over A Cliff |
Speaking of lots of traffic in small spaces, we came upon this three-way intersection and grid-lock was evident. To the left was a line of 10-12 "bike rickshaw vehicles" all stopped, to the right was the black vehicle that could go neither left nor right and was thus blocking the yellow van. Problem resolved, the van backed up to give the car maneuverability and soon everyone was on their way.
With the "selfie-stick" broken we practiced the art of mirrored-window selfies.
In the central square there were numerous cafes and shops, there were many street artists and even a guy or it could have been a gal, in chain mail armor waving a large broad sword at passing tourists.
While Sheila browsed the local shops I had time to enjoy a local brew, a Saku.
Can't say that I've visited too many places where archery is practiced against the castle wall.
I mentioned a French Navy ship moored across from our berth. Late in the afternoon the call must have gone out for a 30-man working party as French sailors lined the gangway and pier to the dumpster. It must have been "trash call" as bag after bag of trash was passed along the line to the awaiting depository. Would have thought there were easier ways to accomplish this task in the modern French navy.
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| Dining on Air |
In summary, our visit to Estonia was too short, there are many things to do and see in the city and the surrounding countryside that just couldn't be accomplished in the brief nature of a ship's port visit.
As a side note, while chatting with a fellow traveler Sheila ascertained that Jeb Bush had made an appearance. Apparently he had been speaking at one of the NATO buildings (a prerequisite I suppose for presidential candidacy) and as he departed he rolled his window down to see the sights. Later with an Internet check, we did confirm Jeb's presence for the day.
As a side note, while chatting with a fellow traveler Sheila ascertained that Jeb Bush had made an appearance. Apparently he had been speaking at one of the NATO buildings (a prerequisite I suppose for presidential candidacy) and as he departed he rolled his window down to see the sights. Later with an Internet check, we did confirm Jeb's presence for the day.
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