Tallin Estonia

I was almost late for Estonia. We went to bed last night and there was no envelope with escort assignments waiting for us in our mail slot. So we had a chance to sleep in for a change. Here I was blissfully in that half awake/half asleep state when Michael yells at me, “You have a tour. Get up and get ready you only have ½ hour before the tour leaves!” How could this be? They have never done such a last minute assignment before. So out of bed I jump, well not really jump as I am stiff as a board when I first get up and head for the shower. No time to do my hair. Get out of the shower and Michael feeds me a banana as I am pulling on my socks. I actually arrived at the bus in time. Actually it was very windy and overcast so it didn’t matter that I didn’t do my hair. What a way to start the day.

Michael was not so lucky. He did not get a tour, so he took the shuttle to old town and did a self-guided tour and saw much of what I saw.

At least it didn’t rain today. Tallinn is the city we visited in Estonia. They have only had their independence since 1991 from Soviet Russia. As in the other Baltic countries, the Soviet influence is still very much visible. This medieval city is surrounded by a moat and wall with tower gateways, and there are 40+ churches and cathedrals. The streets of the old upper town are twisty with ankle-wrenching cobblestone streets. At one cathedral dating back to the 1200s, there were some incredibly ornate coat of arms of wealthy families mounted on the walls of the church. The Russian orthodox church was among the most beautiful of churches we have seen so far on our journey, with four domes and lots of gold leaf decoration and intricate sculptures and carvings. We also went to an outdoor museum that displayed actual farm houses from a century ago, including the furnishings. We were treated to a folk dance show and were served refreshments. Had caraway flavored tea that was very bold tasting and unusual, and a cake that tasted like half cake/half bread. Our guide was a hoot. She should be a stand-up comedienne. Using a sense of humor, she told us tales of life under communism and how grateful they are today for their freedom even though they don’t have much in the material sense. Wages are very low and the recession has hit them hard. I have a new appreciation for the Baltic countries and admire the strength of character of these people.

Today we had a bridge game and only had 3 tables. I didn’t have to play!!!

It is now 11:30 pm and it is sunny outside. It probably won’t get all the way dark as we are pretty close to the Arctic Circle.

Tomorrow we are in St. Petersburg.