Tallinn - Continued
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17
You know by now that internet connections are spotty at best so we are not sure what you have received. You might have seen some pictures from Tallinn but not much about what we did. So here we go. We started out on a sunny day with one grey cloud. After meeting our guide and driver, we set out and were glad to be in the van when the one grey cloud opened up and poured. It soon stopped and we saw a beautiful park with the President's house.
We were amazed with the very low level of security-no fences and you could walk up close to it. Our guide said the hardest building to get into in Estonia is the American Embassy. Nearby was an art museum in a beautiful building built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I. We made a quick stop for pastry since Carla convinced the guide that we needed some.
Next we visited the Festival Grounds where the famous sing festival is held every 5 years. During the Russian occupation this was a form of peaceful protest by the Estonian people. Then we went to where they have dumped the Soviet statues that were taken down when Estonia won their independence. They were hidden behind a small museum and I am sure we were are the only people on the cruise to see them - all because Carla knew about it and asked to see it. We drove into the center of town and set out on our walking portion of the tour.
Walking was difficult because of the cobblestone roads. These were not ordinary cobblestones, but really heavy duty rock to walk over. It was challenging for Vicki but she made it through. We saw the old city walls, several beautiful churches with very tall steeples and some classic Estonian architecture.
A market was going on in the town square with folk dancing. After our tour we got panini and ate in a park. Karen and Carla did a little shopping while the rest went back to the ship. Once we all made it back, we rested up and had a quiet evening because we have a really big day tomorrow in St. Petersburg.
You know by now that internet connections are spotty at best so we are not sure what you have received. You might have seen some pictures from Tallinn but not much about what we did. So here we go. We started out on a sunny day with one grey cloud. After meeting our guide and driver, we set out and were glad to be in the van when the one grey cloud opened up and poured. It soon stopped and we saw a beautiful park with the President's house.
Next we visited the Festival Grounds where the famous sing festival is held every 5 years. During the Russian occupation this was a form of peaceful protest by the Estonian people. Then we went to where they have dumped the Soviet statues that were taken down when Estonia won their independence. They were hidden behind a small museum and I am sure we were are the only people on the cruise to see them - all because Carla knew about it and asked to see it. We drove into the center of town and set out on our walking portion of the tour.
Walking was difficult because of the cobblestone roads. These were not ordinary cobblestones, but really heavy duty rock to walk over. It was challenging for Vicki but she made it through. We saw the old city walls, several beautiful churches with very tall steeples and some classic Estonian architecture.
A market was going on in the town square with folk dancing. After our tour we got panini and ate in a park. Karen and Carla did a little shopping while the rest went back to the ship. Once we all made it back, we rested up and had a quiet evening because we have a really big day tomorrow in St. Petersburg.
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