Tallin, Estonia

Tallin, Estonia

It was another gorgeous day in the 70s.  I went up to the buffet cafeteria for breakfast and it was so crowded.  I asked this woman if I could sit with her.  She said she was waiting for her husband but since he was late, I was welcome to his seat.  Her name was Susan and she worked at a university teaching teacher ed classes.  We had a wonderful conversation and when her husband showed up, he went and ate somewhere else so we could continue our conversation.  They were such a nice couple and said if I saw them around again, I could eat with them.  

We had a day at sea yesterday and I went to the fruit carving demonstration - so cute. 

I went on the Gothic walking tour of old town Tallin.  We learned a lot of history and saw a lot of cool architecture.  Estonia has been ruled by Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, etc.  They got their independence after WWI and kept it until USSR took it over in WWII. The guide said they joked that the buildings were made of “microconcrete”  because they were half KGB microphones and half concrete. They got their independence again when the USSR broke apart.

st. Nicholas church

 

St. Nicholas church

st nicholas church art

 

St. Alexander Nevesky church

St. Alexander Nevesky church

There are three statues of monks in the Garden of the Danish king - supposedly they haunt the tower and other places in Tallin. 

There was a market going on. 

I ate a snack at a café and ask a couple in my group if I could sit with them and they were from Houston!  She teaches in Fort Bend.

We went to an open air museum that showed what houses were like in different parts of Estonia during different time periods.