We ventured into town
this morning to find ourselves a beer and a wifi hot spot and ended up at this
little place just outside of the old town area. There was a really, really
drunk guy who moved our camera bag and sat down with us. Not sure what he was
drinking but it was only 11 a.m. He gave us hell for playing on the Internet
and not touring the town and told us multiple times how much he likes women.
Needless to say, the visit to that establishment was cut way short. The
waitress yelled at him but they continued to serve him and he kept moving from
table to table. It's midsummer celebration all over this area and each country
seems to celebrate it on a different day, we've been following it through the
Baltic where every day has been a holiday since Visby.
We did a great tour today with a small group that I booked through AAA. We were joined by a family from NCL (Norwegian star I believe), what a bunch of uptight assholes, they were traveling with Mom, Dad, kids and grandparents - nobody seemed to care that though Grandpa was in great shape all the walking and cobblestones and step were a pretty hard on him. Our tour girl was a skinny blonde and she kept saying 'so, yea' during every story she was sharing. She gave us great information and neat little stories.
The tour started at the presidential home (white house) which is actually pink. The flag of the President of Estonia flies whenever the President is in Estonia, it was flying today. Behind the presidential home is Catherine's Valley which is an English garden founded by Peter the Great and contains Kadroirg Palace built in 1718 as one of the summer palaces. Unfortunately, the palace was getting a face lift and not easily viewed.
Stopped by the amphitheater where many American musicians have performed....Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and many more. Next was a stop by the Olympic village and a dip in the Baltic Sea!! The water temperature was 19 degrees centigrade, and though I only dipped my toes in, I was wading in the Baltic Sea!
Old city was definitely our favorite with many old and interesting buildings and stories. Maidens Tower next to the Dutch Kings Garden dates to the 14th Century. Naming it Maidens or Virgins tower is another example of the wacky Medieval irony because this building used to house a prison for prostitutes.
We walked up the 158 steps up the side of the cliff to visit the upper side of town where we had a fabulous view of both old and new Tallinn.
We toured numerous old churches including the cathedral of St. Mary which has an incredible display of coats of arms from the wealthy residents. Pictures were not allowed inside the churches but there were dozens of beautiful displays.
Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built by the Russians in the 1900's when they were occupying that area. This was a traditional looking onion dome church that was absolutely gilded in gold inside. What a site!
The oldest business in Tallinn is a pharmacy from 1422 and is still in business today. Nearby, tombstones from 14th and 15th century St. Catherine's Dominican Friary were on display along the one walkway. Interesting to see that rebuilding from WWII devastation is still in process throughout the Baltic region.
We did a great tour today with a small group that I booked through AAA. We were joined by a family from NCL (Norwegian star I believe), what a bunch of uptight assholes, they were traveling with Mom, Dad, kids and grandparents - nobody seemed to care that though Grandpa was in great shape all the walking and cobblestones and step were a pretty hard on him. Our tour girl was a skinny blonde and she kept saying 'so, yea' during every story she was sharing. She gave us great information and neat little stories.
The tour started at the presidential home (white house) which is actually pink. The flag of the President of Estonia flies whenever the President is in Estonia, it was flying today. Behind the presidential home is Catherine's Valley which is an English garden founded by Peter the Great and contains Kadroirg Palace built in 1718 as one of the summer palaces. Unfortunately, the palace was getting a face lift and not easily viewed.
Stopped by the amphitheater where many American musicians have performed....Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and many more. Next was a stop by the Olympic village and a dip in the Baltic Sea!! The water temperature was 19 degrees centigrade, and though I only dipped my toes in, I was wading in the Baltic Sea!
Old city was definitely our favorite with many old and interesting buildings and stories. Maidens Tower next to the Dutch Kings Garden dates to the 14th Century. Naming it Maidens or Virgins tower is another example of the wacky Medieval irony because this building used to house a prison for prostitutes.
We walked up the 158 steps up the side of the cliff to visit the upper side of town where we had a fabulous view of both old and new Tallinn.
We toured numerous old churches including the cathedral of St. Mary which has an incredible display of coats of arms from the wealthy residents. Pictures were not allowed inside the churches but there were dozens of beautiful displays.
Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built by the Russians in the 1900's when they were occupying that area. This was a traditional looking onion dome church that was absolutely gilded in gold inside. What a site!
The oldest business in Tallinn is a pharmacy from 1422 and is still in business today. Nearby, tombstones from 14th and 15th century St. Catherine's Dominican Friary were on display along the one walkway. Interesting to see that rebuilding from WWII devastation is still in process throughout the Baltic region.
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