Tallinn, Estonia

We had a lovely time in Tallinn today!! We hired a private guide who took us to the walled city and then the old city.

 Tallinn has had quite a run.. Over the years they've been occupied by Finland, Denmark, Germany and the Soviet Union until they left in 1991. 

We visited a Russian Orthodox church as well as a Protestant church. 

In the Protestant church, the pews had doors at the end to keep the heat in and a private, elevated box for the family who donated the most to the church. Wooden plaques showed the family crests of major donors. 

We were surprised to see a grave commemorating a German who served on the Russian navy. 

 Walked around the walled city which has been taken down in some spots to make way for more buildings. 

 During our walk we once again saw a restaurant called Texas like we had seen in Bornholm and Stockholm. There is some sort of fascination with Texas in the Baltic regions. We also passed by Apteek which is the oldest continuously operating drug store in the world. They started in 1422. 

The city square is impressive with a building that looks like a church but is actually the town hall.

 Up on top sits a weathervane with "Old Thomas" which has been there since 1530 except during the time when the Soviet Union occupied the county. It is considered an icon for Tallinn. After they Soviets left, Vana Toomas was restored to his rightful place on the weathervane.  

After our tour we stopped in a local food hall and had some bar snacks, salads and of course tried some local beer. 

 The Gose and Tume (dark lager) were my favorites. The bar snacks were so tasty. We had salted cucumbers which tasted similar to the half sour pickles you can get in any decent NY deli. Served with honey and sour cream. And the garlic bread was these thin strips of dark bread with hints of molasses and seeds for some crunch. And tossed in garlic butter with some pieces of garlic. Chewy, salty and crunchy. So tasty and perfect with a cold beer.  

After our lunch and beer tasting we walked the 2 km back to the ship through some of Tallinn's recently gentrified neighborhoods. 

 Tomorrow is a sea day. Yesterday the captain made an announcement that we may be able to stop in Visby Sweden after all. We had missed that earlier due to weather. So we'll see if it is still possible. If so, that would replace the planned sea day on July 7th.