Tallinn capital of Estonia

We left the ship and walked down the pier and found a small tourist market right there which was interesting. They were selling the usual fridge magnets and coffee mugs but there were some really nice things for sale such as locally made handcrafted clothing and leather goods. And of course there was the usual cutout mask for us to put our faces through for a photograph. I love these things and over the years have built up quite a collection of such pictures.

We walked up from the ship through the old town gate and followed everyone else uphill to the center of old Tallinn. Like most old European cities, the streets and buildings were clean and well kept and there were pictures to take at every corner. And Susan found the shops really interesting. The store windows carried products we usually don’t see at home and so window shopping was fascinating. 

Susan above the old town with the more modern city just visible in the background. Notice the bulging shoulder bag full of local treasures!

For a North American tourist the streets of old European cities are charming.  The customs of the people are so open and friendly that the experience stands out. Of course, people everywhere reflect back at you the way you greet them.

I love looking down side streets and alleys because sometimes you get to see the real city and take really interesting photographs.

Amber, a fossilized tree resin found all over the world, has been used since ancient times as jewellry. One of the oldest and most prolific sources as been on the shores of the Baltic which, of course, includes Estonia. We passed several jewellry stores on our walk with beautiful displays of amber jewellery and eventually we spent time in some of them.

We went into one store called “Oh La La” which was down a few steps from street level. It was a beautiful 

shop with really beautiful pieces and it was hard to chose one from the other but Susan finally chose a beautiful amber necklace to take home as a momento of a beautiful  afternoon.

We continued our unplanned tour up and down the cobbled streets and ended up in Lossi Plats which was an important square in the old town. On one side was the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral for the Eastern Orthodox faith.

Opposite the cathedral across the square was the Toompea Castle. It was originally a stonghold on the top of the hill from about the 9th century. Over the following centuries the stronghold became a castle and that was upgraded continuously into the 18th century. Today the castle houses the Estonian Parliament and government offices.

Throughout this post I am dropping names of places and buildings so that you can follow up on the internet to learn more about any of  them that catches your interest. Google Earth is especially helpful because it will take you to the same places so you can walk up and down the same streets. However we want to keep this post to a reasonalbe length so details here are rather sketchy. But then remember that this is a blog about photography and I don’t want to distract you from the amazing artistic images.

To take this picture I stood on the steps of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and looked across to the Toompea Castle and Estonian parliament.

Here I am standing in front of the Toompea Castle which houses the Estonian Parliament.

When we left the Eurodam in the morning we had no specific plan about what to see or where to go. We did not plan to go into town at all. So we essentially wandered around, looking in stores, walking down alleys, and finding  places to look out over the old town. You miss a lot when you visit like this but you see a lot as well. You actually get to feel a place. By wanderng you end up away from the tourist routes and sometimes find yoursef in some quiet side street alone with the city. It is those moments that form a lasting impression of a place.

We had left the ship a little late and we had to be back before 4:00 so we did not have as much time as we wuld have liked. And we got hungry. So we started back to the ship but we were looking for a spot to grab a quick lunch. There were several and it is hard to chose when all you can do is look at them from the outside.

We found a small place behind a wall with people sitting in a small courtyard. It looked lovely so we went in. And it turned out to be an excellent choice. Nice people, friendly service and great food.

I ordered herring with potatoes which sounds rather uninteresting. It was fantastic. Somthing so simple it is hard to explain. And yet it seemed perfect.

It seems that I remember my life in terms of great meals  and drinks that I have had and this one ranks right up there: Just as St. Petersburg means vodka Tallinn for me will always mean herring and potatoes.

My lunch of herring with potatoes, sour cream and delicious brown bread. It was simple and simply fantastic.

Susan at our table in this beautiful little restaurant. It was simple, pleasant and totally delicious.

We set out for our next stop sailing into an amazing sky. The sky over the Baltic was dramatic every day of our cruise.

I think that Tallinn was one of my favourite stops anywhere. It is not famous and does not have beautifull beaches or mountain vistas. It was just a quiet little place that fits like an old shoe: just comfortable.

Back on the ship it was dinner and down to the Ocean Bar to dance. This dancing is a thing Susan loves. So much so that we have taken lessons for years. And one of the things about cruising is that we can dance every evening.

Some ships have better bands than others. Occasionally we have come across terrible music. Invariably the bands are lovely people but sometimes they don’t play dance music. So you dance to whatever you can. There is always something danceable. And  then occasionally we come across a dance band that is fantastic and we dance ourselves to the end of every evening.