July 21, 2008 - Tallinn

Estonia is one of three Scandinavian countries that have been governed by various rulers and countries. Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania were ruled latest by Soviet Russia. With the collapse of the Soviet state, Estonia claimed their independence in 1991. Russian influence is everywhere. The Estonians endured and built their own houses, but the Russians still attempted to force the Russian language and customs on all the people. Most Estonians did not capitulate.

We saw the summer palace of the Russian czars. This small palace is now in the middle of Kadriorg Park and the lower gardens are around a small lake. The upper gardens are in the rear of the Baroque castle surrounded by a masonry wall. We did not tour the interior of the now, art museum.

A large amphitheater is on a hill over looking the harbor. This is the location of many concerts and the yearly 'Song' Festival, held here since 1869. We looked down on our ship and two other cruise ships.

We bussed through the town and were shown the Russian built apartments that are now being renovated and the new buildings being constructed, as the population grows. Education and health care are subsidized and all persons learn English and either Russian or Swedish in grade school.

We were let out near the top of the 'Upper' town and walked to the encircling wall and towers. At the top of the town the Russians built an ornate Orthodox Cathedral. Both the prominent Lutheran and the Orthodox churches have low attendance due to general apathy.

Walking down a path we reach the 'Lower' town. In old times, the wealthy lived in the 'Upper' town and the poor lived in the 'Lower' town. The two towns could only be accessed by getting permission. A wealthy person did not head the rules and when he returned to the 'Upper' town, he was publically tried and executed.

We walked through the Lower town and went to a building that houses a small museum. The museum depicts early Estonia and depicts life like the Norse people of Finland and Norway. A concert was performed and we all participated in the singing.

We walked through town and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch we were given 1 hour to shop. Tallinn - the 'Upper' and 'Lower' town have their original buildings but they have been transformed into a tourist mecca. From T shirt shops to authentic hand knitted clothing, our tourist money was welcomed. The main theme is Medieval Europe. This is a big, year around Renaissance festival. DebDav tired of this very quickly.

We motored back to the pier and got onboard for our 2 1/2 days at sea proceeding to Amsterdam.