Thursday August 16th, 2018 Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn in the former Soviet bloc country of Estonia has become a very popular tourist destination and we noticed several cruise ships in port as we docked.

We took a short taxi ride Toompea area of the city and visited the Alexander Nevsky orthodox cathedral; the inside was quite dark and stuffy, no photos allowed, and a small service was in progress. Toompea appears to be the diplomatic area of the city and we noticed several embassies and missions housed in the ancient buildings. A lookout area provided excellent views of the old city and back to the port.

Wandering downhill into the old town we shopped and soaked up the ambience. The narrow streets finally opened up into the central square where a sizable market was in progress; more shopped ensued, followed by a brief refreshment stop.

Some of the old city walls still exist and in one section, for a small fee, there is access to top of the wall with great views of the red roofed old town.

We searched for a suitable lunch spot and on the recommendation of an English couple we sat down in a small courtyard with tables serviced by a tiny restaurant. As we waited for the food we were treated to some excellent classical music performed by a trio in a corner of the courtyard. We waited and waited; some food arrived but Sandra’s sandwich was still AWOL after half an hour; so I negotiated a refund and we moved on – not a great experience, though the setting was excellent.

We skirted the old city walls and walked back to the ship.