Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia is one of those places where you hear about it during the Olympics and the basic reaction around the world is "Where's Estonia?"

I was not exactly thrilled to be spending a day in Tallinn but once I started doing a bit of research, it became one of the more exciting destinations while on our Baltic cruise. Did you know, Estonia is the saddest country in the EU? That's because they have a history of being taken over and ruled by other countries. First it was Sweden and then Russia (1710-1918). Then they got their independence after WWI,  Unfortunately, WWII happened and the Soviets took over again. They gained independence again in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and have joined the Euro. 

Tallinn is one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world. It is actually made up of two feuding towns that were separated by a wall. Because one town is located on a hill, and the other is below near the Sea, it makes for a great walking city. There were plenty of views to enjoy. The locals were also fabulous and very helpful.

One of the 24 watch towers around Tallinn.  This one is called Fat Margaret.

Going through Fat Margaret.

Some of the pretty sights in town.

For some reason, the Baltics like to have tourist trains that drive through the city. It's a different version of a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. 

For the first time, I brought a travel guide along to help navigate the city. Thank you Rick Steves!

We made some friends on the ship and had a wonderful time in Tallinn together. Meet Griff the pilot and Kate the flight attendant/trainer. Very lovely couple!

Lower Tallinn.

The city of Tallinn as we sailed away. 

I would like to say that Tallinn was a magical city but it did have one drawback: rain:

Thankfully, Shea had the great idea to grab an outdoor lunch complete with beer and enjoy the sounds of the rain hitting the canvas roof!