Estonia's post-independence renaissance has given exuberant new life to the medieval Hanseatic city.
Lying on the shores of the Baltic with the Russian Republic to the east, Latvia to the south, and the sea to north and west, it covers just 17,500 square miles, one-third the size of England.
Tallinn, the capital, has a population of 400,000, and is one of the oldest Baltic towns, being mentioned on the World Map in 1154.
Several cruise ships were in port same day as us, no problem though, we all managed to
see everything without falling over each other. The tethered balloon was kept busy taking
people up for an overview of the lovely city.
The Upper Town and Lower Town developed separately, Upper being ruled by German aristocrats, Lower as a free merchants' town. Two-thirds of the original town walls remain. Lovely cobbled squares, historic walls, old clock, doorways, interesting architecture of the colorful buildings.
Also, beautiful Estonia-made clothing - I indulged and purchased a few unusual linen items - maybe a fashion post to come later.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Byzantine in style with typically Russian onion domes.
We thoroughly enjoyed this first port of call on our Baltic cruise. Sunshine was a plus of course - and we drank excellent coffee in a cave-like olde worlde coffee house as Bob checked the map…
…and today, a very happy birthday to my dear Bob, 74 and still the most active and busy guy I know.
Oh, and keep lifting those weights dear, you'll be lifting suitcases again before you know it!
Tallinn, Estonia, a lovely capital city, truly a small gem in my book!
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Happy Birthday, Bob! Mary, I thought Estonia would be cold, concrete and post-Communist looking. What a lovely city - one I had never even heard of. Thanks for a beautiful and informative post.
ReplyDeleteBob thanks you for your kind birthday wishes Julie.
DeleteYes, it was a lovely little city and a surprise in many ways. People were lovely, in shops, and especially the coffee house. We were impressed and thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Lower Town then up the hills to the Upper Town for those views. Cobblestones are so beautiful……….just always be sure to have the right footwear though!
Hope all is well - Mary
Happy Birthday Bob!!! What a beautiful city.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of this beautiful city from my daughter who visited there some years ago.
ReplyDeleteHow fun it would be to walk these cobble stone streets, sip coffee, and a bit of shopping too.
Yes, please share, love seeing linens pieces from that part of the world. Happy Birthday to
your dear Bob. Keep on traveling and lifting those weights.
This post brought back such lovely memories - we sat in that very cafe on a sunny September afternoon. Did you see the spot where the Danish flag came down to earth to help inspire the Danes in one of their many wars? It was a big thrill for The Great Dane, who was quite intent on finding the spot and getting a photo!
ReplyDeleteFirstly a very happy birthday to your Bob - and yes keep him fit for carrying your suitcases :-) I loved the shots that you took, especially with the rooftops across the town. Did you go up in that balloon? What a great tourist attraction. x
ReplyDeleteYes, this post brought back wonderful memories. As the expression goes, 'I just love Tallin' and I couldn't resist buying a sweater there. Such beautiful architecture. I would love to return there. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteFarm Gal in VA
Beautiful city! Love the onion domes. A very happy birthday to your Bob!
ReplyDeleteThe colors are so pretty and blend from one building to the next and then all the unified red roofs.
ReplyDeleteBelated Happy Birthday to Bob. What a wonderful city to celebrate in. When our youngest graduated from university in 2008 she and a friend took off for Scandinavia. Tallinn was their first stop. The girls had such a great time there and I think Ashley took a photo of that same stone arch. She brought back a beautiful linen tablecloth for me and a knitted lace doily, so finely done. I love all the photos you showed with the colors so clear in the northern light. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou both look great, Mary! I enjoyed the sights you've shown us here. So glad you had sunshine.
ReplyDelete