Day 18 – Tallinn

 

Day 18 – Tallinn

Tallinn was a very pleasant surprise!  We had little basis for anticipating our experience there, and so found the fortified old town fascinating.  The day started with a rather long walk from the cruise terminal to the old town.  Fortunately, it was a sunny if cold morning and we were soon immersed in new sights.  Tallinn has an extensive in-tact city wall, complete with many turrets, towers, and gates and the old city within the walls has narrow, winding, and steeply sloped streets.  The Rick Steves book on Scandinavia continues to be our “bible”; in this city we followed his detailed walk instructions to get a thorough experience of the town.  From Fat Margaret Tower through Olav’s Gate and up Pikk Street we climbed incessantly while negotiating very uneven cobblestone streets.  The views of the city and port from the ramparts were stunning, much enhanced by the beautiful blue sky and scattered clouds.

Every street was fronted by ornately decorated building facades and finely carved doors.  The main church exterior mirrored the fine Hanseatic architecture while the interior was largely “Lutheran white” but with ornate chandeliers.  Most of the Baltic churches began life as catholic but were quickly converted during the Reformation, which among many things ended up “purifying” their interiors.  We lament the loss of the beautiful frescoes, altar screens, statues, and other trappings of the catholic faith.  Some of the churches we visited retain at least some of these art works, but most do not.

While it’s existence is not surprising (given Estonia’s long connection to Russia) the “sudden” appearance of the Nevski Russian cathedral as we turned a corner was a bit jolting.  It was built by the Russians in 1900 during their occupancy directly across from the Estonian palace – a direct confrontation with Estonian nationalism.  No pictures were allowed on the inside; but we remember its remarkably small interior size.

Our day in Tallinn was one of the best of the trip so far and, to make our memories even more vivid, it was crowned by a gorgeous sunset over the city as we sailed away.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 17 – At Sea: Warnemunde to Tallinn

  Day 17 – At Sea: Warnemunde to Tallinn A much-needed day of rest, including some time in the pool and jacuzzi baths.   Ben watched Mama Mia on the big screen in the pool area.   We all napped in the afternoon.   Nobody went to the gym.   Too tired!   However, we do miss the many enrichment activities that HAL has provided in the past.   They are skimping in ways that are not to our liking and this will affect our future choices of cruise line.   No cooking classes, no computer classes, no lectures, minimal time spent talking about the ports.   Their selection of music is disappointing: no classical music, very little jazz; although one of the rock bands is quite good.   The theater shows are uninspired and repetitive.   In general, the ship – the newest and the flagship – is less than it should be.   The décor is sparse, incoherent, and not very interesting.   The central atrium is much smaller than on similar ships ...
Read more

Day 16 – Warnemunde

  Day 16 – Warnemunde Our long time friend Christiane (who was our Au Pair many years ago and lives near Hamburg) met us at the cruise terminal and provided us with a wonderful guided tour of Wismar, Rostock, and Warnemunde.   While Warnemunde is primarily a modern beach resort town, Rostock is a large port and Wismar is a very old town with a long history as a port and trading center – these offered very different views of northern Germany coastal cities.   Wismar bears a striking resemblance to Amsterdam, with its Hanseatic league trading houses, canals, and massive old churches.   Dutch architecture abounds.   While Amsterdam was saved from WWII bombing Wismar and Rostock were not.   A poignant reminder is the original main church in the old town.   The nave and chancel areas were destroyed while the high tower and narthex areas were not destroyed.   The outlines of the building are preserved as monuments to the many people that died in the...
Read more

Day 21 – In Stockholm, Departure for Ronne, Denmark

  Day 21 – In Stockholm, Departure for Ronne, Denmark This day dawned clear and bright with views of the city from our ship burnished by the rising sun.   Our sense of Stockholm improved greatly as we rode the HOHO bus to the old town (Gamla Stan) and walked around most of the area.   Joe and Toni rode the bus all the way around the city and found that interesting, despite fogged up bus windows (it was cold!).   We had hoped to experience the Nobel Prize museum, but it was closed.   The Parliament buildings and Royal Palace were also closed, but walking around them was inspirational.   Just wandering the cobbled streets and narrow alleys was actually more interesting, and we headed back to the ship feeling like we better understood Stockholm as a diverse city. Our ship required 3+ hours to traverse the large expanse of waterways and islands leading to the Baltic Sea.   It was another gorgeous afternoon, and we spent much of the time on an upper deck ...
Read more