Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn from our balcony. Such a cool city with it's medieval roots still standing.

Tallinn's Old Town has gained a spot on UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is one of the best kept, intact, and preserved Medieval cities in all of Europe.

We started in the Upper City of Old Town known as Toompea. This was a fortified Castle on a hill that overlooked the rest of the city. The walls still stand as well as some castle towers. 

Estonian Parliament Building

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Russian Orthodox

In the courtyard on the side of the Parliament building. The tower is called Pikk Hermann and is part of the once standing Toompea Castle and provided the perfect backdrop for my lovely family above and the growing family at the bottom. Connor Thomas Fry coming September 2016!

Walking through the streets of Upper City. I love the cobblestone roads and the old feeling this city gave. With the exception of the new fancy cars, you could actually envision the old life of this city. 

Cathedral Church of St. Mary

I just started taking pictures of everything I was seeing. The whole town was gorgeous. 

Views from the castle walls overlooking the lower city

CJ and Ash needed a picture with this guy!

The tall pointed building with the green roof is St Olaf's Church and dates back to the 12th century

As we walked to lower town we walked along the castle fortress where most of the walls still stand. This road was rather difficult actually. CJ kept tripping over the raised cobblestones, or it was the perfect excuse to hitch another ride!!

Lower town was pretty cool. Buildings were so many bright pastel colors each with their own unique touch. Many souvenir shops selling various Estonian items. What was really interesting is all the shops selling Baltic Amber. Amber is not native to Estonia. It is imported from Lithuania and Russia. It amazed me how much is sold here for it not being produced here. 

Lower town was once the center for medieval trading and it helped make the town extremely prosperous. 

For whatever reason I did not get a picture of it but in this street is the Raepateek, built in mid 1400's and is the oldest running pharmacy in all of Europe to date. 

Tallinn Town Hall

Church of the Holy Ghost ~ Medieval Lutheran church built in the 13th century 

Entering into the Town Hall Square

Town Hall Square ~ This section was very interesting. Open courtyard that holds many of the city's festivals, concerts, public gatherings, local vendors, boutique restaurants, and of course more souvenir shops. 

I am told that the Christmas markets in Tallinn rival the various Christmas markets held throughout Germany. 

Had to stop for some good old yummy gelato! Kids were thrilled and even though CJ has "resting bitch face" ALL THE TIME, I promise he's hapy :-)

St. Nicholas Church ~ This church is dedicated to St Nicholas who is the patron saint of Sailors and Fisherman. Built in 13th century, the church was partially destroyed during the Soviet air raid in WWII, 1944. Most of this section is Old Town was also destroyed in the same raid. 

The above tower is the Kiek in de Kok artillery tower built in the late 1450's

Sweet faces! 

Viru Gate ~ These are the only two towers still standing of the former 14th century gate that enclosed the city. 

We got back to the boat and stopped in the arcade. Surprisingly, Ash and CJ drove the boats very well!! Then off to the Irish Pub for dinner. Ahh yes, Ash and Will are my meat eaters and leave the carbs behind while Mike and CJ finish off the bread and leave the burger :-)

All in all I was very pleased with Tallinn. It was a remarkable city with  so much history. Tallinn is also known as the Silicon Valley of Europe and the birthplace of Skype and home to NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence. A city rich in culture, Tallinn is a must see to anyone who visits the Baltic States.

The only downfall with cruising cities is the limited time. Outside Tallinn you can visit and explore the many Medieval Castles that still exist in their entirety.