All In for Tallinn

When we bought our ticket to Finland and started asking folks for suggestions about what to do in the country, a number of people suggested taking a ferry to visit Russia or Estonia. We loved the idea of getting to see another country in that part of the world, however, the way our travel plans were shaping up in Finland and in our next destination, Spain we didn't know if we'd have more than a day to spare. But then we figured why not spend a day in Estonia?! So, we booked our overnight ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn on August 25th, 2014 and decided to fly from Tallinn to Spain on August 27th, 2014. We were all in for Tallinn!

Just because we only spent 30 hours in Tallinn (we didn't get off the ferry until August 26th), we didn't think we should post any fewer pictures of this charming city. Enjoy!

The ferry to Tallinn

Why pay more for a hotel when you can sleep on the ferry?!

Entering Old Town

Texas in Tallinn...interesting...

The clock on Holy Spirit Church is the oldest in Tallinn

Just one of the many beautifully ornate doors in Old Town

Too big, even for Brian

Looking out over the city from a viewing platform

Steph making (with some assistance) her own souvenir

I think Brian was excited about the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral?

We went to a medieval style pub called Three
Dragons for lunch and could only drink our soup.
I always thought spoons were overrated anyway!

St. Olaf's Church & the sunset

This next series of pics needs a little more explanation than the usual caption, so here goes: Estonia had been a Russian province since 1721. After WWI, they declared their independence but it was short-lived and ended during WWII when Communist Russia resumed control. Then, in 1988 reports of the "Singing Revolution" reached the West. Tens of thousands held hands and, in defiance against Russia, sang Estonian songs while waving the long-hidden national flag and eventually they reclaimed their independence. It's been almost 25 years since Estonia became independent but traces of Russia's rule remain, such as the deserted port/entertainment complex featured in these photos.