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| Pretty flowers in the downtown markets |
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| Tallinn Russian Orthodox Cathedral |
A 57 degree sunny day - add a stiff breeze - and one can easily get a sunburn walking the streets of this former communist capital. 59 degree north latitude is getting pretty close to the Arctic Circle so on spring days like today - one enjoys sunrises at 4:30 am and sunsets at 10 pm. It is also unusual for me to see moon phases that points almost due east. Where we live the moon is much higher in the sky and the points are angled at almost a 45 degree angle.
I was up at 4:30 for the sunset - but also to catch the first sign of civilization - our cell phones lighting up with email and texts when we finally are within range of a land cell tower. We do not buy the very expensive Internet from the ship. They have a package for a family of 4 phones - iPads - laptops for $750 for unlimited service. We anxiously await that signal when cruising to port. Sometimes we cruise close enough to land to pick it up for hours. We use our iPhones as hotspots - that is how I am sending this story from my laptop.
Estonia has a history of being overrun by other countries. Since World War I - they have been occupied by Russia twice and Germany twice. Finally in 1991 - they got freedom when the Soviet Union collapsed. They quickly joined NATO and the EU. If decorations are any indication - there are tons of flags downtown showing support of the Ukraine. Now two more of their neighbors have decided to join NATO - Sweden and Finland.
Estonians value their education system. Among OECD countries - they rank 1st in Reading - 1st in Science - and 3rd in Math. This test is similar to an SAT test.
Today we departed the ship at about 9 am. We took a cab to the cathedral up on a hill overlooking the old downtown. Right next to the cathedral is the Parliament. The people do elect a president through the Parliament. The country has only 1.3 million people - and they share a long border with Russia. Normally this cruise goes to St Petersburg - Russia. I guess we will never see that - because tensions between our countries will probably remain tense for a long time.
We went to a museum that reviewed all of the Occupations of the country. It reminds one of the Holocaust museums - telling horrible tales of oppression. After shopping in the old downtown areas - we walked back to the ship. Of course we walked to the wrong pier - and shared a cab with another couple from Canada - who did the same thing.
Since we pull out of Estonia at 8:30 pm - I figured I could post my story and pictures while we still had cellular. We already had supper - and may take in another show. Our next stop is Stockholm Sweden - tomorrow evening around 6 pm. We will stay there 2 nights.
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| The moon circled horizontally on there elliptical plane |
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| The sunny south side |
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| Part of the city wall |
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| The cathedral had no seats |
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| Parliament from the Cathedral |
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| Parliament picks the president |
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| It was once a palace |
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| Pitka - famous admiral WWII |
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| In the Occupation Museum |
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| Typical communist apartment |
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| Occupation Museum |
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| Ukraine flag next to Estonia flag |
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| Memorial to victory over occupations |
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| Jaan Kross - write that wrote against Nazi and Soviet occupation |
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| Main city gate |
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| Roses 1 euro |
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| Old town Tallinn |
