At the conclusion of our East Europe Tour, we left Prague early the next morning just a little weary and sleepy and not knowing what lay ahead of us as now that we were on our own with no Tour Guide as a prop to lead us through. I do have a great photo of Carol sleeping on the plane, but have been strictly instructed not to use it. I still think it is a good pic that shows how relaxed she was.
Anyway, the air journey to Tallinn via Frankfurt had its own frustrations, especially the terrible connection in Frankfurt. Our previous experience of Frankfurt was that of a very busy airport but generally well run. Not sure what has happened to German efficiency, but there was little evidence on this day and except for one helpful lady, not too many cared what happened to passengers. The same can be said for Lufthansa, an airline that was never at the top of our list but has now dropped to being one of the worst airlines we have flown. Enough gripes! Let the Journey begin. First, arrival in Tallinn in the Baltic State of Estonia:
As you can see, the baggage carousel but NO LUGGAGE. I trotted off to the baggage counter and after waiting for a while was advised that our luggage had been located on a plane from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, but would arrive in Tallinn around midnight - they hoped! Great start to our new adventure! Glad to say that we were met and taken to our hotel where we made ourselves as comfortable as possible. At 12.30 am, the phone rang and Reception advised that they had received a call from the airport that our luggage had arrived and would be sent to the hotel. Thanks, but it would have been kinder to have rung us at wake up time. Anyway, we WERE grateful.
Have to say right from the outset that Tallinn is one of the most beautiful cities we have visited. It has great atmosphere! Wonderful architecture! Interesting history! We loved meeting with the Estonian people and were delighted to hear English spoken almost faultlessly by the younger generation. Speaking of the younger generation, we were really impressed with the energy and vision of younger people. Not only in Tallinn, but also subsequently in Riga and Vilnius. They happily speak about their history, both ancient and recent, but are determined to make their own history. We loved their attitude and thoroughly enjoyed our interaction about things ancient and modern.
Tanya, our lovely guide for the morning, guided us through the ancient city of Tallinn and loved telling legends and answered all our silly as well as intelligent questions. So let's begin with the pictorial tour of Tallinn with a couple of views of the old city (wonderfully restored):
Being late September and well north of the equator, the Autumn colours were starting to to appear! I intend showing a number of photos of a golden Tallinn:
Our walk with Tanya took us to the House of Parliament:
Just across from here we were confronted by the beautiful Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church, a busy place with many worshippers coming and going. There are few tourists at this time of the year and so we were able to enjoy the atmosphere as the local folk got on with their lives.
The above photograph is in fact a super-imposed photo which shows both a front and rear elevation. 
As we entered the church we were struck by the worshipful spirit of folk entering and the participation in christenings and prayers.
The domes on the Russian Orthodox churches are really something and we enjoyed the view of this both from the outside and, in the following picture, the inside. A real ethereal sense which gives quite another dimension.
Just down the road was the Lutheran Church
The interior of the church was very different to orthodox, catholic or anglican churches. There is huge history attached to each shield.
The organ is old and was playing at the time we entered. Great case and it sounded lovely.
Walking around the old city was a great experience, and we both loved the little nooks and crannies often dominated by church spires and domes:
During our walk, we came across this memorial plaque. It contained the many names of patriots who died during the Soviet occupation. A sobering moment.
Carol was again amazing and coped really well as we covered the kilometers. Very proud of this considering her injuries of the past. And of course, her countenance shows the enjoyment of our exploring together.
This door has that medieval look and feel and opened to different scenes, including again great autumn colours. Have a look at the next few:
Carol with Tanya. Just look at that colour!
Tanya spoke to us in detail about the different guilds that existed in times gone by. This facade in a building directed us to one of those. Fascinating considering the time it was put up:
Our guided tour came to an end when we reached the city walls and old city gate site. Look carefully and you will find an anachronism right near the entrance to the old city. Yes, one just cannot get away from 'McDonalds'!
After a bite to eat in the central market square, we enjoyed wandering by ourselves and picked up the odd souvenir here and there, including going to this place which perhaps can better be described as 'duck or grouse':
Well, what else can one expect from crafty type shops which are there for the delight of people like Carol:
After all that walking it would have been nice to have travelled back to the hotel in the comfort of this delightful stretch limou, but we could only but watch enviously.
We truly had a wonderful visit to Tallinn. It has been the surprise packet so far of all the places we have visited on this grand tour and now look forward to continuing the magic as we leave Estonia for Latvia, and Riga particularly.
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