Tallinn, Estonia
Our hotel, My City Hotel, was ideally located on the south edge of Old Town, and once we arrived, Sheri Bilderback, with whom we’d shared two previous Rick Steves' tours, joined us. We explored the town together before having a delicious dinner at cozy Vanaema Juures (Grandma’s Place).
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We arrived by Lux Express bus in medieval Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. With its narrow, winding lanes, Gothic church spires, colorful gabled houses, and a mostly intact city wall, it was easy to see why Tallinn’s Old Town is included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
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Lunch was at Olde Hansa in Town Hall Square, where both the menu and the atmosphere embraced the medieval era.
At St. Olav's Church, we ascended a narrow spiral staircase with 258 steps, emerging onto a narrow wooden platform that runs around the base of the spire. The climb was worth the incredible view of Tallinn’s Old Town!
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St. Olav’s is the city's biggest medieval structure and is believed to have been built in the 12th century.
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In the evening we met our tour members, our guide George Farkas, and enjoyed a group dinner at Restaurant Kaerajaan. After breakfast the next morning we met local guide Margit, who took us on an excellent walking tour.
The Museum of Occupations documents the dark, difficult years between 1939 and 1991. Estonia was occupied first by the Soviet Union, then briefly by Nazi Germany before another four and a half decades of Soviet occupation.
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The museum tells the history of sixty years of struggle through collections of artifacts, photos, and audio-visual presentations. At the entrance is a poignant monument made of giant suitcases, a reminder of people who fled the country.
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(Left to right): Sweater Wall on Müürivahe Street; a selection of watercolors by artist Anatol Triboi (one now hangs on our wall) on Katariina Käik (St. Catherine's Passage); colorful Estonian linens; display cases at Raeapteek, the oldest continuously running pharmacy in Europe, and in business in the same building since 1422.
We were given a guided tour of the KGB Museum at the Hotel Viru. When the Hotel was built in 1972, it was not only Estonia's first skyscraper, it was the only place for tourists to stay. Having all the foreigners in one place made it easier to keep tabs on them and the locals they had contact with, which is what the KGB did from their 23rd floor spy base.
The Museum occupies a hotel room that was used by the KGB and is preserved exactly how it was left when the Soviets fled at the end of the Cold War. The surveillance equipment remains in place, including the red telephone that originally connected directly to KGB Headquarters.
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The following morning we made three stops before taking the ferry across the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki. First we visited Kadriorg Park. In 1710, Peter the Great built Kadriorg Palace as an imperial summer residence for his empress, Catherine. “Kadriorg” means Catherine's Valley. Today the palace is home to the Kumu Art Museum.
Nearby is the Russalka Memorial (right) commemorating a Russian tragedy, the sinking of a Russian military ship in 1893. The angel points a large cross out to sea in the direction of the lost vessel.
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The Song Festival Grounds is an open-air theater and the birthplace of the Singing Revolution. 300,000 Estonians gathered in 1988 in a musical demonstration against Soviet rule.
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After singing one of George's favorite Hungarian songs at the Song Festival Grounds, we were on our way to Finland.