A Tiny Jewel, Then A Larger One

We docked in Tallinn, Estonia at 8 am. I have never given much thought to Tallinn, or Estonia for that matter. I knew it was one of the Baltic States, but I never thought it amounted to much. Well, someone did because Tallinn has been sacked and pillaged so many times over the centuries, it's a wonder that anything from the past has survived.

First there were the invading Danes, then the Teutonic Knights, the Swedes, the Russians, the Nazis, and the Soviets. But the Estonian capital has retained more remnants of its past, and in a more complete state, than the majority of European cities. It has a charming medieval old town with winding cobblestone streets and storybook houses. But it has also been modernizing at breakneck speed. New buildings are going up and old ones (those of no historical value) are being gutted and refurbished almost daily. The Estonians are reclaiming their city after years of Soviet domination.  Phyllis took the walking tour of the old town and I opted for the Panorama of Tallinn bus tour. We were impressed with the city and its people.

Tallinn's Old Town

The following day was a cruise day, and it was a good thing, too, after all the activity in St. Petersburg and Tallinn. Once again, we relaxed and watched the waves or played a game of Trivia with our Brit teammates or read.

Now it was May 28th. We had been aboard the Marco Polo for 25 days. I've been on shorter cruises where I began to itch to get home, but not on this cruise. Each place was so different and so interesting and so exciting, I just plumb forgot to be in a hurry to get home. But now we had docked at Copenhagen, our final port of call. Tomorrow we would make the long journey home. Never mind, we were in Denmark, the home of Hans Christian Andersen and Victor Borge, too.

Note: You are listening to "Anywhere I Wander"
From The Movie "Hans Christian Andersen"

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