Tallinn, Estonia

            Saturday, 18 May 2013 – We woke up to our alarm at 6:30 AM, and for the first time on this cruise, Sally slept for the entire night.  We had also set our clock back an hour last night, which helped.  From the ship, we could see nothing but heavy fog.  After breakfast, we made our way to our excursion meeting point, where we were surprised to find that only six passengers had signed up for the English-speaking tour.



Viru Gate

            The six of us sat at the rear of the bus with our guide, Dea.  The rest of the bus was full of French-speaking passengers.  After the 10-minute ride, Dea led us through the streets of Old Town, telling us the history.  We walked down both the “Long Leg” and “Short Leg” streets, the two streets that start from the same point and connect Toompea with the downtown.  The Long Leg is much wider and could be travelled by carriages and coaches; the Short Leg is rather steep and was meant only for pedestrians.  We stopped for brief visits at the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin (which was built about 1229, and is called the “Dome Church” by the locals) and the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (which looks old but was built in the late 1800’s).  Although we were inside for a portion of the Orthodox service, we were not allowed to take photos of the interior.  We also saw the exterior of the house of the Brotherhood of Black Heads, which is nearly the sole surviving renaissance building in Tallinn.  The name of the organization refers to their patron saint, the African St. Mauritius, who was executed for his adoption of the Christian faith. 

House of Blackheads

During our “free” time, we visited a restroom that was located in what resembled a dungeon and purchased foot cream at the Town Hall Pharmacy (ca. 1422).

            The fog turned into a light drizzle during our tour, for which Dea apologized; however, we were glad that at least it was better than yesterday’s downpour in St. Petersburg.

            By noon, we were onboard the ship again and went to the dining room for lunch for the first - and last - time.  We spent 1.5 hours there, mostly waiting between courses, compared to about 0.5 hours it would have taken us at the buffet.  Also, because we sat at a table with all German-speakers, the time went slowly.  After lunch, Sally rested while Jesse watched BBC and nodded.

            When we noticed that the daily program listed a dance lesson in Tango at 5:00, we stopped to see what was being taught.  Since the basic step looked unfamiliar, we assumed it was the Argentine Tango, which is not what we have learned.  So, we left and attended Mass, which was being held elsewhere on the ship. 

After Mass and dinner, we danced for a while in the Grand Bar Rhapsody.  For the first time, we could feel some ship movement while we were dancing.  The sea has been remarkably smooth on this voyage.  When we returned to our cabin, we noticed that the fog had finally lifted and we could see other ships for the first time all day.