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| Tallinn's ancient city walls |
Tallinn, the fairy tale capital of Estonia was founded in 1154 and its
Old Town has remained virtually unchanged despite the fact that over the centuries it has been influenced by Danish,
German, Polish, Russian and Soviet regimes.
In 1991 Estonia declared independence.
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The onion dome apparently
represents a burning candle |
Our visit to Tallinn just happened to coincide with the arrival of four
other cruise ships and while the crowds of sightseers was a little overwhelming
at first, we enjoyed Teres, our guide, who manoeuvred us through the throngs
with skill, telling us the “historical back stories” as he called them. He also had a penchant for telling ghost
stories which made the day a lively affair.
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View from the Upper Town where the nobles once
lived. Everyone else lived below the Upper Town's walls |
The medieval Old Town is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets, Gothic
architecture, church spires with a copper patina, bold onion domes and ancient
city walls.
Tallinn’s main square is lined with beautiful buildings, the centrepiece
of which is an impressive Gothic town hall built in the 1400s.
The first public
Christmas tree was displayed in the square in 1441. The custom then was to dance around the tree
and burn it after the celebration. I’m
glad times have changed. Just think of all those decorations!
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| Hand painting marzipan designs |
The first industrial production of marzipan began in Tallinn in 1806 and
a visit to the Marzipan Museum gave us the opportunity to watch marzipan being
hand painted. The head confectioner
explained that the almonds originally came from Spain but are now sourced from
California.
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| Estonian beer research underway |
Restaurants and cafes line Tallinn’s alleyways and squares and after our
walking tour of this living museum it was refreshing to sit in the main square
with a Saku, the local lager, watching the world - and the passengers
from all the other cruise ships - pass by.
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There were several ghost stories
that involved the town's Well .... |
We could only speculate what the atmosphere in this charming piece of
history might be like when all us visitors had left.
Teres had painted a romantic picture of
wintertime in Tallinn when the snowflakes start to fall on the cobbles and the
lights flicker in the wrought iron lamps lining the streets ...... that and the ghost stories.
Well yes, a little romance and a touch of drama never hurt.
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