2016 Trip to Europe - Day 12 - Tallin, Estonia

Into every life a little rain must fall. And it did today. Cold, wind-driven rain that felt like icy needles as it blew into our faces and dripped down our hair into our clothing. Yes, we brought rain gear, and I have no idea why we didn’t have it ashore with us,  except the sun was shining when we started out. So my view of Tallinn may be a little skewed.

Overview of Tallin's Walled City

We took a taxi. We asked the driver to take us to a particular point in the old town, but he assured us we should start at the top of the high hill on which the old walled town is set and walk down. I’ve been in many walled towns, but Pompeii was the only one I’ve ever found as difficult for walking as Tallinn. To say the street and sidewalk surfaces were uneven would be a massive understatement. It was like trying to balance yourself on large marbles – large WET marbles.  

Old Town, Tallin

The point at which our driver put us down was a magnificent square with two churches, one of which was very much what I would consider to be in the Russian style, with large colorful onion domes, the other, with a more traditional steeple. Both quite beautiful. After visiting them (the insides were not as ornate as the outsides, but were interesting), we started our treacherous path downward as the rain began to come in earnest. By the time we reached the market square in the middle of the old town we were seeking shelter of any kind. We found it in an outdoor café with heaters, under large umbrellas between which the proprietor had strung large plastic sheets. Odd, but effective. There we downed good hearty hot soup and waited in vain for the rain to lessen. It only got worse. Finally we set out on foot again. We came through an area of interesting artisan shops and then to our great joy found a taxi.

He took us as far as the entrance to the terminal. He wasn’t able to take us into it or anywhere near our ship. We were told later only specified cab companies have that privilege. So we had about a four block walk facing into the increasingly cold bitter wind and rain, before we arrived at our dock.  A hot shower and a nap later we were restored to some sort of comfort level. 

I think Tallinn is a beautiful little town and I wish we had been there on a sunny warm day. But we HAVE seen it more or less. We have some sense of its charm. I would recommend a visit to it to anyone who can make the journey.

****

Blair McDowell's latest tale of Suspense  takes the reader to Italy's  beautiful Amalfi Coast.

"Adamo and Eve are two people who have both been through their own versions of hell. They are both certain that they are not ready to enter into a relationship, but love finds them anyway. Then it takes them on the non-stop thrill ride of their lives."

-   Marlene Harris, readingitall.com

Click to get your copy today!

 

When Eve Anderson meets Adamo de Leone on a ship bound for Europe, she has no idea of the dark secret that will endanger both their lives. She accompanies him to his home on Italy’s Amalfi Coast to open an inn left to him by his grandfather. But then she learns he spent 5 years in prison for a crime he claims he didn’t commit. Could the man she loves be responsible for embezzling eighty million dollars from the investment firm he once owned?

Adamo wants to hold Eve at arm’s length until he can clear his proud family name. But when there is an attempt on his life and Eve is terrorized by a gun-bearing thug, he realizes how much he wants her, and he must accept whatever help he can get to uncover the well-hidden trail of a six-year-old crime.

To review and purchase any of Blair McDowell's books, Click Here.