Friday, September 29, 2023
We got up at 7:00 and had breakfast in the Lido again. Service in the Lido has been inconsistent. There are times that multiple staff come around offering water, coffee, tea, etc. numerous times. Other times, nobody comes around at all. I’ve just started getting my own beverages most of the time.
We had to get our passports out of the room safe. We don’t usually have to take them off the ship, but Estonia requires it for all non-European tourists. I am keeping them close.
Our 10:00 a.m. tour today was an independent one through Shore Excursions Group. We have taken several of their excursions over the years. The title of today’s tour: CRAFT BREWERY AND CITY TOUR.
Tour description: Spend the day seeing the main highlights of the medieval part of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital on the Baltic Sea and the country’s cultural hub.
You will visit the famed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a large Russian Orthodox church dominating the landscape at the top of Toompea Hill. Completed in 1900, this mixed historical style structure contains a powerful ensemble of 11 church bells within its towers.
Down the hill you will find Toompea Castle, home to the Estonian Parliament. This Baroque-style facade building was constructed on the remnants of a 13th-century fortress and sports an eclectic mix of styles thanks to each ruler who left their impressions on the place throughout the centuries.
Also view St. Mary’s Cathedral, commonly referred to as the Dome Church. In its original form, the 11th-century church was fashioned out of wood, then replaced with stone over centuries of conquests, fires, and more. While exploring Tallinn you will make your way through a retro Soviet-style residential district and see Kadriorg Park and the Song and Dance festival grounds.
From there you will head into the Estonian countryside and pass by Jagala, the biggest waterfall in Estonia. At over 50 meters in width and 8 meters in height, this natural waterfall is only thirty minutes away from Tallinn and is not to be missed as part of your true immersive experience of Estonia.
Stop at a small brewery where you will sample 5 different kinds of beers and ciders as well as 3 kinds of delicious local farm cheese.
Book this popular brewery tour now and get ready to enjoy a cultural and palatable taste of Estonia and the unique town of Tallinn.
Please Note: The tour ends in central Tallinn, to allow you to explore or shop at your leisure after the tour. It is about a 15-minute walk, or a 5-minute taxi ride (not included, approximately 15 EUR), from the cruise pier.
We followed the directions and found the representative of Discover Estonia exactly where he said he would be. However, we also discovered that the other people gathered there did not sign up for the same tour that we and one other couple did. They had signed up for a city tour, shopping time, and a transport back to the ship. I wondered how they planned to combine the two tours.
Our guide’s name was Roman. He walked us to where the van was waiting. We had a short ride to our first stop – Kadriorg Park and Kadriorg Palace. I thought the park was very peaceful.
While still in the park, we then walked over to the Presidential Palace.
As we were making our way to the van, we passed more entertaining statues and places in the park.
Roman then took us to the Tallin Song and Dance Festival Grounds. Roman said he has attended many of the festivals here and the festivals were a great source of national pride.
Our next stop was the old town of Tallin.
We all had to go to the restroom by then, so we were directed to three different shops. I guess the shops allow the tour groups to use their restrooms in hopes that the tourists buy stuff. The shop I went into was selling a lot of Baltic amber jewelry pieces. Beautiful but I passed on a purchase.
We got a close-up look at the Fortress, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the Dome Church.
Then Roman walked us to the center of old town and we got to make a wish on the lucky chimney sweep.
Once we had all made our wishes, he was going to walk four of us over to a restaurant at the nearby Market for a beer and cheese tasting. However, the other couple decided they wanted to stay in old town, so he walked with just us.
I did not care for any of the beers served. They were all too sour for me. The cheese was very garlicky.
Roman had to leave us to go back and pick up the others who were still in old town shopping and take them back to the ship. We were left to find our own way back to the ship or to old town. He encouraged us to wander around the Market since we didn’t have to be back on the ship until 8:00 pm. We were ready to go on back to the ship.
After walking all day, we did not want to walk back to the ship. We decided to use my Bolt app and hail a rideshare. Bolt is a European version of Uber or Lyft. I had read that many of the cities were now using Bolt, so I had downloaded the app and set up an account before we left the United States.
The map was a little confusing as to where we were going to be picked up. We were not going to be picked up at the restaurant but had to walk to the front of the Market. We arrived at what we hoped was the front entrance of the Market and I was relieved to see the car was pulling up. He took us right to the ship.
So, our tour did not exactly match the tour description. I was disappointed we did not get to see a waterfall or the countryside, but we still learned a lot about Tallin and Estonia.
We had a drink on our balcony and watched the sites for a while. Decided to have an early dinner in the Lido and then see the illusionist. We had seen him before on another HAL ship, but he had a new act this time.
Once the show was over, we were done for the day.
Travel Trivia
Estonia
Among European countries, Estonia has the highest number of startup businesses per person and even offers a ‘Startup Visa’ to encourage young entrepreneurs to relocate and join its growing startup community. Digital household names like Skype, as well as up-and-comers like MeetFrank, started in Tallinn, and that list of names is only expected to grow over the next few decades.
The country is the first country in the world to have implementeda flat tax system.
It is the least populous state of the European Union.
Estonia has the highest number of supermodels per capita.
The Estonian language is one of the hardest to learn for a native English speaker.
Estonians put sour cream on almost everything.
Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as one of Europe’s best-preserved towns from the Medieval Period. The towering stone Viru Gate, which welcomes visitors to the city’s historic center, dates back to the 14th Century and was part of the city’s defenses.
You can find wireless Internet just about everywhere in Tallinn.
Opened since 1864, Maiasmokk is Tallinn’s oldest running café.
The 1980 Moscow Olympic sailing events were held in Tallinn.
The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence is located in Tallinn.
Held only once every five years, the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration was declared a UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Tallinn was the home of the first publicly displayed Christmas tree in 1441.
