Tallinn

We didn't know much about Estonia, so we were glad to go to this ancient city. The ferry across the Baltic Sea was fun, as we had never sailed in a partially frozen ocean, and the food and seating was quite elegant. It was a beautiful two-hour trip to Estonia. The medieval architecture is apparently some of the best-preserved throughout Europe, and the inhabitants of Tallinn have capitalized on it. Restaurants, hotels, and shops occupy many of the old spaces, and we ate in one of the taverns. The food was based on medieval recipes, and much of the tavern, though restored, seemed quite authentic.

We also visited the KGB Museum, which was at the top of the Hotel viru. Apparently during WWII, the Russians created a spy network within the hotel. Most of the rooms had listening devices in them, and foreign visitors frequently stayed in the hotel, only to find they were the subject of a spy network. As our guide said, everyone was watching everyone else, which kept all of the spies doing their jobs. It was an intriguing bit of history that we enjoyed seeing "live."

The city was still decorated for Christmas, so we had an opportunity to see what it would have looked like during the holidays. I suspect some of the decorations are down, but it was still pretty.

We wish we had had more time in Tallinn, as there were many sights that we were not able to see. Next time.