Friday, September 5, 2014

Tallinn, Estonia; August 7

Finland is quick trip across the Baltic from Estonia, so of course we had to take advantage of the opportunity to check another country off our list and possibly get another passport stamp (which they seem to give out sparingly in the EU!) 

Getting there was half the fun. We took a high speed ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn. It took about an hour and a half. We had lunch on board - they had the same pancakes that Michael tried in Sweden so it was his lucky day. Pancakes for lunch!  Michael also had a captive audience to share some card tricks that he had learned from one of the big kids on the ship.

On our way from the the ferry into the old town, we stumbled upon the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia. It was really the first time on the trip that I felt we were in more of an emerging economy. The museum was made up of a series of detached buildings in what seemed like a shady section of town.  One building was the cafe, one the bookstore, and office and then a three story gallery.  At first, I thought Michael was just interested in the ice cream at the cafe, but once that was down the hatch he wanted to wander through the galleries. He was most intrigued by an exhibit that included a propane tank, ladder, drill, bottle of bubbles and a grill.  I don't remember the title of this work, but let's just call it "pyromania".

We wandered through the gates of the old town and throughout this beautifully kept medieval town and northern European trading city (a UNESCO World Heritage site).  We stopped in a souvenir shop for postcards and magnets and to ask, "what language do you speak in Estonia?"  Well, the answer is Estonian, of course.  A break from a passing rainstorm in a little cafe and then on to the main square, where our excursion was made complete by running into a group of friends from the ship!


Contemporary Art Museum Estonia


Contemporary Art is cool!
Gate to Old Town; Tallinn, Estonia


Old Town Tallinn, Estonia
Friends from the ship in Old Town Tallinn


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