Tallinn, Estonia, 14 June 2006

After sailing one day and two nights, our first port of call was Tallinn.
That's our ship on the right.

This is the view that greeted us as we walked toward the old city.

Here's a view from inside the walls of the city.

And of course, no ancient city is complete without a McDonalds.

Across the city and up the hill we found our way to Pikk Herman (in the background) and the
State Assembly building (in the foreground).

This unorthodox bit of architecture is some sort of Orthodox church.
I can't tell if those are Muslim crescents on the bottom of the crosses or what.
They kind of look like the symbol that a Navy sailor would have on his sleeve if he repaired telephone lines.

We headed back toward the center of town where I reasoned that I might find a vendor of malt beverages.

In the central plaza we found venders of all manner of things, including such indispensable items as ceramic
knick-knacks and bits of carved juniper. Oh yes, and there were cafes. And beer.

Having found a place that served an acceptable beer, I secured a seat on the plaza with this view
while Daisy went in search of an ATM that dispensed the local currency; Estonia is not yet an official
member of the EU. Click this picture if you want to see a somewhat larger image of the plaza.

...and found our way to a quaint little back alley known as Katarina Passage.

Here we found a nice cafe where we ordered lunch. And more beer.

Even though Katarina Passage looks much as must have looked centuries ago,
upon closer examination there are telltale signs of modernity.