Day breaks and we arrive at our next port of call, Tallin, Estonia, the little jewel of our Baltic Capitals tour. The view of the skyline from the ship as we docked was impressive! Both medieval and modern, Estonia has embraced the internet in a big way. Estonians are very proud of their eGovernment, with voting, education, medicine and other services, available online.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral, built in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire.

We were met by our tour guide, Kadri, at the end of the pier. An enthusiastic and knowledgable young woman, she quickly took control of our touring agenda.

Traversing the streets of Tallin, we saw many unusual traffic signs.

Hämarik (Twilight - Eve) by Mare Mikoff. According to a legend, in ancient times Eve (Hämarik) had the task of putting out the light of the sun every evening.

Kadri (Estonian for Catherine) organizes us for our first stop, Kadrioru Park & Palace.

An unusually stout tree near the entrance to the park.

Mother and daughter feeding the black swans in Kadrioru Park.

The flower gardens were well maintained.

Estonian Hooded Crow.

Statue of Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803 – 1882), an Estonian writer who is considered to be the father of the national literature for the country. Education and teaching are held in high regard in Estonia.

Kadriorg Palace is a Petrine Baroque palace built for Catherine I of Russia by Peter the Great. The palace currently houses the Kadriorg Art Museum.

Nancy, on the eastern side, in front of the main entrance.

The formal gardens.

Bill with his camera monopod/walking stick.

The Russalka Memorial is a bronze monument sculpted by Amandus Adamson, erected on 7 September 1902 in Kadriorg, Tallinn, to mark the ninth anniversary of the sinking of the Russian warship Rusalka, or "Mermaid", which sank en route to Finland in 1893.

The monument depicts an angel holding an Orthodox cross towards the assumed direction of the shipwreck.

Statue on the palace grounds of Poseiden kicking the crap out of a dolphin until it pukes. ... No wait! It's just a fountain.

Walking back to our bus through some nice grounds.

Posing for the photographer, Nancy.

Our next stop, Lauluväljak, the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. In 1869 Johann Voldemar Jannsen established the Estonian Song Festival while the nation was still a province of the Russian Empire. It was here in 1988 that the Singing Revolution, a massive, musical demonstration of patriotic hymns and songs against Soviet rule, set Estonia on its road towards independence. A statue of Gustav Ernesaks looks down on the stage and our cruise ship in the distance.

Nancy next to the statue of Gustav Ernesaks, who played an integral role in the Singing Revolution and was one of the father figures of the Estonian Song Festival tradition. One of his songs, set to Lydia Koidula's poem Mu isamaa on minu arm (My Country is My Love), became an unofficial national anthem during the years of Soviet occupation.

See the pics of Tallin's Medieval Old Town. Or return to the Main Menu to see something else.