Tallinn, Estonia, June 21

Tuesday, June 21. Tallinn, Estonia. We walked one mile to the Old Town portion of Tallinn. The first inhabitants were here in 3,000 BC. The Old Town actually consists of two towns with a high, very thick, wall between them. The wall, built in medieval times, was between an Estonia town and a Hanseatic trading center, remaining from when Sweden took Estonia from Germany.

The town square, with the the oldest town hall in northern Europe, must have seen many deaths as countries fought over this land that provides access to the Baltic Sea.

Most Estonians don't like the Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built across the street from the Estonia national parliament, because it was an attempt to flex Russian cultural muscles.

The upper (Estonian) town has several view points along its outer wall. The very narrow streets are cobblestone. There are numerous outside cafes and craft vendors.

Tourism has been very strong after the separation from the Soviet Union. The young Estonian females are all blue-eyed blonds; strongly Scandinavian and northern German.