Tallinn, Estonia gained independence from then, Soviet Union for twenty years. I had heard of Estonia but had no preconceived idea of what we would see. The excursion talked about a 13th century castle, vodka tasting and seeing the city along the way. Sounded good to us! It was a long day but interesting and mostly fun. Ha!
We started in an old home in Rakvere, one of the oldest cities in Estonia. Old Vodka bottles greeted us with a shot of Vodka and a dill pickle. The typical welcome from any hostess of Estonia, of course.
Our guide and ??? I missed the name since I was off taking pictures of the antiques while Jeff and Terry were getting ready to do a Vodka tasting.
Jeff was the first to sit down and he responded with "Whhhaaaattttt?" when I stared at him, surprised that he was volunteering. I should have known the Brady guys were not going to miss out on the full experience of the tour. Can you see the five tall shot glasses?
Jeff downed one shot (four fingers tall) after another to total five! The guide kept saying, "It's OK to sip one and move on." But no, not Mr. Brady! I was amazed at how quickly he downed the shots! Who was this daredevil man? Oh, that's who the purple guy was! He's the daredevil the guide is holding in the picture above. Ha! The poor young girl next to him said, "My hand is shaking already!" to Jeff after the second shot.
Terry decided to enter the contest and Kathie decided to help him. "It's how we do things." was her explanation as to why she was going to the sixth taster. She shared Terry's.
This is how I tasted! I picked the best label....I pick the center label.
Jeff picked the correct Estonian people's favorite! So did I. I think Terry and Kathie did as well and it was not Smirnoff.
Some of the antiques in the small home.
We headed to the "partially ruined 13th century castle" up on the hill. The last people to occupy this castle were the Polish, I believe, who bombed the castle to prevent it from being reused. It has been reopened and being worked on in preparation of it's 10th anniversary of being open to the public. The mosquitoes were unbearable for me and many others but they didn't stop Terry, Kathie and Jeff from some serious exploring.
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| I liked the various colors of rock mixed in together. Payment into the castle used to be by rock. |
Jeff practicing his jousting!
Our host inside this framed in corner asked us what we thought it was. It's a toilet area-hang over the back log and proceed with business. ha!
The Royal families would attend games and sit in upper level. This is the courtyard that had the most mosquitoes I have ever encountered, including Little Sandy. Absolutely miserable!
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| The dungeon and spook house that was set up for tourists. Failed miserably. |
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| Upper level all white and represented Heaven. |
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| I'm betting on Kathie winning...OK, only because Terry is sick. He is such a good sport. |
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| Monaco hat making the official appearance. |
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| School field trip and children cheering each other on with the practice area of jousting. |
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| Nice views from the top of the castle. |
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| I missed the large bike team that cycled through the hills but Kathie got a glimpse. I missed my bike and being able to ride outside instead of spin class. |
We were fed lunch and had wine, beer or water to replenish ourselves after the hard work of beating off the mosquitoes.
The path into the castle was being worked on in preparation for the anniversary of the opening of the castle to the public. I believe I commented on another picture that payment into the castle was often made in stone for the buildings and streets. Made so much sense to me. Maybe we can "tax" our roads with payment made in stone. ha!
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| I will NOT touch the bull's private parts! I don't need fertility! ha! |
Pretty back yard but had to hide inside from the mosquitoes.
Many antiques and I loved the color and thought it was enamel but actually tin.
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| I loved this book!! The pages are made up of fabric picture cutouts and glued onto cardboard? covered with fabric. In great condition but won't be since everything is out for tourists to handle. |
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| Anyone know what this is? I forgot to ask. Really like it and was curious about the keys. Could be a tea box as tea was quite expensive. |
Heide used to play with puzzles like these in Germany.
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| Best view of the castle. |
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| A souvenir of the vodka tasting. |
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| Even through glass the yellow flowers are pretty. Used heavily in Estonia for tea? I think. Should have taken notes! |
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| I was trying to get a clear picture of the fashions. The lace tights were seen everywhere in Europe. All colors and styles. |
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| We are on a bus on our way to a village to shop. This is one of the few churches we passed. |
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| Any guesses what the small window close to the top of the tower? No? It's the "watch out below because I'm using the "toilet" window. !!! |
I guess they didn't want chamber maids.
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| I know there are a lot of pictures but I love the buildings and we were walking so opportunity all around me! |
Amazing blue skies to help me out with showing all the colors.
I want to see what the inside looks like.
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| Really interesting to see the odd sizes of "cobblestone". Remember that this was often payment to enter the city or castle. I'm sure they must have an abundance of rock to fill in as needed. Not the easiest to walk on. |
I love flowers and loved seeing the color and then the cobblestone. If you look closely you'll see the dips and valleys one must negotiate as one walks along.
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| Jeff and Terry enjoy music and beer while Kathie and I shop and find a bathroom. |
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| OK, she is selling yummy, hot roasted almonds. Anyone else scared of these? |
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| I can't help but be grateful for our stateroom's tiny bathroom. Ha! |
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