Next to St Petersburg, walking the walled “Old Town”, with its well preserved 13th Century narrow, winding cobbled streets and fascinating architecture, this was one of our pre-cruise highlights. Tallinn, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval cities, was originally home to wealthy merchants, but now with a plethora of cafes, restaurants/bars, museums and churches, it is now a popular tourist destination.
Being mid-September, it was approaching the end of the season and we were the only cruise ship in town, so the crowds were reasonable. During mid-summer with up to 6 mega cruise ships, it can be extremely busy, as most tours follow a similar route.
In 1997, the well preserved “Old City” was incorporated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After a long day visiting Berlin, we enjoyed a relaxing, full day at sea, before docking in Tallinn, the following day about 11:00. Perfect timing, as after a leisurely breakfast, I wandered up to the Sun Deck on a rather blustery day, to watch the arrival.
After cancelling Copenhagen, our first port of call became Warnemunde, the port for Rostock, Germany.
During our extended 5-months in UK, we spent many weeks with my dad and toured extensively throughout Scotland and England. However, we had another objective and that was a return to cruising, after a 2-year hiatus. Since we started cruising in the late 90’s, this was our longest gap between cruises.
The Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels, so one assumes it is a secure facility, with the gates locked at night.
On our 2nd day in London, we had tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys, at the Tower, in the evening. Judi opted for a quiet day, while I visited some of the locations around our hotel.
In mid-September, our extended 5-month UK trip was coming to a close, as we departed Strathkinness for the final time, bound for London. A one-way trip to London normally has many options – flying, driving or train. However with over 200lbs of baggage, flying wasn’t an option and having driven over 7,000 miles, in the past few months, I didn’t need more practice on the left side of the road. This left the train, so we booked seats on Virgin East Coast from Leuchars to London Kings Cross.
My grandfather had season tickets at Ibrox, as did my dad for many years, so little wonder, I am a “Died in the Wool” bluenose. I may have spent almost 40 years in Canada, but I still follow Rangers F.C. Although I can’t get to the matches every week, I still keep abreast of news, follow the scores and watch matches on the telly.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of performances, comprising the UK Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, a Tattoo dance company and various artistic performers. It is held during August, rain or shine, at the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade.
Judi and I returned to the St Andrews area at the end of August, spending another 2 weeks with my dad, before heading down to London for our Baltic Cruise.
Andy & Judi's Worldwide Travels 