Tuesday, July 2 – Tallinn Estonia – The Last Capital on our Cruise
After another overnight run down the Baltic Straits from St. Petersburg, we put into port at Tallinn
Estonia. Of all our Baltic destinations, this city may have had the most charm. Certainly, Tallinn
seems more dynamic and western-oriented than St. Petersburg, despite the considerable
presence here of Russians whom I was told by our guide might speak relatively little Estonian.
If you try to hail a cab in this city – which we did on our way back from the Old Town to the boat -you might have a bit of trouble finding someone who speaks English or accepts credit card
payment. Russian language seems to predominate among the cabbies. I couldn’t help the
suspicion that some of them might once have been former Soviet-era occupying troops.
On this last day of our time ashore in the Baltic, we made reservations for a “Panoramic Tour of
Tallinn and the Old Town” in the morning. Like other old places we had seen, this one was
heavily restored and quite charming. As morning clouds burned off, we found ourselves again
walking through narrow, winding cobblestone streets, through open squares surrounded by
restaurants and shops, and past even more stunning cathedrals and Protestant church towers.
Skyline of the Old Town, seen from the Norwegian Jewel at the Cruise Ship docks:
Next: Maren and me at the Town Square, after we began wandering on our own. The picture
was taken by a lady named Barbara Lawrence. She and her husband are another couple we met
on this cruise, with whom we hope to maintain contact.
The Tallinn old town is divided into “Upper Town,” once restricted solely to aristocratic families by
a gate that closed at 9:00 o’clock each evening, versus “Lower Town” inhabited by commoners
and trades people. The tower of the town hall is a landmark throughout Lower Town. And the
city wall is now home to numerous vendors and shops.
One of the pleasures of this cruise was meeting two very nice couples with whom we hope to
continue correspondence in the future. Barbara and Lennie are from San Antonio Texas, and
John and Mary are from Baltimore. I didn’t get a good picture of Barbara and Lennie together,
but we had a delightful time with her, wandering about the Old Town in Tallinn.
Among the other places we saw with Barbara was Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Old Town and Harbor Overlook
When we boarded the Norwegian Jewel at Tallinn, we had seen the last of the capitals on the
tour. Our next two days were spent at sea on the way back to Dover – and I slept through much
of them with a nasty head cold I picked up at St. Petersburg. Leave it to the Russians to make
life difficult!
Though our debarkation from the ship and the bus transfer from Dover to Heathrow were
uneventful, we were once again forced to endure seats with inadequate legroom for nearly eight
hours, arriving somewhat later than scheduled. Clearance and baggage transfer through
Customs was a minor nightmare, due to the “diligent” attentions of a customs officer who seemed
bent upon reading every line of print and every border stamp in every passport. As mentioned
before, our departure gate from Philadelphia to Charlotte had also been changed. We did a very
fast walk-run-walk for about a quarter of a mile between terminals, arriving at our flight to
Charlotte just five minutes before the doors closed. Ironically, this “commuter” flight gave us more
legroom than the previous trans-Atlantic journey.
After any cruise, I’d guess the question friends might ask would be “would you go back, or use
the same company on a different vacation?” I think our answer would be yes, with a few
reservations. Norwegian Cruise Lines conducts a very informal “freestyle cruising” style onboard
ship, with no pre-scheduled meal service or fixed table assignments. The food was excellent to
taste and beautifully presented, with servings sized much smaller than found in US restaurants
but still very adequate to all but the most glutinous appetite. Service was for the most part good,
though a few of the crew could clearly have benefited from training in a more cordial and friendly
attitude. Entertainment was highly professional and varied, with some truly world-class dancers
and singers in a large (~18 person) stage company, and several highly skilled individual
musicians and magicians.
Shore tours were on the expensive side, with full-day bus tours averaging around $250-$300 per
person. But for the Baltic Capitals, making your own arrangements (as we have in the past, in
Hawaii and the Caribbean) may not be fully practical. This is particularly true for St. Petersburg,
where an entry visa is required in addition to your passport, and you may be required to deal with
local tour providers who are licensed by the Russian government. We had uniformly good
experiences with NCL-employed guides who were both fluent in English and knowledgeable of
local history and attractions – though we did hear of one marked and somewhat horrible
exception to that generally happy condition. A lot of Americans do not think to tip their guides or
drivers, but such a gesture is deeply appreciated and often highly appropriate -- particularly in the
Russian Republic, where incomes may average a third or less of what you are accustomed to
hearing about in the West.
Throughout all of these capitals, we were repeatedly warned to beware of pickpockets. We heard
of people on our boat who fell prey to such light-fingered extraction artists. So the risk is not
trivial. Be prepared to carry your money and ID in front pants pockets, or inside your coat, and try
to maintain awareness of your surroundings even when you’re taking pictures in a close crowd.
So would we go back? Yes, in a hot New York second… perhaps making our own air
reservations the next time.
Stay in touch, folks. Anybody want to do a foursome tour next summer?
Regards and best,
Red and Maren