As we were now heading back west, we turned the clocks back one hour last night before retiring. Our ship docked in Tallinn at 7:00 a.m., but we never got up until 8:00 as we were in no particular hurry to head into town. It was a beautiful day, starting with two swans swimming off the rear of the ship.

  

Breakfast at nine with Bert, Laverne, Carole and LeVerne and we all disembarked at 10:00. Going to be a short day as the ship is scheduled to sail at 2:00 p.m.

      
      

As we were departing the dock area, there was a great opportunity to photograph the Century in its entirety. Moored alone, with no buildings, cranes or other ships to block the view it was quite the sight. While marveling at the enormity of the ship, I found myself wondering as to how our ship would stack up against the RMS Titanic (of iceberg fame) in size comparison. As it turns out, the Titanic was 882' 9" (269 m) in length or 69 feet (21m) longer than the Century but only 92' 6" (28 m) wide or 13' (4 m) narrower. The biggest variation is the difference in Gross Register Tonnage. The Titanic was 46,328 tons as opposed to 70,606 tons for the Century.

  

It was a fifteen-minute walk to the entrance to old town at Fat Margaret's Tower. As we made our way through the narrow cobbled streets of this marvelous old medieval city, and stopped in at several shops along the way. We were looking for ceramics and linen of which we were able to find in abundance.

    
    

Prior to arriving at the town square at City Hall, we passed St. Olaf's (Olav's) Church. Around 1500, the steeple was built to a height of 159 meters (521 feet). The motivation must have been to use it as a maritime signpost, which made the trading city of Tallinn visible from far out at sea. Between 1549 and 1625, when the spire burnt down after a lightning strike, it was the tallest building in the world. The steeple of St. Olaf has been hit by lightning at least eight times, and the whole church has burned down three times throughout its known history. It currently serves as an active Baptist church.

        

From the square, we continued our walk past St. Nicholas Church. Dedicated to the patron saint of sailors, the church now houses a museum of rare medieval art, including some of the best in all of Estonia. Concerts are also held here throughout the year.

       

Leaving the square, we started our hike up the hill to Toompea Castle. The castle was originally built in 1219 and is currently the seat of the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia. There's a splendid view of the town from up there.

    

Adjacent to the castle itself, there are two churches, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St. Mary's Cathedral. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. The cathedral is disliked by many Estonians as a reminder of Russian dominance and was scheduled for demolition in 1924, but the decision was never implemented.

  

St. Mary's Cathedral was originally established by Danes in the 13th century and is the oldest church in Tallinn and mainland Estonia. The altar and chancel, chandeliers and numerous coats-of arms adorning the walls are from the 17th - 20th centuries and the organ was installed in 1914. There's also a stone-carved sarcophagi from the 17th century adjacent to the entrance. Originally a Roman Catholic cathedral, it became Lutheran in 1561 and now belongs to the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. There has not been a lot of restoration inside so you get a very real sense of how it looked hundred's of years ago.

      

From St. Mary's, we started our descent back down to the town square through narrow cobbled streets. Believe it or not, Bert and I were able to locate a small café on the square that served beer. So, while the ladies finished up a bit of last minute shopping we ordered a beer and enjoyed watching the sights.

  

By now it was nearing 1:00 p.m. so we rounded everyone up and strolled back to the ship. Even though we were only in Tallinn three hours, it was probably the most enjoyable three hours of touring so far. Lee and I found old town within Tallinn very comfortable.

Meeting Bert and Laverne and Carole and LeVerne for a leisurely lunch on board, we watched the ship leave port at 2 o'clock while we ate.

Then it was back to our cabin for a bit of R & R. Denise and Bruce came to visit around 3:30 and stayed till 5:00 having a pop or two and sharing their day with us. After our company left, I just kind of lazed around, sorting pictures, updating my diary and snoozing a bit until it was time for dinner at 8:30 p.m. Tonight, the dining room was informal dress so it was jacket and tie.

      

After dinner, Lee and I popped up to the casino for an hour or so, then back to the cabin. Spent another couple of hours sorting through more pictures and making notes, then off to bed at 2:00 a.m. All in all, a most enjoyable day.