Old City Tallinn

 

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September 16, 2006

The old part of Tallinn is as pretty as the old parts of the Vilnius and Riga. There were plenty of winding cobblestone streets that opened into squares.  There wasn’t of shortage of things to do.  For the shoppers in the group, there were plenty of places to buy amber, jewelry and wood crafts. For those into architecture, there were plenty of old buildings to look at, and for people like me, there were plenty of cafes to sit and watch the world go by while sipping a cup of coffee.

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Our first stop in the morning was the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.  The largest domed cathedral in Tallinn, built-in 1900 when Tallinn was part of Tsarist Russia.

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Part of the town wall and surrounding towers built-in the 16th century still survive today

Tallinn has the oldest pharmacy in Europe.  It has been operating for almost 600 years.

 

100_4964There was a funny story about the Lutheran Church to the left.  Traditionally, people were buried under the floor. Baron Cassanova had quite the repulation for being a ladies man among other things. Prior to his death he requested to be buried right at the entrance of the church. His explanation was that this would get him into heaven sooner, since each person that walked over his grave takes one of his sins. His wish was granted and today, his grave is at the bottom of the stairway as you enter the church. I refused to walk over the grave thinking I didn’t need any more sins than I already have. Why should I take one of his? The tour guide said that the locals questioned his motives and thought the real reason he wanted to be buried at the entrance was so that he could look up the skirts of the ladies attending church.

 

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McDonald’s Ketchup at the grocery store?

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