Wandering Through Northern Europe – Baltic Cruise on the Norwegian Dawn

June 19 – Estonia

Today I’m in Tallinn for some fun in the last port before disembarking in Stockholm.  Ken and I visited Tallinn in June 2017 for a few days so I’ve opted for an excursion that takes me through the picturesque Estonian countryside to one the oldest towns in Estonia, Rakvere. Along the way, our guide Denis fills us in on all things Estonian but I’ll spare you the history lesson today, lol! 

One tidbit for all of us aging baby boomers. Spread linen on your fields (lawns?) to collect the morning dew. Apparently, using this water this to wash your face and hands will help maintain a youthful appearance! Might be worth a shot or maybe it’s too late, lol!

Enroute we had a quick photostop at the Rebala Heritage Reserve to look at an ancient cemetery from the Nordic Bronze Age.

We also passed a convoy carrying military equipment headed to Ukraine going the other way. 

After a bit more than an hour, we arrived at the partially ruined, 13th century Rakvere Castle. The castle is part historical site and part theme park where you can catch a glimpse of or immerse yourself in the everyday life of the 16th century. The staff are dressed in traditional costumes and you can be too!

Before all of that, we head off to learn about distilling in Estonia and have a shot of Estonian vodka with a pickle chaser! Alcohol has been produced in Estonia since the 15th century so it’s good and the pickle works like the lemon and salt with a tequila shot. They needed a few volunteers to do a deeper dive in the spirit, e.g., taste five types of vodka so, of course, I volunteered. Six shots of vodka before 11 am is not my typical style (cheers – terviseks!) but I did receive a certificate declaring me a “connoisseur of vodka” for my efforts! 

Being slightly intoxicated while wandering through the wine cellar, torture chamber, a death room and hell was a bit tricky especially hell which was like a bizarre Circus fun house!  

The grounds also include a barber’s shop, an alchemist’s workshop and a smithy where I made my own Estonian coin!

At noon, there was a single gun salute using a small canon that made a pretty big bang despite its size! For lunch, we enjoyed a simple meal of chicken, rice and salad washed down with beer, cider or wine (pretty sure that’s not typical medieval food!) in the Shenkenberg Tavern.

At the entrance to the castle is an enormous sculpture of a bull called Taras, guarding the town installed for the town’s 700th anniversary.

From Rakvere we returned to Tallinn for a walking tour of the old town, starting at Palace Square, with the Parliament House of Estonia and the Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church.

We strolled over cobblestone lanes to a panoramic lookout point for a fabulous view over the old town wall of the red-tiled roofs, towers and steeples.

An Estonian musician was playing tunes on the ckelharpa near lookout. The ckelharpa (“keyed fiddle”, or literally a “key harp”) is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string. It’s somewhere between a typewriter and your grandpa’s old crackly fiddle.

Our next stop was the Danish King’s Garden. Nestled between the city wall and Lower Town, King Valdemar II of Denmark and his troops camped before conquering Toompea in 1219.  According to the story, Valdemar’s forces were losing their battle with the Estonians when suddenly the skies opened and a red flag with a white cross floated down from the heavens. Taking this as a holy sign, the Danes were spurred on to victory. According to an old legend, this is the spot where a flag descended from the sky during the Danish invasion, and it was this flag that turned the course of the battle in favour of King Valdemar II. Later, the flag, the Dannebrog, became the national flag of Denmark. 

We bid adieu to Tallinn with a last view of the city wall. With 1.9 km of its original city wall and 20 defensive towers wall still standing, Tallinn boasts one of Europe’s best preserved medieval fortifications. Work on the town’s defences first began in 1265, but the current outline of the wall dates to the 14th century. By its heyday in the 16th century, the wall was 2.4 km long, 14 to 16 metres high, up to three metres thick, and included 46 towers. Today roughly half of the original towers still loom over Old Town, evoking images of heroic knights and damsels in distress.

Back to the ship for my last night aboard. Tomorrow I’m meeting Ken in Stockholm for the Scandinavian leg of my adventure.