Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tallinn, Estonia—First Cruise Stop

Each of the three years we've gone to visit the kids in Amsterdam, we've gone on an adventure together. This year our adventure was a trip to Sweden, followed by a cruise to Tallinn, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia, then a day cruising in the Baltic Sea, returning to Stockholm.


I've been working on a slide show for the Tallinn, Estonia portion of our trip this morning, while I'm "fresh." Physical Therapy yesterday took a lot out of me, but gave me hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel. There's just no replacement for a great physical therapist. I'm not sure how many years of training they have to go through, but the good ones, and I know I have one of the best, have magic hands and an incredible font of knowledge.



Estonia, at least the corner we visited, wore its age well. I would have loved to see it without all the tourists, but since we were part of the horde, I shouldn't complain. Everything in America seems fresh and young by comparison to cities and countries in Europe. They treasure their history, at least in the places we've visited. You'll see a modern building, something from the last fifty years or later, next to a building hundreds of years old that's been preserved and is still in use. They exist side by side and add character to the city.


As always, seeing these places with family make them more special, and going through the photos brought the memories back to life. I remember Kate having a melt down and wanting to be held, and how Ben picked her up and walked with her, even though his back was beyond painful. Ruth was so upset that he wasn't taking care of himself, I thought she'd grab the child away from him, but she allowed him to do what he felt he must. Their respect for each other, as always, melted something inside me—and Kate calmed down instantly.


Ben always researches thoroughly whatever places we'll visit and finds the most interesting things. Tallinn happens to have an out of the way romantic spot... a kissing statue that's said to be good luck for couples who stand and kiss next to it. They couldn't resist. We were coerced. Let's say we couldn't resist them. The photos of that are proof enough, and are in the slide show.



After walking back to the cruise ship and making arrangements to meet for dinner, I took something for pain and headed for the ship's spa and a massage. I was counting my blessings with every step. Enjoy the slide show. They represent precious memories to me.

6 comments:

Dean K Miller said...

I would love to visit the castles and other buildings with so much history in them. Beautiful places in your beautiful photos.

sherrie said...

BEAUTIFUL! Oh my goodness, apparently I LOVE the white accents on colorful buildings. So fun to see you traveling the world with Ben & Ruth and your adorable grandkids. So glad you are such a great storyteller and photographer, too!

Marrianne said...

Great blog redesign and the trip looks dreamy, aside from the pain issues.

Kathleen said...

Thanks, Marrianne. Traveling with kids and grandkids always makes it so much more special. Ben has a talent for choosing special destinations, too. We've been blessed to take all these trips. What's the phrase? Photographs and memories...

Unknown said...

What a wonderful country. What a fonderful city. I was there twice and enjoyed evry of visit.

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Unknown said...

You had an amazing trip to Estonia, a completely unique country. I enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks a lot for sharing. Well, it's time to prepare my home work, so I will have to leave:( Good luck!