As I head up to breakfast I take note of today's weather. Hmmmmmm .... What happened to the "No RAIN for two weeks" forecast on the internet? Days like today, your inner thoughts say DO I just go back to bed? Then you also think ... This is an opportunity! Be a Traveler not a Tourist! Oi... Dress warm and dress for rain. I noted the sign on the elevator..... and found it very correct as I headed across the pool for breakfast.
The rain came down in buckets as we exited the ship and the wind was harsh and unforgiving. It was hard to walk. Umbrellas turned themselves inside out and were useless. I braved the weather and headed to the bus. There were 10 very soaked people on my tour. Today was Chocolate day for me. I signed up for a Chocolate workshop with a Master Confectioner. A self taught famous chocolate maker in Tallinn. The shop is well known for hand made truffles. BUT before we get to make chocolate, we have a walking tour of beautiful Tallinn with its cobblestoned streets, gleaming from the currents of water streaming over them.
From the drop off point, our group swam uphill like salmon following the cobbled streets to our final destination ... CHOCOLATE! It was an early Sunday morning. The streets were pretty deserted and most everything was closed. Our Chocolate Shop was open, warm, welcoming and cozy, and that was all that mattered. You could smell the melting chocolate pots waiting our arrival.
The Chocolate Shop. They also had a quaint little tea room inside. It would be a nice place to visit and have a pastry and some tea.
The Chocolate Master did not speak English so our guide translated. We were told the history of chocolate and how she came to be a Master. She didn't know much about cooking at first. She just wanted to assure she would always have something to eat. The stage was set for us to roll the fillings, dip them, and then decorate them with everything from sugar, to rose petals and nuts. My chocolates :) Don't you just want to dig in? They had to be refrigerated before we could take them home.
I think I would much rather have bought a few ...... Theirs looked so much better....
The counter of tempting chocolates and pastries.
Once again, we were taken out into the streets of Old Town, umbrellas in hand. We were told Tallinn goes back 5,000 years. Pottery was found on the site dating back to 3,000 BC. Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the harbor. Old Town is divided into two parts. The upper town for the rich and the lower town. We spent time in the lower section. The two sides are divided by a huge medieval city wall. The gate was closed every night so no one could move from one side to the other.
Town Hall Square is the heart of the city since the 11th century. Here we fond the fabulous town hall and the old pharmacy which dates back to the 15th century. This is also the place where beheadings and peltings occurred. My ears perk up when I hear the juicy tales of the past. Now the square is filled a lot of outdoor restaurants and souvenir shops. We toured Old Town for about 45 minutes then had time to wander on our own. The rain gave us a break toward the end of the tour. We were here a few years ago and stayed in a hotel just off this big square. I walked by some of the places were we ate. Fond memories. It is a lovely little town. I would definitely come back. It is worth a visit, or two or six.
Planning is everything. It was nice to have a noon flight rather then a 5AM flight! We ate and drank our way from Tucson to Chicago to Heathrow to Stockholm. We saw the sunset then rise. It was beautiful. In between the various 'airline' feasts, we dozed, napped, read and watched movies. It seems the way airlines keep people happy is to make sure everyone is always eating.
Stockholm was beautiful from the sky. Lots of green clean land was below. Why haven't I been here before? Definitely have to come back.
