Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia was a pleasant surprise and somewhere we'd definitely visit again.  

The kids in front of the Fat Margaret Tower which marks the entrance to the Old Town.

Estonia has found itself under Danish, Swedish, German and Russian rule at various points during its history.  Below is what's known as Three Sisters.  The buildings represent the typical set-up of a German merchant:  home, office, and warehouse. 

A stall in the market place that definitely caters to tourists.  

The Market Square.  We purchased some items made of Juniper wood when we passed through the square.

We had lunch in the basement of an Italian restaurant.  J ordered a local beer.  Notice Little Man's accusative finger; the kids don't approve of drinking alcohol!

Little Man's pizza.  He fashioned a toxic symbol out of his slices.  In the background, you'll notice a mounted TV.  The establishment chose to play music videos from the 80's to the present day.  Many of the artists shown on the channel were locals, and we had a few laughs at their expense.

 Kids in the King's Gardens.  Tallinn actually means "City of the Danes."  The Danish flag, shown center in the picture below, came to be during a battle between the Danes and the Estonians.  During the battle, the Danish king prayed.  In the midst of his prayer, a white cross fell into a pool of blood creating the image used in today's Danish flag.

View from the town as seen from the garden behind the Estonian Parliament.

We went into a nearby woolen shop and bought the cutest and warmest hats for the kiddos.

Olde Hansa.  Today, it's been restored to show what a medieval building would have looked like.  The restaurant serves traditional medieval dishes in trenchers and wooden cups.

They say that marzipan was first made in Estonia.  We watched this lady paint marzipan, and she was gracious enough to give us a bit of insight into the process.

The buildings were candy, pastel-colored.

Little Man in front of the former KGB headquarters in Tallinn.  Today's city still has a large population of Russian speakers.

In front of the Black Head's Society, a one time club for single German merchants.  If you look closely at the door, you'll notice a carving of the early Christian martyr, St. Mauritius.  It's his image that gave the club its name.

Note the wooden sign hanging on the wall...Elk Soup!