June 3/18 Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia is a country that I had never heard of until we booked this trip. It used to be under the Soviet umbrella, but in the 1991 the residents had a peaceful freedom ‘singing’ revolution, where millions formed a human chain and sang songs to promote independence from the USSR. There was not a drop of blood shed, and they were successful! This is primarily a country of agnostics, and like other Baltic countries, they have free education and health care. The younger people are quite forward in their thinking, but the older generation still believe in communism. The city is very green and pretty, but within it lies a 13th century medieval town, including an old tower entrance and a medieval wall.

Michael took the tour of the Old Town, but since nerve pain prevents me from walking much, I opted to take a shuttle into the lower old town just to see what it was like. There was a young fellow with a carriage bicycle, and he accepted my 20 Euros (normally he charges 30) for a ten minute ride. I was thrilled at being able to see most of the old town this way. Of course there were lots of shops and buskers, the latter being quite good. One played an accordion which sounded like an organ, and the other was playing harmonica and a steel drum - quite a lovely combination.

In the afternoon we attended a one-man show on wheels. The actor gave his perspective on Estonian life in the Soviet days, while we rode in an authentic Soviet bus. And he even served us vodka shots and pickles! It was intended to be a humourous look at the history of the area, which it was at the beginning. Later on when discussing things like the free health care and education Estonia has, I think that at least some of the Americans felt quite uncomfortable.

Tomorrow we will spend the entire day on the ship, as we sail to Poland, so I may not have anything to write about until the next day. We have chosen to see a concentration camp there, so I’m hoping that my mini transport chair will be able to navigate the stone pathways. As strange as it may seem, going to a concentration camp is something that I feel everyone should do if they are in the vicinity. The survivors will soon be gone, and we must never forget.