Tallinn, Estonia: Virgin Tower

This is a nice old building, obviously, up a hill in the Toompea section of town. Inside, the building's contents have been described as something of a tourist trap.

There's an entrance fee, a gift shop and a restaurant, and supposedly not a great deal to see according to those at TripAdvisor.com. We chose to skip it.

By the way, supposedly prostitutes were imprisoned here way back when, which makes the building's title rather ironic.

Be notified of new posts via Twitter @WDX2BB.

Tallinn, Estonia: St. Nicholas Church

Just because something looks like a church, and it's named like a church, doesn't mean it is a church.

Say hello, then, to St. Nicholas Church in Tallinn, which actually hosts part of the Art Museum of Estonia.

This was a church around 1250, although it received some freshening over the years. The big tower arrived in the late 1600s. The building's most difficult days came in 1944, when it was bombed by the Soviets during World War II. This was the only building in that area that was rebuild to the old specifications.

The building survived another fire in the 1980s, and now hosts concerts,

Be notified of new posts via Twitter @WDX2BB.

Tallinn, Estonia: Cat's Well

Here's a story about part of Old Tallinn that we didn't know at the time. After all, it looks like just a well, right?

In the Medieval days, this was one of the major sources of water for Tallinn. The catch came when some of the residents somehow decided that evil spirits were lurking inside of the well.

Their response was typical of the times: animal sacrifices. Stray cats were picked up and thrown down the hole, often before they were dead. Some sheep and cattle carcasses also made the plunge.

I guess the plan worked, because the well never ran out of water. But it didn't do much for water quality, and people stopped using it for water in the middle of the 1800s.

Happily, the water in town now tastes fine.

Be notified of new posts via Twitter @WDX2BB.

Tallinn, Estonia: Town Hall Square

It doesn't take long for the European traveler to realize how nice center-city squares are. They serve as a great gathering place.

Here's Tallin's, the Town Hall Square. It's surrounded by lovely, old buildings, some of which have restaurants at ground level. As you can see, a market selling all sorts of items was in full flight when we got there. There's also a bandstand; we received a free concert with our lunch during a visit.

This area used to be used to display criminals in chains and knights in shining armor. We looked, but didn't find anything like that in 2015. Oh well. Of more interest is that fact that the world's first Christmas tree may have been "created" here in 1441.

Here's a video look at the area:



Be notified of new posts via Twitter @WDX2BB.

Tallinn, Estonia: Great Guild Hall

The entrance to this building looks pretty good, not showing its age at all. That's surprising, since the outside was finished in 1410 - 82 years before Columbus found America.

Merchants used to use the facility as a meeting place for business, and it has served a variety of other functions over the years as well. But since 1952, it has contained the Estonian History Museum.

Be notified of new posts via Twitter @WDX2BB.

Tallinn, Estonia: Fat Margaret Tower

It's relatively easy to figure out where Old Town starts in Tallinn. Fat Margaret is there to welcome you.

That nickname has been applied to what is called Paks Margareeta in Estonia. The structure picked up the name because of its very thick walls, which you can see slightly in the picture at right.

Fat Margaret was originally designed for defensive purposes, as back in the day it was quite close to the water. But it also was designed to provide for a dramatic entrance to the city, and with the accompanying arch it does that nicely.

The building now hosts the Estonian Maritime Museum, which has a variety of ship models as well as a nice observation area.

Be notified of new posts via Twitter @WDX2BB.