Off the beaten path- Estonia

I am really glad that Tallinn was on the itinerary of our vacation last year. True confessions- I did not know much about Estonia---that said, I’d highly recommend it! After taking Segway tours in other cities over the years, we hoped to have a day of good weather at some point during this trip so we could see more of a place in a short time than we could on foot. Not only did we have sunshine, but we encountered 2 Segways for rent not 10 feet past the exit of the cruise ship terminal.

Our tour started by heading into the old town, and we zipped past other tourists panting up the steep hills for the spectacular views from the top. After the wheeled tour, we had lunch with a friend from Massachusetts who had moved there 2 weeks earlier! Like many European restaurants, there is plenty of meat to be had. Later on, we had stupendous hot chocolate at a courtyard café surrounded by cute shops.

We admired the hand-crafted items such as sweaters and linens. The architecture of many buildings, even the town walls, was neat, and there were several street musicians along the way. Estonia is allegedly the birthplace of “marzipan”, an almond paste candy that is used in Europe to decorate cakes and fill chocolates. We didn’t get any of the cutely designed candies, but passed many bakeries and street vendors selling roasted nuts.

We'd like to return for a longer visit!