Day 28 - 18/8/11 -Thursday

I think when I am long passed, and Cinthia is starting to show some early signs of aging, when she is around 95, she will be in the park, feeding the pigeons and sparrows little bits of bread. She will be laughing at how the sparrows are too quick for the pigeons, or how sometimes when she throws the bread in the air the sparrows crash into each other. Sometimes I lament the fact that she doesn't give a hungry peasant like myself the last 10% of the sandwich, rather feeding these overweight flying rats, however who am I to deprieve her of this simple pleasure? She has done this in 3 straight cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tallin) and I am considering booking her into PAL (Pigeon Affection Liberation) upon return to Melbourne to cure this addiction.

Another day in Tallin, and our agenda was like the main theme of the Seinfeld show- Nothing! I mean aside from getting dressed and eating, we actually had no plans or responsibilities. It is a strange feeling to have nothing to do. We decided we needed something on the agenda, something to aspire to, so came up with a midday beer in Old Town Tallin as Agenda Item A on our plan.

Friday lunchtime had never been so carefree. It was bliss...sun streaming down in perfect T shirt weather, hearing accents of tourists ambling past, and continuously admiring the quaint little area of Tallin known as 'Old Town'.

We did manage to again walk up the main hill and again enjoy the views over Tallin. The views stretched all the way to the Gulf of Finland, where we would be travelling tomorrow. This time the main Onion domed Church was open, allowing us a view inside. Although it was a lovely historic church by normal standards, it was not in the same league as the churches we had recently visited in Russia.

I guess I am a comparitive type of person, especially when travelling, comparing scenes and vibes in particular. Old Town Tallin would certainly place in my favourite little spots in the world due to its charm, along with Cusco (Peru), Trinindad (Cuba) and Zanzibar (Tanzania). Being European it is more developed in its time than the others, and with the exception of Cusco, more touristy. However you could look in any direction and see charming buildings of 500 years old. Cinthia compared it to Prague, however stated Prague is on a much bigger scale.

Being summer, and a port for the cruise ship industry (not to mention the numerous daily ferries to Helsinki and Stockholm) Tallin is very touristy. The accents come from different regions, with easily Germans comprising the biggest single market. Perhaps Chancellor Merkel is telling people if you go on overseas holidays at least spend your money in Euro countries (Estonia uses the Euro). There are however plenty of Scandinavians, Russians and Italians, and a few Americans and English. Like most tourist places, it is also possible to hear the odd Aussie accent too.

The day finishes with Cinthia upset she didn't get a strawberry wafer icecream, which was pictured on the restaurant menu. And before you begin wondering, no, this was not a pregnancy craving.

Time for sleep, tomorrow is another day, another city, and another country.