And then there was Tallinn

Another day, another port! We had an organized tour at this port as well. We'd signed up for "Countryside Cycling and Old Town Walking Tour". Well, the "countryside" was a circle around a housing development. It was more like riding in Greenbrook Estates than in the Estonian "countryside"! It was a nice day and a great day to be outdoors so we didn't complain too much...UNTIL...they brought us to an open air museum. What it was, was an park where they recreated Estonian country life throughout the ages. 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, etc. We were a little ticked when we were spending soooo much time here. The worst part of the tour were the two families on the tour with us. They were a group of about 10 people, 4 adults and 6 teenage boys. The boys were absolute terrors racing the bikes and skidding out in front of people for shits and giggles. At one point one of them skidded next to me, and I really had to bite my tongue not to give him a verbal lashing, but I figured I was the grown up and his mother should really be the one to discipline the little bastard. Not sure why I thought that though, the parents were almost as bad as the kids! At one point we stopped somewhere for a traditional Estonian snack and some tea, and when everyone was ready to go...all 50 people in the group, the father was in the bathroom. We waited 15 minutes for him---I guess the snack didn't agree with him! At that point the tour guide gave us some free time to wander the park. I knew this was going to be a disaster with the 6 derelicts roaming around. Sure enough, they were late. Not only were the kids late, but the parents as well. The one mother even asked me "Have you seen the boys?". First of all lady, I don't even KNOW you. Second of all, shouldn't YOU know where your own kids are. Instead of saying that though, I just said, "No" and left it alone. The kids finally showed up COVERED in mud...LITERALLY COVERED! They said they fell off a cliff...urgh!

After the whole bus filled, we headed to old town. We were really excited to see the old town as it looked beautiful from the ship when we woke up. When we got there we went into a church and through a few streets to the town center when our tour guide gave us an hour to "do our own thing". At this point we abandoned the tour and went to get some lunch. We wound up at a beer haus, where we each had a liter and some nice bratwurst with sauerkraut. After lunch it was another quick walk around old town and then walking back to the ship. I'd have to say that Tallinn really TRIED to be like Amsterdam, but it was just too small to measure up. Don't get me wrong, it was a very pretty place, just not a whole hell of a lot there.