Our first full day in Estonia

Pictured above is an inside view of the caves that run beneath Tallinn.

After a long day of traveling, the group awoke well rested and excited about starting our first full day in Tallinn, Estonia; we could not have asked for a better day to explore the city with clear skies overhead. The guys awoke early for breakfast at the hotel across the road with the girls not far behind. After a stroll around town, we met up with Dr. Shook and Anne-Mai for a tour of the underground passages at the Kiek in de Kök cannon tower. The passages date back to the 13^th century and have been used for various purposes throughout the years including a shelter during the Soviet bombings during World War II, means for trade, and even shelter for the well fortunate homeless.It also showed us a truly unique first hand experience of an underground structure that has been an integral part in the progressive advancement of Tallinn throughout the years. We were given blankets for the tour due to the 40 degree Fahrenheit temperatures of the underground passages. The time spent touring these caves gave us great insight of some of the original development and progress of Tallinn and how far it has come to this day. 

After the first tour and a brief break we met back at the steps of the recently constructed Monument to the War of Independence. The structure represents Estonia’s fight for freedom and is made of glass, representing the fragility of the countries mere thirty nine years of independence. It was interesting how our guide reiterated this thought of brief independence that citizen of Estonia have experienced. Thirty nine years of freedom is minimal compared to the freedom that we have been so blessed to endure as American citizens throughout our entire lifetime.  Our guide lived through times when Estonia went from being a free state to being under Soviet occupation where she would be jailed for simple things such as talking the way the Soviet government did not approve, essentially her freedom of speech was taken away. You could tell through the way she talked and her mannerisms how much the independence and freedom of her state meant to her, as well as all 1.3 million citizens within Estonia.

Pictured above is the Monument to the War of Independence which commemorates Estonia's freedom from foreign rule.

We continued on to visit the major landmark of Tallinn’s Old Town which included Parliament and a one hundred year old Greek Orthodox Church. We got to see some beautiful views from atop the limestone wall that has been standing for centuries. Our tour concluded with a large meal at Peppersack where we reflected on a successful first day in Tallinn, Estonia. Tomorrow we will arise early for a lecture on the economic crisis in Estonia and continue our journeys through Tallinn.

This blog was experienced firsthand and documented by: Patrick Markham and Jared Robinett