Old Towne Tallinn, Estonia - Mindfully Medieval!

We arrived in Tallinn on the Ferry, and a short walk later arrived at our guest house on the main square of Old Town! In 1050 a fortress was built here, and over the next few centuries a progression of castles, fortress walls, churches, and grand buildings were constructed on this hill overlooking the Gulf of Finland.

Street merchants in the shadow of a medieval wall.

Ornate buildings, both old and new, are the norm in Tallinn.

The view of the parliament buildings and Premiere's house from outside the walls. That red glow is from the slowly setting sun right after Midsummer.

Much of the old moats remain, and are now a band of parks around the center of town.

No biggy, just some huge medieval castle towers. It looks like people might live there...? Also, all this photos are taken after 10:30 at night. It never really got very dark.

Orthodox church from the Russian years. Since it was first a town, Tallinn has been run by Danes, Germans, Russians, and only in recent years, the Estonians themselves. It still has a huge Russian population, many of whom reject Estonian citizenship.

The full moon over the lively town square. Almost Midnight, and the sky isn't quite dark! What a lovely spot!

Finland Travels - Suomenlinna Islands

 On our third day in Finland we found our way out to the island of Suomenlinna, or Sveaborg as the Swedes call it. It is a group of islands in the Bay of Helsinki, the swedes built a fortress complex from 1748-54 to serve as a defense point against the Russians. Complete with cannon bays on all sides facing the water.

 Fortress walls with cannon positions evenly spaced. The walls are built in the "Star" style with protrusions at the corners of the fortress and long solid walls. It didn't work. The Russians took the island eventually and used it themselves.

 Inside the cannon positions. Large stone rooms with earthen floors and tiny ports looking out. Nice and cool in the heat of the day, rather dark, and with stalactites starting to form from the dripping of water .

After Finns gained independence from Russia, POWs were put to work restoring the fortress walls. The old tunnels are surprisingly sturdy and well maintained.

The island is a very popular summer destination, this was a rare shot of the main route through the fortress when it was not clogged with Chinese tour groups! Finns seem to come for picnics, and they hang out on the beaches and wild spaces.

 During WWII (The Continuation War, as the Finns call it.) a series of modern positions were added, anti-aircraft guns and naval guns. Each one had a protected position, crew shelters, and ammunition caches.

 This is a naval gun installed during the Russian period, probably about the middle of the 19th century.

 Troop shelters built under each position. Each one was a short curving tunnel, lined with stone. Rather nice and cool on a hot day!

 My boyfriend, the military history enthusiast,  pontificating. These are the protected positions where the guns would be mounted.

 Lovely little hillocks, with a less than lovely purpose. Nature is taking back her island.

 A powder magazine for ammo storage. These were very large and went rather deep back into the hill. Despite the rough look, they are not that deteriorated inside.

 The Finnish WWII submarine, Vesikko. Note the ice-breaking points and the black and white camo stripes.

 Inside the submarine, three torpedo bays in front. It was a very tight space! Supposedly 20 men would have served in the sub, which would have been awfully tight quarters. With untrained tourist, 5 people was stuffy...