Supposedly Tallinn has the best preserved medieval Old Town in Northern Europe and was added to UNESCO’s list back in 1997.

It was also part of the influential Hanseatic League, the same as Riga. It’s iconic skyline is dotted with church spires and red-roofed towers. Unlike many other capitals, the city’s historic buildings were not replaced by newer developments over the ages. The city walls also protected it from major wartime destruction, while the use of stone as a building material, reduced the impact of fires. Most of the city’s important buildings also survive in their medieval form, offering us tourists an opportunity to step back in time, including the Town Hall, St Olaf’s Church and the Viru Gate.

As we have been here a couple of times, we did a little bit of shopping and bought a few things from the local artisans, obviously we finished off with some food and of course a beer.

We were in port until 11pm, the night of the solar eclipse, so we went up on deck to see it, fortunately after a very cloudy day, the skies cleared, we had about 80% coverage. It was also the night of the Perseid Meteor showers, so alarm set for 1.30am, although the night was really clear and full of stars, we only saw the odd meteor, over and done with in a flash!