Day 02, Jan 29, 2025 Tallinn, Estonia

This morning it’s on the bus at 6:15 AM. Everyone is on time! We drive to the port where a Ferry is docked. We board the ferry that is larger than CMV Columbus or Ambassador Ambiance that took us around the world in 2020 and 2024!

The Ferry is a 2 hour ride to Tallinn in the dark. Breakfast on the ferry is really good. I blame my upset stomach on food poisoning from a burger I got in LAX. But I feel good now. So I enjoy a hearty breakfast. Once docked in Tallinn, we board a bus in the sunrise light around 9:30 AM.

The bus tour of Tallinn is interesting. There are some really interesting old Russian buildings. An interesting term is used several times. Russification. Russification is a policy of cultural assimilation that promotes Russian culture and language over other ethnicities.  It can be imposed by a state or adopted voluntarily. It seems in Estonia, it happens voluntarily. During the walking tour, it starts raining. We stop in a colonial restaurant and order soup to warm up. The rain stops at about 1:30 PM. We resume walking around the old city. We spot a small cafe and have glass of wine.

Here, as in many parts of the world, graffiti is no stranger. In the cities, it is just there. Like a plague. There are people in the world that do not know respect for people or property. It is sad.

We meet up with group at 3 PM and get back on the bus. The tour continues at an old park. We board the Ferry at 4:00 PM. It seems my stomach is doing flip flops again. Maybe I shouldn’t have had that big breakfast. The Ferry leaves at 4:30 and I’m feeling sick again. I find some airline type seats that recline and I try to relax and sleep. The Ferry ride lasts 2 hours.

We board a bus and travel back to the hotel. My dinner consists of bananas and crackers. I will put myself on the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet for a couple days. This is not a good start to vacation! I turn in early, vowing to beat this stomach bug, whatever it is.