Thurs 1 - After a slow start, we set off to see some more in the old town. As we are going to some organ concerts in the Dome Church (aka Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin) during the festival, we thought we would start by going up the hill to check the route to the church and have a look at it. It is right at the top of Toompea Hill, 50 metres above sea level and is just at the back of the old town. The Toompea Hill area dates back to the 13th century, when the Danes erected a stone castle on the site. The hill has changed hands many times over the centuries but still remains enclosed in the impressive limestone fortifications built during the Livonian war (1558-82). The area is just like an extension of the old town, but in a hilly area. The Dome church was originally built as a wooden church by the Danes in 1240 and is the oldest church in mainland Estonia. The church has undergone several restorations over the three centuries since it was first built. Inside, there are 107 aristocratic coats of arms plus a number of tombs. In our opinion, the inside of the church leaves a lot to be desired! Not our favourite. We briefly heard the organ and it was wonderful. The organ music concerts should be great, judging by what we heard.
We also visited the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which is new by comparison with the other churches. It was built between 1894 and 1900. It is a Russian Orthodox Church which doesn't have the splendor and large space of those we saw in St Petersburg.
The Estonian parliament meets in a building close by but it was completely covered in scaffolding.
Up in this hilly area, there are some viewing platforms from which you can get some great views over the old town and towards the port area and out to the sea.
Today was totally different to yesterday in that the hoards of tourists seemed to have disappeared and the markets in the main square had vanished! There were nowhere near as many ships in the port so that may explain the lack of tourists. This made for a much more pleasant relaxing day.
Having such a commanding view across to the old town, from our hotel room is great. We can plan what we want to do for the day and actually visualise our projected routes, before we set off.
Fri 2- We have just come from the Dome Church and have heard music on a wonderful organ. Today's performance was called an opening ceremony and was like a cross between a service and a recital, as the priest said prayers and spoke between pieces. This was a short recital consisting of three pieces, which all showed off the organ very impressively. Two of the organists were young and showed heaps of talent. They sound like they have great futures ahead of them.
The church pews are the type that are boxed in and you enter each pew through a door. When people are seated, all you can see is their heads (or if they are shorter people, you can only see the tops of their heads). The people in the congregation back when the church pews were installed, were possibly a lot shorter than we are today, so you wouldn't see them at all when they sat down! Rob said that if one had committed sins during the week and didn't want to be noticed by the priest during the sermon you could virtually hide yourself from view by sinking down into the pew or even lying down, so the priest couldn't make eye contact with you!
This morning we wandered around another part of the old town. You entered this part of the town through another set of fortifications which included 'Fat Margaret Tower' which is the largest part of the fortifications and the closest point to the harbour. Its walls measure 4 metres thick. It has had a varied history, including being a prison but it now houses a museum.
One of famous hotels in the old town is called The Three Sisters hotel. The hotel was originally three adjoining merchant houses that were converted into a luxury hotel. The houses were built in 1362 and the the hotel is proud to have hosted lots of dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II. From the outside, the hotel didn't look big enough to have rooms the size that the Queen would stay in. Maybe she had a whole floor of rooms to herself, when she stayed there! Along the same street we saw some attractive buildings which have been well preserved.
We briefly saw St Olav's Church but were unceremoniously shut out just as a bride arrived for her wedding! We will have to go back again some other time.
