We loaded the dogs into the Jeep and had lunch at the Fisherman's Wharf. Later we did a short local tour. These people are swimming in the pools even while big waves crash over the rocks and cause surges in the water.
Our cabin may have been tiny but the beds were comfortable and the buffet breakfast was passable. There was mass queuing to get off the ship but once out of the terminal building we easily caught a taxi to our Radisson Blu hotel just in time to miss a downpour. At the hotel we initially thought our clothes and luggage stank of cigarette smoke from the ferry. While smoking was banned in cabins and other inside areas of the ship, we could smell smoke everywhere. It now seems not to be our gear causing the smell but someone smoking in this non smoking hotel! When we contacted management about it they at least came to our room and agreed there is a smell of cigarettes smoke, and said they would investigate. The European Choir Games are taking place in Riga and we can hear a choir performing in the park across the road. This is a new hotel with air conditioning but there is a narrow floor to ceiling window that can be opened to let in fresh air, and which also allows us to hear the choir....
With six cruise ships in Tallinn on the same day the streets were crowded with tour groups. The port is walking distance to the town but we were transported by bus. The benefit of this was being dropped off in the high part of town so we only had to walk downhill to rejoin the bus at a different location. Walking on the cobblestone streets can be challenging. Cruise ship tour groups are issued with individual devices which allow each person to hear the tour guide through an earpiece. Our guide had a sensible approach to counting everyone in the group to make sure no-one had accidentally wandered off or become lost in the crowds - she simply got us all to raise an arm until each person had been counted. Our ship is second from the left.
Strong winds blew all day. Anita and 4 other women were booked on a fishing trip at 7.30 am. I was very concerned about their safety especially after I saw how small the boat was - they came back safely but only after a rough trip back through big waves. Of course fishing was not successful in those conditions. We had lunch at one of the hotels in town and sat with Beccy and Libby and 2 of their "staff". This is a seafood town and the pub offered good options. I went on a tour to a quandong "farm" and an oyster farm. Quandongs are native fruit and the 85 year old woman offering morning teas did a roaring trade from our group. Tonight our concert was fabulous - Beccy, Libby, Kelly Brouhaha and Taylor Pfeiffer had a jam session (that's Taylor in the pic with Beccy). Their musical skills are such they can join in with each other's songs, even when they had no set list and didn't know what songs were to be sung. Beccy asked Taylor to join her on stage in Tam...
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