Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68FOCUS - DECEMBER 2016 63 There are numerous cafés in the old part of Tallinn. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of destinations to visit when travelling around the globe. Safety is- sues are becoming more of a concern than in the past, but there are still many fantastic locales to holiday. I recently returned from a trip to the Baltics and must admit that Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is one not to miss. Fortunately it is also a favourite cruise destination, but if you do make the visit by ship, make sure you allow at least two, preferably three days for your visit. Many people wander through a few of the old streets and think they have seen the entire city, but that is cer- tainly not the case. There is much more to explore in this former Soviet Union seaport. I was fortunate to be able to visit for the better part of a week and stayed in the Telegraaf Hotel, located in the old town. The building dates back to the 1870s, but has been recently renovated into a fantastic five star property. Best of all, the prices in this part of the world are about half of those of Western Europe, and certainly less than what we are used to in the GTA. Many of you may be interested in his- tory and Tallinn is certainly not without it. This capital city of Estonia is situated on the Baltic Sea, an ideal location both politically and commercially. Tallinn was founded in 1248, but the earliest human settlements are over 5,000 years old, making it one of the oldest capital cities of Northern Europe. Due to its strategic location, the city became a major trade hub, especially from the 14th to the 16th century. Occupation bounced back and forth between the Germans (mostly as a trade centre) and Danes, who had al- ways considered it theirs. The Soviets occupied the region for a year prior to World War II and the Nazis took it over until it was severely bombed in 1944. It then reverted to Soviet occupation until 1991, when the fall of communism of- fered a democratic existence, which has made the country prosperous. Today’s population of 450,000 is approximately 32% of Estonia’s total population. Tallinn’s Old Town is one of the best A Visit to Tallinn is a Step Back in Time A Visit to Tallinn is a Step Back in Time ...................... Please turn to page 64