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Old Thomas / Vana Toomas Traditional Geocache

Hidden : 9/14/2009
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Tallinn has an easy cache right in the heart of Old Town, just behind Town Hall, where all the tourists come to wonder. As this is one of the most crowded areas, the mugglers are around or around the corner all the time. PLEASE BE MOST CAREFUL when removing or placing the cache back! TAKE A PEN WITH YOU as it goes missing all the time.
Your GPS receiver will not probably show good enough coordinates here. Cache coordinates are taken from ortophoto of Estonian Land Board - see added picture for exact location.

Old Thomas (in Estonian Vana Toomas) is one of the symbols and guardian of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. A weather vane, the figure of an old warrior called Old Thomas was put on top of the spire of Tallinn Town Hall in 1530.
According to the legend, the real life model for the weather vane was a peasant boy, who excelled at the springtime parrot shooting contests involving firing crossbow bolts at a painted wooden bird on top of a pole, organized by Tallinn's Baltic German elite at the time. Unable to receive a prize owing due to his low-born status, Toomas was rewarded with the job of town guard for life.
Subsequently immortalized in copper, Toomas continues to watch over Tallinn and its citizens. In 1944 Old Thomas was hit at the time of the March bombardment. The burnt spire was reconstructed and a new copy of Old Thomas erected in 1952. In 1996 the spire was renovated and the third Old Thomas figure was put to guard Tallinn. The original weather vane is kept inside the Town Hall and the one erected in 1952 is shown at the Tallinn City Museum. Source: (visit link)

Once again - PLEASE BE MOST CAREFUL when removing or placing the cache back! Enjoy your visit! :-)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Enrxbwn Fgerrg, oynpx zrgny, arne gur tebhaq, hafrra ol gur rlr. Gvzr gb gvr fubrynprf :-)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)