Estonia

Marg at Herman Fortress, Narva, Estonia

After crossing the border from Russia into Estonia, we stopped at Narva, Estonia’s easternmost city and 3rd largest. On the way, we visited the 13th century Hermann Fortress as we’d heard that it’s one of the best preserved fortress castles in Estonia. 

Now-days, it houses the city museum and we found it all quite impressive.

Wandering around Narva, we discovered a good campsite for the night. It was part of a hotel, and we found a lovely parking spot there, on thick grass overlooking a lake. We did some washing, slept well, and decided it was great place to chill out before heading further into Estonia. 

Sillamäe beach, Estonia

A few days later, we drove to Narva-Jõesuu, on the Gulf of Finland. However, we were moved on by the parking warden for not displaying a parking-time ticket (!!), so we drove on around the coast to Sillamäe beach. Then we learned that a uranium mine that fed Russia’s nuclear energy is leaking radioactive material into the sea here.

Interestingly, it didn't stop the locals from swimming! 

We’d read that, since 1991 when Estonia gained its independence from Russia, it has become a developed, high-income country with its own identity. However, in Sillamäe, we spotted a lot of run-down austere buildings dating back to the Soviet period. 

Leigh and the thatched net sheds, Altja fishing village, Estonia

Our next stop was at Valaste to view the highest waterfall in Estonia….... which seemed to have dried up. Then, staying with the coast, we drove on to the small fishing village of Altja where we found a group of fishermen’s cottages and net sheds, on a small strip of sandy beach. 

They seemed to have recently had their thatched roofs restored and were quite lovely, standing like sentinels and proudly showing their historic past.

Altja is in the Lahemaa National Park and we were planning to spend the night there. However, we couldn’t find a camping ground so continued on around the coast. 

A bit later, we spotted a camping sign and found Camping Lepispea in Võsu, and settled in there.

Around 8:00 pm on an “Erratic boulder” near Käsmu, Estonia

That evening, during a walk to nearby Käsmu, we discovered some huge rocks on the seashore and climbed them to sit and watch the water. 

We learned that they are “erratic boulders” (large boulders in very random places) which were pushed across from Finland, during the last ice age. 

Apparently, the seashore throughout the Lahemaa Park, is quite stony and has many such rocks.

Meanwhile, Camping Lepispea turned out to be a very lovely campsite, being just off the water’s edge with good facilities. 

We stayed a while, enjoying the sunny weather and chatting about travel to the Austrian couple next door.

Beach, boats and rocks at Käsmu, Estonia

We walked along the coast several times getting to restaurants at Käsmu and Võsu, and saw lots of beach, boats and rocks.

The weather was lovely with long sunny days, but the nights were short and cool. This far north, the sun doesn’t set until around 11 pm and rises around 3 am – it’s called the “white nights” period. 

By the time we reached this area, Vanni had covered 40,000 kilometres and was due for a service.

Ivica, the campground owner, helpfully organised a service for us at a garage in Rakvere (about 35 km away). Much cheaper that Tallinn, she said! 

Leigh at Rakvere castle, Estonia

So we drove to Rakvere, left Vanni at the garage, and cycled toward the centre of Rakvere town to explore. On the way, we discovered a wonderful medieval castle of the Teutonic knights where we had a great time.

The castle staff were all dressed in period costume and seemed to really enjoy it. 

We had medieval style food for lunch, then tried out swords of the era. We ended our visit at the torture chamber which was run by a very enthusiastic young woman who was right into her medieval role! 

Rakvere town has some attractive old wooden decorative houses similar to those we had seen in other Baltic states and parts of Russia. It was an interesting place. 

Marg with the Auroch statue in Rakvere, Estonia

While there, we found a huge sculpture of an “Auroch” or wild ox, that has massive horns spanning around 3 metres. This impressive creature has been extinct since 1627 and the statue aims to remind people of its existence. 

It stands on a very prominent hill looking quite imposing, and is considered to be the largest animal statue in the Baltic countries. It is also the town symbol, and we saw children lining up to pat it.

After cycling around and sightseeing in Rakvere, we collected Vanni after her service, and she drove purringly well. We headed inland the next day to explore central Estonia. 

Jõuluvana’s (Santa Claus’s) post office, Jõgeva, Estonia

Our first stop was at Jõgeva - the headquarters of the Estonian Santa Claus Jõuluvana, and Jõuluvana’s post office. Sadly, it was closed! We got the photo but that was all! 

Our next stop was in Paide, a pretty town which is considered the centre of Estonia, and which has as an interesting medieval castle ruin. Paide is named after the local limestone, for which it is famous.

Moving back to the coast, our next stop was Tallinn, Estonia’s capital. We found a campsite at the local boat harbour and parked where we had a great view of the boats and the water. 

The next day, we rode along the seaside cycle route into Tallin. Once there, we found a place to park the bikes then walked around to explore.

Marg in the main square, the Raekoja plats, Tallinn, Estonia

We soon found the Raekoja plats, the main square of Tallinn’s old town. It is home to historic merchants’ houses, cafés and restaurants, and the Tallinn Town Hall, which is the oldest in the Baltic countries.

  

After admiring the Gothic architecture of the square, we walked around the alleyways seeing the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Kanuti, St Olav’s and Mustpeade maja guild houses, and visiting some interesting museums.

Lining the surrounding streets, we saw more attractive Gothic guild houses which are now used as museums, cafes and hotels. A favourite was the three leaning against each other called the 3-Sisters.

Leigh at St. Catherine's Passage, Tallinn, Estonia 

We had a wonderful time wandering around the winding old streets, and loved some of the tiny passage-ways such as St Catherine’s Passage, a hidden small walkway near the ancient and fascinating Dominican Monastery.

By now, it was lunchtime, but we picked the worst restaurant in town! We waited 45 minutes then Leigh’s soup was served but Marg’s wasn’t, despite being the same meal ordered at the same time. After another 20 minutes there was still no food. 

So Leigh arranged to get our money back and we found another restaurant with good food and service. 

Setting off to explore again, we visited the medieval city walls and gates, before cycling back to camp.

Leigh and Toompea Castle towers, Tallinn, Estonia

We rode back into the historic centre the next day and discovered a whole different area. Above the old town was Toompea Castle, wrapped in ancient stone walls and towers.

Toompea was the historic hilltop stronghold of the German knights and bishops who controlled the city during the Middle Ages. It is now the seat of Parliament of the Republic of Estonia. 

There are several parts to it and we saw as much as we could, particularly enjoying the medieval stone tower called Tall Herman, and the stunning Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its onion-domed roofline. 

Leaving there, we walked to Freedom Square, where we had lunch.

Rooflines of Tallinn, Estonia

Later, we walked part of the city wall which gave us a great view of the red roofs, spires, and gables of this interesting and vibrant city.

Tallinn is known as the best protected and intact medieval city in Northern Europe, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - we could see why!

Most of the old town is pedestrianized, and the jumble of little streets, cobblestone alleys, and medieval churches all contribute to its character. 

The next morning, we headed off to catch a ferry to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, but we’ll write about that in a separate blog on Finland.

Marg beside Haapsalu castle’s haunted tower, Estonia

Arriving back into Tallinn after a few days in Helsinki, we drove to Haapsalu in Estonia, and visited its castle. It is supposedly haunted by a white lady who can be seen during a full moon in August. We didn't see the ghost, but were there in July, so who knows!

The town is a 13th century seaside resort, famous for its spas and warm sea water. It’s a picturesque old town with narrow streets, plenty of attractive wooden houses, and a wonderful café-culture.

After seeing the town, historic fishermen’s cottages, the lovely beaches, and some hand-woven lace shawls for which Haapsalu is famous, we drove on to Virtsu to catch a car ferry to Muhu Island.

Marg and a thatched cottage in Koguva, Estonia

A quick 25 minute ride later, the ferry docked on Mahu. Then we drove to the village of Koguva to see its ancient thatched houses built of dry stone walls, and logs put together without nails.

Located at the top western corner of Mahu, Koguva consists of about 100 buildings dating from 1880-1930, that house around 30 people. It is known as the best-preserved village grouping in Estonia. We found it very interesting.

Leaving Muhu, we drove over a causeway to Saaremaa Island, the largest island of Estonia, which has been inhabited for around 8,000 years. 

Leigh and the historic windmills of Angla, Saaremaa Island, Estonia

Our first stop was Angla where we saw some ancient windmills. This is the last remaining group of traditional wooden windmills that apparently once covered the whole island.

Nearby, we found Karja Church, Saaremaa's smallest. This church is famous for the richness of its medieval stone sculpture decorations, frescoes, and symbols, many of pagan origin.

Our next stop was the Kaali Meteorite craters, a group of nine craters made by a falling meteorite over 7,500 years ago. It created huge damage that has been compared to an atomic bomb explosion. 

The main crater is an impressive 110 metres in diameter and 22 metres deep. It is full of water and known as Lake Kaali. The bottom sediment layers are about six meters thick and up to 4 000 years old.

Marg in Kuressaare on Saaremaa Island, Estonia

By the end of the day, we had reached Kuressaare, the capital of Saaremaa Island with a population of around 15,000. It is a lovely village full of old wooden houses and shops, and cobbled streets all focussed on the sea.

We stayed out of town in Tehumardi and caught the bus into Kuressaare

We had tea in town one night, but unfortunately missed the last bus back to Tehumardi at 8 pm – we were available on time but waiting at the wrong stop - so we had to get a taxi back for 20 euro – ouch!!!

We enjoyed Kuressaare and the local sights.

Marg at Kuressaare Fortress, on Saaremaa Island, Estonia

This includes its 13th century Episcopal castle, the only Baltic medieval fortress preserved in its entirety, a lovely Baroque town hall, and several heritage buildings.

We loved our time there and went for several cycle rides around the area that included seeing a local monument to WWII standing at 21 meters high. We also enjoyed a ride around the back roads to the tiny settlement of Lomala Harbour. We visited their visitor centre and saw a display on the history of fishing in the area. It was very interesting.

A few days later, we drove back to Mahu Island to catch the ferry back to Virtsu, then we moved on to Pärnu.

A street in Pärnu, Estonia

Pärnu is a lovely seaside resort city, sitting on the Pärnu River, and with a small harbour. We drove in, found parking, then walked 800 metres into this vibrant little town with its many restaurants, cafes, galleries and attractive architecture. 

It was different to most of the other towns we had seen in Estonia (apart from Tallinn).  

We also went down to the beach. It was extremely crowded, but had clean water and pristine white sands that seemed to stretch forever along the Gulf of Riga. 

We walked around for ages enjoying the town centre, its several churches, and other sights such as the King’s Gates.

Leaving Pärnu, we drove down the western coast of Estonia to Tūja on the western coast of Latvia. We had enjoyed our time in Estonia. It seemed to have come a long way since its Soviet days, but, although the people were very friendly, they seemed cautious and reticent. 

Our next stop will be in Latvia again. 

This blog describes part of our 6-month motorhome trip around northern and eastern Europe, which began in Prague.