Saaremaa

I've been a bit slack with my posting of late, so this one is actually about something that happened a while ago. Sirli organises a trip for all of the International Students where she studies to a place called Saaremaa, which is Estonia's biggest Island, lying just of the west coast of the mainland.

Saaremaa has a pretty small population, even by Estonian standards. It's mostly just forests, lakes and empty space. being an Island it also has plenty of great ocean views. Some of these coastal areas were the final defensive point for both the Soviet and Nazi armies when they were trading occupation of Estonia. You can still see the remnants of Military structures such as bunkers all over the place.


Further back in history Saaremaa was also an important political/military location. As a result there is a fantastic castle in Kuresaare, the main town on Saaremaa. Kuresaare is now a big spa town, and a really popular holiday spot for Estonians, and increasingly for foreigners. The town is extremely beautiful, and very well maintained, which sets it apart from the rest of Estonia. It's a great example of the power of tourism to improve the aesthetics of a place. It really feels more like Scandinavia than Estonia.

I'll put some more photos up on my Flickr page.