The wonderful island of Saaremaa

Now I’m trying to something exciting to combat boredom and get rid of endless thoughts about the upcoming challenges upon my arrival to Moscow. So, Mustafa and I went to Saaremaa, an island in the Baltic Sea last weekend. The point is that we had no idea where we would stay, but we had a small tent though.

Saturday

We met at 6:30 AM and took a bust to BussiJaam, Tallinn’s main bus station. It takes 4 hours to go to Kurasaare, the capital of Saaremaa, but as you cross the sea during the trip, time goes fast. So, our bus drove into the ship and we went to an upper deck. The wind was very strong and the sun was bright. We were standing on the edge observing wind mills rotating on the shore. The bulk of passengers were Finnish people who took advantage of low prices in the neighboring, but “wild” Estonia.

The first thing we did in Kuresaare was purchasing a very expensive map. We regretted it then, as got the second one for free in the Tourist Center. There we learned about a garden to put our tent in, but we had initially planned to put it somewhere in the forest or beach. The garden was teaming with flowers and fruit trees! Moreover, toilet facilities were included in the fee. The owner, who could speak Russian, was very kind and careless.

We rented bikes from the same place and went conquering Kuresaare. It’s a small town with well-cared individual houses. Its main attraction is the medieval castle surrounded by a lake and centuries-old oak trees. So, it was no surprise to meet Carlos and Gertrude kissing in such a nice place. Our next destination was a medieval German cemetery. It was very unusual to walk among old, but well-preserves tombs and vaults. Yes, we all aren’t eternal… Then we wanted to visit meteorite craters, but “No cycling” sign stopped us.

In the garden we met very good neighbors, who were much crazier than us. The first couple had been cycling all over Estonia for 2 weeks. He was Dutch, and she was Czech, but both were hydrologists. It was interesting to know how huge stones had found themselves in the flat land of Estonia. Actually, they have been brought here by ice smashing this area some 10 thousand years ago. The other neighbors were 2 Belgian guys determined to travel around the world for 1 year. And they are going to travel from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok in autumn!

Sunday

We decided to spend the next day on the sea. So, after having breakfast on the grass, we headed for Mundlaja with its good sand beaches. Estonian countryside is so nice! Pine trees and birch wood, neat houses and bridges, road signs and facilities everywhere… In spite of the last fact, we turned to a wrong road and found ourselves in rush. So, we went back to the main road jumping with every stone, which has caused much pain in where your legs begin. Finally we got through the forest to find an amazing sand beach, but it was private property though. Anyway, we climbed over the fence and hided our bikes in the bushes.

Monday

Yesterday was Re-Independence Day for Estonia or just an additional day-off for us. Of course, we took our time to sleep and went to the city center only in the afternoon. There were few people celebrating anything, as the majority might have left for their summer houses. Moreover, most of the songs performed on Rajekola Plats, Tallinn’s main square were in very good English. I had goose bumps while listening to Queen’s “Show must go on!” in the middle of the square. Having drunk my favorite Krusovice Dark, we walked to Pirita Beach to get additional tan. Yachts and motorbikes, skaters and cyclists, pine trees and sand – I like this place. And we finished the day with Ankur, who is always good to speak about geopolitics, Koran, Mahabharata, etc.