Did a nice weekend trip to one of the islands here in the Baltic Sea, and discovered that it is quite possible to get away from the everyday hassles even without going too far away.
The islands is one place we always recommend to other travellers coming to Estonia, because the nature and living is so much different from the rest, and so special, that one just has to go there and experience it all. All those old farmhouses, rocky coast and the very best of the islands - the junipers, create an unforgettable atmosphere that just keeps on seeping into your longings.
The sky before we left.
So when the weather forecast was favourable for a weekend trip, we quickly packed our things. There was much less stuff than "normally" (still seeing the big trip as a reference point…). Instead of taking the first aid kit complete with loperamide tablets and malaria self-test, we only grabbed a pack of band-aids. The bagful of different chargers and adaptors was omitted completely, as well as the multiple spares that we used to carry with us just in case. As it is supposed to be summer here, the heated jackets were left behind, just as the rain gear - the new Rukka riding gear that we won through the longest bike trip contest here in Estonia (not much competition, good for us!) comes with goretex sewn in, so no water should come through. Eventually, the packing was light and airy and we enjoyed the fact immensely - we even had managed to squeeze (an overstatement!) the sleeping bags and mattresses into the panniers instead of the roll bag that was now hanging there almost empty. "Travelling light" had just acquired a new meaning for us
Ferry to Saaremaa.
It took us three hours to get to the ferry (Tartu is a fair bit inland), and after another hald an hour we were already on the island of Muhu that is connected to the island of Saaremaa, the biggest island in the Baltic Sea.
Touchdown to Saaremaa island.
Just as we had recommended to others, we stayed at one of the numerous State Forest Management Centre camp sites, which are otherwise quite fantastic with prepared fire pits, fire wood and even pit toilets with toilet paper (and completely free of charge!), but since it is holiday time, it was somewhat crowded (to put things into perspective, places tend to feel "crowded" for Estonians when they can see other people around, does not matter how little or many). We managed to settle a little bit away from others, and it was actually quite OK.
View over the dwilight Baltic Sea.
We pitched the tent and lit the fire, which was a little bit of hassle because there had been rain and the wood was a little damp, but it all was a pleasure, almost like meditation. Pitching the tent brought back so many emotions - we'd been doing that in so many places and under so many circumstances - say, next to a canyon in Oman, or in a dry river bed in the hot and humid Panama, and it had always been a refuge for us, weary travellers. It always felt warm and safe inside.
Get the campfire going.
There was no reason to think about safety in Saaremaa, so we could just indulge in the atmosphere. Just a few steps from our tent, there was the beach, with the waters unusually calm under the still sky, enhacing the sense of peace.
Rocks in the sea.
Panorama from the dwilight (click to enlarge).
The same place in the morning (click to enlarge)
Riding less ridden Saaremaa tracks - there's loads of 'em.
Distance posts in Saaremaa.
Trails following the coastline...
...and going into the island and its forests.
Bellflower.
The next day, we played tourists for a while, taking a detour to the famous wind mills in Angla, and the Panga cliff, but those were full with tourists, so we skipped the third main attraction of Saaremaa, which is the meteorite crater at Kaali. We'd seen this little hole with some water on the bottom before and it had been enough.
Windmills in Angla.
Some are in very good shape.
Tourists on Panga bank.
So we just rode around where the road and tracks took us, and enjoyed the nature. There were lots of blueberries, wild raspberries and even some lingonberries to be found, but they made us hungry and as we browsed the larger villages of the north, we were disappointed to discover there wasn't really a place to eat. Of course, we had out cooming kit with us, but since we had cooked ourselves for breakfast, and had that in mind for the supper as well, we wanted to eat out for a change. So we had no other choice but to get ourselves to Kuressaare, which is kind of the island's capital right in the south of the island. Loads of restaurants there, and in the end of the day, the island is not so big so you can do those thirty or fourty kilometers to there from where ever you are. Sad we have all those regulations that do not allow some nice grandma to serve home made cooking on her doorstep - it would be wonderful, no doubt.
Castle in Kuressaare, capital of the island. Built in 11th century.
Architecture in Kuressaare town.
Time to make a plan where to head next.
Some nice tracks were ahead.
Butterfly.
Has been windmill?
Saaremaa is also the birthplace of Gottlieb Bellingshausen one of my heroes, the discoverer of Antarctica. No wonder the island inspired him to travel.
We pushed ahead on small tracks trying to probe the less travelled places on the island.
Some funky bug.
Bomb shelters from Soviet era Cold War. They had over 1 meter thick concrete walls and doors. Well camoflaged so you don't spot them so easily from sattelite spying.
There were lots of abandoned military buildings in the area. This seemed like some officers hall (click to enlarge).
Panorama from the coastal rocky trails (click to enlarge)
Time to make an oldschool analog photo (you really don't need this for digital :lol3 )
For the second night we decided to skip the forest management sites and found ourselves a nice spot in the bush right on the rocky coast where we could grill some sausages, drink some beer and enjoy the views in the solitude.
Our camping spot in the bush.
And some local food for the evening.
Got nice views (click to enlarge).
...::: LISTEN the sound from the same spot :::...
Panorama from the sunset (click to enlarge).
Few moments later (click to enlarge).
The last red.
Fading reds and growing blues of the Moonrise (click to enlarge).
Moonrise.
We have a tendency to listen the radio signals in the middle of nowhere. In the evening we picked up some radio communications with our small world radio from UK, Italy and Portugal. Distance wise it's not much though, our record was in Mozambique, when we heard South African talking to another amateur radioist from Moldova. Pretty impressive to pick it up with a device that almost fits into your pocket.
The next day it was already time to look towards home again, so after a few deviations we were back on the ferry to the mainland, and riding the three hours back home. Not a bad weekender at all!
Some more decent trails in Saaremaa.
Time for a swim in the Baltic Sea.
And head on the ferry. Good bye Saaremaa.
And the storm was approaching...
Ride safe,
Margus & Kariina
The islands is one place we always recommend to other travellers coming to Estonia, because the nature and living is so much different from the rest, and so special, that one just has to go there and experience it all. All those old farmhouses, rocky coast and the very best of the islands - the junipers, create an unforgettable atmosphere that just keeps on seeping into your longings.
The sky before we left.
So when the weather forecast was favourable for a weekend trip, we quickly packed our things. There was much less stuff than "normally" (still seeing the big trip as a reference point…). Instead of taking the first aid kit complete with loperamide tablets and malaria self-test, we only grabbed a pack of band-aids. The bagful of different chargers and adaptors was omitted completely, as well as the multiple spares that we used to carry with us just in case. As it is supposed to be summer here, the heated jackets were left behind, just as the rain gear - the new Rukka riding gear that we won through the longest bike trip contest here in Estonia (not much competition, good for us!) comes with goretex sewn in, so no water should come through. Eventually, the packing was light and airy and we enjoyed the fact immensely - we even had managed to squeeze (an overstatement!) the sleeping bags and mattresses into the panniers instead of the roll bag that was now hanging there almost empty. "Travelling light" had just acquired a new meaning for us
Ferry to Saaremaa.
It took us three hours to get to the ferry (Tartu is a fair bit inland), and after another hald an hour we were already on the island of Muhu that is connected to the island of Saaremaa, the biggest island in the Baltic Sea.
Touchdown to Saaremaa island.
Just as we had recommended to others, we stayed at one of the numerous State Forest Management Centre camp sites, which are otherwise quite fantastic with prepared fire pits, fire wood and even pit toilets with toilet paper (and completely free of charge!), but since it is holiday time, it was somewhat crowded (to put things into perspective, places tend to feel "crowded" for Estonians when they can see other people around, does not matter how little or many). We managed to settle a little bit away from others, and it was actually quite OK.
View over the dwilight Baltic Sea.
We pitched the tent and lit the fire, which was a little bit of hassle because there had been rain and the wood was a little damp, but it all was a pleasure, almost like meditation. Pitching the tent brought back so many emotions - we'd been doing that in so many places and under so many circumstances - say, next to a canyon in Oman, or in a dry river bed in the hot and humid Panama, and it had always been a refuge for us, weary travellers. It always felt warm and safe inside.
Get the campfire going.
There was no reason to think about safety in Saaremaa, so we could just indulge in the atmosphere. Just a few steps from our tent, there was the beach, with the waters unusually calm under the still sky, enhacing the sense of peace.
Rocks in the sea.
Panorama from the dwilight (click to enlarge).
The same place in the morning (click to enlarge)
Riding less ridden Saaremaa tracks - there's loads of 'em.
Distance posts in Saaremaa.
Trails following the coastline...
...and going into the island and its forests.
Bellflower.
The next day, we played tourists for a while, taking a detour to the famous wind mills in Angla, and the Panga cliff, but those were full with tourists, so we skipped the third main attraction of Saaremaa, which is the meteorite crater at Kaali. We'd seen this little hole with some water on the bottom before and it had been enough.
Windmills in Angla.
Some are in very good shape.
Tourists on Panga bank.
So we just rode around where the road and tracks took us, and enjoyed the nature. There were lots of blueberries, wild raspberries and even some lingonberries to be found, but they made us hungry and as we browsed the larger villages of the north, we were disappointed to discover there wasn't really a place to eat. Of course, we had out cooming kit with us, but since we had cooked ourselves for breakfast, and had that in mind for the supper as well, we wanted to eat out for a change. So we had no other choice but to get ourselves to Kuressaare, which is kind of the island's capital right in the south of the island. Loads of restaurants there, and in the end of the day, the island is not so big so you can do those thirty or fourty kilometers to there from where ever you are. Sad we have all those regulations that do not allow some nice grandma to serve home made cooking on her doorstep - it would be wonderful, no doubt.
Castle in Kuressaare, capital of the island. Built in 11th century.
Architecture in Kuressaare town.
Time to make a plan where to head next.
Some nice tracks were ahead.
Butterfly.
Has been windmill?
Saaremaa is also the birthplace of Gottlieb Bellingshausen one of my heroes, the discoverer of Antarctica. No wonder the island inspired him to travel.
We pushed ahead on small tracks trying to probe the less travelled places on the island.
Some funky bug.
Bomb shelters from Soviet era Cold War. They had over 1 meter thick concrete walls and doors. Well camoflaged so you don't spot them so easily from sattelite spying.
There were lots of abandoned military buildings in the area. This seemed like some officers hall (click to enlarge).
Panorama from the coastal rocky trails (click to enlarge)
Time to make an oldschool analog photo (you really don't need this for digital :lol3 )
For the second night we decided to skip the forest management sites and found ourselves a nice spot in the bush right on the rocky coast where we could grill some sausages, drink some beer and enjoy the views in the solitude.
Our camping spot in the bush.
And some local food for the evening.
Got nice views (click to enlarge).
...::: LISTEN the sound from the same spot :::...
Panorama from the sunset (click to enlarge).
Few moments later (click to enlarge).
The last red.
Fading reds and growing blues of the Moonrise (click to enlarge).
Moonrise.
We have a tendency to listen the radio signals in the middle of nowhere. In the evening we picked up some radio communications with our small world radio from UK, Italy and Portugal. Distance wise it's not much though, our record was in Mozambique, when we heard South African talking to another amateur radioist from Moldova. Pretty impressive to pick it up with a device that almost fits into your pocket.
The next day it was already time to look towards home again, so after a few deviations we were back on the ferry to the mainland, and riding the three hours back home. Not a bad weekender at all!
Some more decent trails in Saaremaa.
Time for a swim in the Baltic Sea.
And head on the ferry. Good bye Saaremaa.
And the storm was approaching...
Ride safe,
Margus & Kariina
