We rented a car on Thursday and ventured outside of Tallinn into the north western section of Estonia. The west coast of Estonia encompasses forest-covered islands, verdant country and seaside villages slumbering beneath the shadows of picturesque medieval castles. Haapsalu was our final destination before returning back to Tallinn late in the afternoon. Estonia’s countryside is stunningly unspoiled. Estonia is the smallest but some say the most scenic of the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania & Estonia. The country is famed for its enormous forests, beautiful wetlands and remote offshore islands. While Tallinn seems to have built over the scars of the Soviet years, there are still deteriorated stone structures scattered throughout the countryside that reminded us of what it might be like during the Soviet years.
What really surprised us was the lack of farming in the northwest section of the country. Occasionally, we would see a group of cows but that was about it. There were vast, uncultivated grassy acres of land mostly without any farmhouses or barns. Estonia being sparsely populated, had endless miles of coniferous forest. Nearly half of the country is covered with lush green forests and lake lands. Very occasionally we spotted a few wooden houses painted dandelion gold with brown trim scattered along the the countryside. After our driving tour here, we read that Estonians like privacy and space. Homes build in the countryside are deliberately built far apart from each other. Estonians prefer to keep a low key existence and frown upon pretense. Lesley’s father, who was very quiet, unpretentious and reserved certainly lived up to this fact!
Our first stop was Keila-Joa Park area which is home to the second largest waterfall in Estonia. While the waterfall wasn’t exactly spectacular compared to the waterfalls of the Swiss Alps, the Neo-Gothic Keila-Joa Manor Estate was quite picturesque and was built when the Baltic Germans ruled as land barons. We continued on to Paldiski which is a small coastal town with a long, colorful history. Paldiski was a former key Soviet Union submarine base. The town was very grim and ugly with numerous old soviet-looking apartment buildings that are still being occupied. We drove down a road with abandoned buildings which appeared to be former military installations and finally came to an old lighthouse along the ocean. The landscape along this stretch of coastline is stark and haunting. The views of the Baltic Sea from the coastal cliffs were nice; however, the surrounding “soviet ruins” were not so nice. Needless to say, we were anxious to leave this town!
It was lunch time and there were no restaurants in Paldiski, other than a small pizza parlor. We decided to take our chances with finding a restaurant at Padise Abbey about 20 minutes away. Padise Abbey is a former monastery settled in the 1300’s, converted into a fortress in the 1500s and later used a a country house. The medieval monastery ruins are now used as a museum and offers a fascinating glimpse of another age. We had a fantastic lunch on the terrace of the Padise Manor which is a lovely renovated manor/hotel adjacent to the monastery.
We headed to Haapsalu to meet another relative, Lelet and bring her back to Tallinn with us for our big Friday night celebration. Lelet gave us a wonderful tour of Haapsalu. She resides on the Estonian Island of Hiiumaa right off the coast of Haapsalu. Haapsalu, a seaside resort town on the west coast of Estonia, was once a resort for 19th-century Russina aristocrats. It is known for its warm seawater and curative mud. Salt mud spas still operate in this tiny, quaint town. A bit rough around the edges, Haapsalu’s “Old Town” is more rustic than urban with wooden houses set back from the narrow streets, a few outdoor cafes and a slender promenade skirting the bay. The bayside reminded us of Cape Cod. The town’s biggest attraction is the striking Bishop’s Castle; as, it is one of the best preserved castles in Estonia. Lelet told us that there is a legend that every August full moon, if you look closely at a particular window of the castle, there will be a ghostly figure of a White Lady – a consequence of her being buried alive in the walls of the castle for falling in love with one of the priests who lived there!
On Friday night, we met “the family” and had a beautiful dinner at a spectacular restaurant overlooking the Tallinn harbor. It was so exciting for Lesley to finally meet her relatives. They were so warm and friendly; we, felt like we had known them our whole lives. Tomorrow we are all heading to the Lahemaa National Park area for a visit. We are so delighted that Lelet and Kati put together a wonderful weekend for us.
What really surprised us was the lack of farming in the northwest section of the country. Occasionally, we would see a group of cows but that was about it. There were vast, uncultivated grassy acres of land mostly without any farmhouses or barns. Estonia being sparsely populated, had endless miles of coniferous forest. Nearly half of the country is covered with lush green forests and lake lands. Very occasionally we spotted a few wooden houses painted dandelion gold with brown trim scattered along the the countryside. After our driving tour here, we read that Estonians like privacy and space. Homes build in the countryside are deliberately built far apart from each other. Estonians prefer to keep a low key existence and frown upon pretense. Lesley’s father, who was very quiet, unpretentious and reserved certainly lived up to this fact!
Our first stop was Keila-Joa Park area which is home to the second largest waterfall in Estonia. While the waterfall wasn’t exactly spectacular compared to the waterfalls of the Swiss Alps, the Neo-Gothic Keila-Joa Manor Estate was quite picturesque and was built when the Baltic Germans ruled as land barons. We continued on to Paldiski which is a small coastal town with a long, colorful history. Paldiski was a former key Soviet Union submarine base. The town was very grim and ugly with numerous old soviet-looking apartment buildings that are still being occupied. We drove down a road with abandoned buildings which appeared to be former military installations and finally came to an old lighthouse along the ocean. The landscape along this stretch of coastline is stark and haunting. The views of the Baltic Sea from the coastal cliffs were nice; however, the surrounding “soviet ruins” were not so nice. Needless to say, we were anxious to leave this town!
It was lunch time and there were no restaurants in Paldiski, other than a small pizza parlor. We decided to take our chances with finding a restaurant at Padise Abbey about 20 minutes away. Padise Abbey is a former monastery settled in the 1300’s, converted into a fortress in the 1500s and later used a a country house. The medieval monastery ruins are now used as a museum and offers a fascinating glimpse of another age. We had a fantastic lunch on the terrace of the Padise Manor which is a lovely renovated manor/hotel adjacent to the monastery.
We headed to Haapsalu to meet another relative, Lelet and bring her back to Tallinn with us for our big Friday night celebration. Lelet gave us a wonderful tour of Haapsalu. She resides on the Estonian Island of Hiiumaa right off the coast of Haapsalu. Haapsalu, a seaside resort town on the west coast of Estonia, was once a resort for 19th-century Russina aristocrats. It is known for its warm seawater and curative mud. Salt mud spas still operate in this tiny, quaint town. A bit rough around the edges, Haapsalu’s “Old Town” is more rustic than urban with wooden houses set back from the narrow streets, a few outdoor cafes and a slender promenade skirting the bay. The bayside reminded us of Cape Cod. The town’s biggest attraction is the striking Bishop’s Castle; as, it is one of the best preserved castles in Estonia. Lelet told us that there is a legend that every August full moon, if you look closely at a particular window of the castle, there will be a ghostly figure of a White Lady – a consequence of her being buried alive in the walls of the castle for falling in love with one of the priests who lived there!
On Friday night, we met “the family” and had a beautiful dinner at a spectacular restaurant overlooking the Tallinn harbor. It was so exciting for Lesley to finally meet her relatives. They were so warm and friendly; we, felt like we had known them our whole lives. Tomorrow we are all heading to the Lahemaa National Park area for a visit. We are so delighted that Lelet and Kati put together a wonderful weekend for us.
