Thursday, September 26th

Departed Tallinn to start the return to Riga, Latvia, but not without detours and stops
Beautiful day in Estonian on good roads - Much better than Latvia
Arrived in Happsalu, which has a castle
A single tower, outsides walls and moat remaining 
However....
Despite being a ruin for several centuries (sketch below from mid-1800s)
Built by the German Knights of the Sword in the 1300s to convert the native pagans to Christianity 
(while pillaging and plundering)
Defenses like cannons and bastions added over centuries
 Succumbing to Russian rule under the Tsar in the 1700s
Then abandoned for defensive purposes
Today, twisting passageways are modernized from a European Union grant
Housing displays covering the castle's life with reconstructed stone walls, steel catwalks, and cafe
Perfect for scampering about
  A Renovation, not a Restoration, opening this past June
 Great learning and dreaming taking place here - WoW 

Minutes away, a true ruin
Castle/mansion built by a lover for her princess bride in 1890s
Built as a replica of her childhood home, which she didn't want to leave
Just before completed, the princess died
As did her lover a few years later
Unoccupied 
Lapsing into a crumbling relic
Until, during Soviet occupation
It was scavenged 
Now stabilized for passing tourists
(found site on AtlasObscura.com)
Another kind of WoW

Continuing south, our goal was to reach the Virtsu  
Hoping to make the 12:55 ferry
Arrived at 12:50
Paid 15 Euros  - Last car to board

GPS never losing track of our location
30-minutes later, we arrived on the island of Muhu, which has a bridge to the larger island of Saaremaa, the size of Liechtenstein or Rhode Island




Traversed the island to Kuressaare 
Found our apartment, a wooden house
Windmill as our neighbor - Once 800 wind powering giants on this island
Estonia is noticeably influenced by its Danish/Swedish/Finish roots

Found a beer and chicken wings on the Square
Drinking a locally crafted brew
At what was formally the Weigh House
 (built in 1663)

Tomorrow, we explore a phenomenally impressive castle here in Kuressaare


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday, October 1st

Image
Amsterdam was configured in the 1600s  with 4 concentric half-circle canals built around city center  Constructed as a defensive measure and for water management Development took place from west to east (not center outward) Looking at a simple uncluttered map - It's logical until you get lost Amstel River runs through the city and into bay (4 o'clock) Our airbnb apartment is outside the grid in the Museumplein area (7 o'clock) After the Rijksmuseum opened, our hood became desirable real estate (1890s) Today we visited the Van Gogh Museum in Museumplein - 5 minute walk Tickets purchased in advance for specific time period - No photos allowed Vincent Van Gogh developed his unique style in the little yellow house (green shutters) in Arles  The only postcard I wanted  - 1 Euro Amazingly, it was Theo's wife who created the legacy of work we have today After Theo died, she organized Vincent's letters and paintings for exhibits, sale, and p
Read more

Saturday, September 29th

Image
Glimpses of the Baltic Sea between the pines Much of our long drive followed the coast of Estonia and Latvia as we headed to the airport to return the car, spend the night in Riga, and fly to Amsterdam tomorrow Missed the first ferry off Saaremaa island by 2 minutes - but only an hour until the next one A quick 30 minute crossing Enjoyed the island  Taking a ferry gives it a strong vibe of getting away Had a bit of a struggle finding lunch on the mainland highway (2 lanes lined by pines) Finally saw a sign (in English) and we scored I was happy - sea trout paired with baked avocado topped with shrimp & cheese, surrounded by baby greens with blueberries, radish and a berry I'd never tasted before (size of a grape with the coloring of a watermelon) 14Euro Sandy pleased with pork ribs and roasted potatoes, despite the flavorful carrot puree 12 Euro Nice place to stumble upon Some fun facts ....   - Drove 1,697 miles, about average  - Sp
Read more