Hiiumaa
Tonight’s digs are in sharp contrast to yesterday’s. While I basked in Nordic luxury last night, tonight I'm seeing how the locals live. In in a wood panelled guest house for 17 Euro for the night. It's pleasant, it's clean and it had room for me.
The room is less than two meters wide and a meter and a half longer than the single bed. The wood on the walls, ceiling and floor remind me of a sauna.
My window looks out at calm, flat farmland and a few farm buildings. There's ample light, plenty of hot water in the bathroom next door and a supermarket across the parking lot. I'm all set.
Hiiumaa is the more northern of the large Estonian Islands. I think I already said the ferry trip here was 1.5 hours, and the ship looked like it was built for strong winds and rough seas.
Many city folk vacation on the islands. I'm guessing that most have cabins in the woods, since there were a lot of sign with place names, and not much visible in the way of places.
The biggest tourist attractions are the oldest continuously working lighthouse in Europe, and a wool factory. I know you're all thinking “Gee, I wish she would tell us about the lighthouse, but I'm guessing it’s gonna be the wool factory.”
Okay, you get your wish. I drove by the woolworks, but didn't go in. I also drove by the lighthouse, thinking that it would be on the seashore, not up a hill. I turned around once the paved road turned to gravel. Then I spotted the impressive structure. It's all about the angles.
The Kopu lighthouse was built between1531 and 1560. It started out as an Estonian project. The Swedes took over, then the Russians, the Estonians again, the Russians, and now the Estonians. All Estonian lighthouses have been unmanned since the 1990s, although there is regular maintenance. It was last painted in 2012.
As you might guess, because it was built in the 1500s, the stairs are steep and the passages narrow. Even I grazed my head in spots. The six footers must have been doing the limbo coming down. The risers were between mid-calf and knee height. Easier to go up than down.
The view from the top was amazing, but the viewing platform has an uncomfortable slope to keep rain and snow from accumulating. One teenaged boy was clinging to the walls, and I soon understood why. The wind was strong and the railing did not I still confidence.
The other significant fact is that when visibility is good, you can see the lighthouse from 26 nautical miles away.
Apart from circumnavigating the Island, my other “sight” was a marsh. It featured an erratic boulder, a giant rock brought down from Finland in the Ice Age. There as a lovely board walk leading to the erratic boulder, and I walked through reeds higher than my head.
Near the parking lot, there was a sign that looked like it was warning of the dangers of a wild boar. The word Afrikan popped up a lot, so I think it might be an invasive species.
Last week I worried about filling the nine unscheduled days I have in Estonia. Now I'm running out of time, and am having to identify what's most important for me. Such problems!
Thursday, I'm going to try to catch the 8:15 ferry. I had technical difficulties making a reservation (there's no English reservation site, and it wouldn't let me check out on the iPad), so wish me luck.
The room is less than two meters wide and a meter and a half longer than the single bed. The wood on the walls, ceiling and floor remind me of a sauna.
My window looks out at calm, flat farmland and a few farm buildings. There's ample light, plenty of hot water in the bathroom next door and a supermarket across the parking lot. I'm all set.
Hiiumaa is the more northern of the large Estonian Islands. I think I already said the ferry trip here was 1.5 hours, and the ship looked like it was built for strong winds and rough seas.
Many city folk vacation on the islands. I'm guessing that most have cabins in the woods, since there were a lot of sign with place names, and not much visible in the way of places.
The biggest tourist attractions are the oldest continuously working lighthouse in Europe, and a wool factory. I know you're all thinking “Gee, I wish she would tell us about the lighthouse, but I'm guessing it’s gonna be the wool factory.”
Okay, you get your wish. I drove by the woolworks, but didn't go in. I also drove by the lighthouse, thinking that it would be on the seashore, not up a hill. I turned around once the paved road turned to gravel. Then I spotted the impressive structure. It's all about the angles.
The Kopu lighthouse was built between1531 and 1560. It started out as an Estonian project. The Swedes took over, then the Russians, the Estonians again, the Russians, and now the Estonians. All Estonian lighthouses have been unmanned since the 1990s, although there is regular maintenance. It was last painted in 2012.
As you might guess, because it was built in the 1500s, the stairs are steep and the passages narrow. Even I grazed my head in spots. The six footers must have been doing the limbo coming down. The risers were between mid-calf and knee height. Easier to go up than down.
The view from the top was amazing, but the viewing platform has an uncomfortable slope to keep rain and snow from accumulating. One teenaged boy was clinging to the walls, and I soon understood why. The wind was strong and the railing did not I still confidence.
The other significant fact is that when visibility is good, you can see the lighthouse from 26 nautical miles away.
Apart from circumnavigating the Island, my other “sight” was a marsh. It featured an erratic boulder, a giant rock brought down from Finland in the Ice Age. There as a lovely board walk leading to the erratic boulder, and I walked through reeds higher than my head.
Near the parking lot, there was a sign that looked like it was warning of the dangers of a wild boar. The word Afrikan popped up a lot, so I think it might be an invasive species.
Last week I worried about filling the nine unscheduled days I have in Estonia. Now I'm running out of time, and am having to identify what's most important for me. Such problems!
Thursday, I'm going to try to catch the 8:15 ferry. I had technical difficulties making a reservation (there's no English reservation site, and it wouldn't let me check out on the iPad), so wish me luck.
The Kopu Lighthouse, looking up, looking in & looking around:
Orjaku Study Trail:
The Erratic Boulder
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