Saaremaa

Saaremaa is an island off the Western coast of Estonia in the Baltic sea. To get there you have to take a ferry from the mainland which stops on a little island called Muhu on the way and then crosses a causeway between Muhu and the island of Saaremaa. I spent two days on the island, the first exploring the small main city called Kuressaare with a fun beach and castle (first photo). The second day we rented a car and drove all around the coastline of the island visiting a tiny crater lake, some old wooden windmills, and the peninsula to the south called Sorve. The peninsula and its southern tip, Saare, was definitely the most beautiful, and photogenic, part of the trip and the rest of the photos below were taken there. There's a cool lighthouse, some abandoned rotting boats and anchors, and WWII bunkers for climbing and exploring. Apparently this island saw some really heavy fighting during the war. This morning before we left the island we got mudbaths at a spa. Quite the experience. Basically you just climb into a tub with warm mud (which comes straight out of a plain old regular looking faucet). The mud was more liquidy than I expected, but more of a smooth consistency, and it retained heat for the whole bath. After 15 minutes this lady comes in and showers you down, then you get out and rinse and dry yourself off. It was really nice, but I still couldnt get over the idea that I was lying in dirt. My OCD.











Oh, and I'm getting a nice tan from all the beaches I've been visiting. Nathan is quite the beach bum and has turned me into a bit of one. I've been taking almost daily naps on beaches for the past week. Speaking of Nathan, we just parted ways. He's off to Helsinki, me to St. Petersburg. About time :).