Island Holiday

An Estonian Island Spring Break Gone 

We always wanted to visit islands for spring break and this year we had the chance, so we took it!!

In western Estonia there are a group of large islands - some of the more than  2000 islands the countries boast. For our spring break we spent our time on the large island of Saaremaa.

The largest city on the island, Kuressaare was our home for the week.  In addition to exploring this city, we rented a car and traveled around the island.


Like many cities in northern Europe, Kuressaare has a medieval castle and old town center.  The castle is very well preserved with a walled fortification system and is considered one of the best examples of a convent castles in northern Europe. It sits at the head of the Kuressaare Bay and would have been the gateway to the city through the centuries.

One restaurant of note was once the weights and measures building on the market square. It provided refuge from our old town tour a few times during our stay!

We discovered that the island was historically a military stronghold with a powerful and difficult-to-beat population throughout the ages.  The location also figured prominently during WWII.  On our drive along the coast, we came across large, old gun locations, situated to protect the entry into Riga Bay, Parnu, and greater Estonia.  There is also a monument to a fierce battle fought between Russian and German forces on the island.

Our two days of touring brought us to some remarkable sites. Of course we had to stop at a number of ancient houses of worship (and with a car, the kids could wait in the car :).  We also visited the historic hill fort site of Vilada.  It is hard to capture the history with a photo.  It was amazing to us, at least, to learn how ancient people protected and defended themselves agains invaders and the elements of nature.









A few houses of worship from our Saarmaa tour:

It was rumored that in the city of Orissaare there was a football pitch that had an old oak right in its center.  The story went that the pitch needed to be expanded and the tree would now be in the field...but the town - in the wisdom decided to not remove the tree!

looking from the west end goal

We have pretty urban, walking lifestyle in our daily life in Estonia, so it was a fun diversion for us to travel by car for a few days.

It was very special to see this part of Estonia, as it has held on to a unique way of life and culture that is different than other parts of Estonia. Hearing the Estonian language, seeing different architecture and windmills, and eating seafood made for a memorable experience.