Arrived in Saaremaa

Arrived in Saaremaa yesterday after travelling via Saka, Tartu and Parnu. We have been on the go so much that entries to my blog are way behind.

Jagala Waterfall On the way from Tallinn to Saka we visited the Jagala Waterfall, one of Estonia's best-known beauty spots. Unfortunately it wasn't in full flow but still looked impressive. We also travelled via Kasmu and Altja in the Lahemaa National Park. The village of Kasmu is an old smuggling haven (salt in the 19th century and vodka to Finland in the 1920s). Altja was a prosperous fishing settlement for more than five centuries until its inhabitants were expelled by the Soviet regime. However the regime began to restore Altja's traditional wooden buildings in 1971, so that the settlement, although still almost deserted, is now a picturesque huddle of homes and boat sheds with a small old-fashioned inn which was built in the 19th century and where we stopped for a typical Estonian lunch of fish and roast pork with potatoes and sauerkraut - delicious.

Coastline near Kasmu

More coastline near Kasmu

Old inn at Altja where we had lunch

Houses at Altja