ESTONIA
bog’s heart. White water lilies grow around its edges like an old man’s beard. “It’s a peaceful place. There’s something here — a good aura, you know?” says Kairid, scanning the flat horizon. Perhaps this is why the lakes are enshrined in local folklore. “There’s an old legend that two landlords near the Koigi were fighting over a beautiful place they found here. They couldn’t come to an agreement over who had more rights to it, so eventually they went home. The next day, they came back and there was a lake in the spot they were arguing over,” she says. “I think the moral of the story is that you shouldn’t fight over places like this.” Estonians, she says, think nature should be for everyone. “Some locals also say there are treasures hidden in the
bog lake,” adds Kairid, as we follow the lakeshore along a wooden boardwalk. While I see no hint of buried treasure, I do spy tiny jewel-like berries among the spongy carpets of moss and bracken around us. “It’s a good berry year this year. There are lots of them! Spring was very warm,” she says, pointing out cranberries, wild raspberries and low-lying lingonberries, which she insists I try: tiny pops of juice, but quite sour. Foraging is a way of life for Estonians and part of the
Clockwise from top: An ornate 19th-century house beside the moat bridge crossing to Kuressaare Castle; a traditional Estonian craft store in the backstreets of Kuressaare; as in many Baltic countries, pickled cucumbers are a staple in the Estonian kitchen
islands’ food culture, as I learn that evening in the vaulted cellar of Saaremaa Veski restaurant — a restored windmill in the island capital of Kuressaare. “Berries and alcohol have been mixed here for centuries,” says Kaupo Pastak, co-owner and chief distiller, lining up tiny glasses for a tasting. The tips of his fingers are dyed indigo from blackcurrants he’s just finished pressing, and he has a story for every variety of berry. “I only make schnapps with fruit from the island. Everybody picks it for me — friends and family.” Among flavours, such as rhubarb, lingonberry and sea buckthorn, it’s black chokeberry that brings the biggest wallop and surprise. Dry and tannic, the syrupy spirit produces legs on the glass like a fine wine. Before dinner, there’s time for a tour of the Dutch-style
windmill’s upper levels, which have their own tales to tell. All wood beams and tiny ladders, it was built in 1899, but permanently put out of action by the Germans in the Second World War. “They sawed its wings off,” Kaupo says, throwing his hands up — explaining that the Germans
were fearful the locals would use the windmill’s tower to signal enemies. When the Soviets then occupied the island in 1944, they destroyed it. Now, the restaurant is one of a number of restored and repurposed windmills dotted across Saaremaa. Some house tiny museums; one or two have been converted into places to stay.
Layers of history Visiting Kuressaare Castle the next day, I find a fortress of
thick-set stone riddled with stories, whose history similarly mirrors the rise and fall of the powers that have occupied Estonia over the years. Built in 1340 by the ruling German bishops of the time, bastions for cannon were added during Danish rule in the early 17th century, while moat islands and pointy terracotta turrets were built by the Swedes in the early 18th century. With so many outside forces to contend with, I’m curious
to know how Estonians managed to maintain their national identity over the centuries. “This is a good question,” says my guide Anu Lomp as we wander into town. More than a third of Saaremaa’s population of 33,000 live in Kuressaare; once a thriving resort town famous for its mud baths, its centre is a rich mix of townhouses with grand classical columns, northern baroque plaster carving and Jugendstil (art nouveau) design. “Maybe it’s in our genes. Or our culture was kept alive in the countryside. We had to fight. Under occupation, people secretly celebrated things like Christmas, which wasn’t allowed in Soviet times.” During the Soviet era, these islands became the western
frontier of the bloc. Closer to Gotland in Sweden than Tallinn, Saaremaa was an escape route for those fleeing Communist persecution and asset stripping — and the Russians, who didn’t leave Estonia until 1988, tried to stem the flow by effectively shutting off the region from the rest of the country. “Not all the islands were closed, but most. These islands were important military bases for the Soviets,” explains Anu. “I think this helped keep a lot of areas empty. And now, the west coast has well-preserved nature and a lot of the coastal areas remain untouched.” Today, the rural way of life remains a point of local pride. It’s also part of the region’s attraction for holidaying
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