We are going to Hiiumaa !!

Kärdla, beeing a seashore town would have it's own harbour, we thought, as tehre is even a street named Sadama (harbour). So we drove there, to the end of the street before going to the hotel.

We found this - a police station and officially border control too.... but nothing in English this time.
There was no harbour !!! After a bit of investigation we found out that the harbour was destroyed in 1941.... and since nor rebuilt. Now, finally, a project has started and in 2013 a new yacht harbour will be welcoming visitors

Only Swedish people were sent to Ukraine. The Estonian people were a part of Russia (later Sovjet Union). The empress Catherine II, decided in 1781, that she did not want them around. 1000 people were sent off of which many did not survive the journey.
Later some decendents of these people have returned to Hiiumaa but most of them are actually on Gotland island, Sweden.

I will later here show you pics of "The Hill of Crosses".... this is related to the deported Swedish people....

ergee wrote:Have all the inhabitants been deported to Ukraine or only the Swedish?
I suppose and fear: all. Terrible times!

It is hard to think about such pain and suffering.

If anyone is interested in seeing more of the military museum (the surroundings are real, there used to be a base here in this very house) - here is a link to their home page. Nothing is in English but you will have lots of pics to see and for sure you will understand what is what.

http://www.militaarmuuseum.ee/

Bisky wrote:

ergee wrote:Have all the inhabitants been deported to Ukraine or only the Swedish?
I suppose and fear: all. Terrible times!

It is hard to think about such pain and suffering.

And still today people have to leave their homes in many parts of the world.... The human race does not learn - there is always some people that think they have the right to be superior to other people.... Just look what is going on in the arab countries these days... SIGH....

caysa wrote:..........we saw this - an abandoned bar - no more beer served here

Brrr....This is a frightening place!

Yes, rather hopeless

I still have pics... hope you don't get bored....

We visited more lighthouses:

Kõpu lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in the world - it has been in use ever since 1531
Juha is up there



I did not even try the steps with my sore toe.... but instead I did read the instructions real good:




The next lighthouse was that of Ristna:



and a bit later on the smaller ones in Orjaku:

I love how each lighthouse is totally different from the next.

Bisky wrote:I love how each lighthouse is totally different from the next.

The lighthouses have always been so important to the villages. Building them must have been really big projects in those days. And they did compete with the hight of them too
One day I want to visit Hiiumaa later in the autumn when evenings are dark, so that it is possible to see the lights too, as they all are working lighthouses.

Is the type of lighthouse in the last 2 pics common in this area? I think I would not have recognized them as lighthouses at once as they look so untypical to me

They are quite typical near the shore in harbours, I think.
They are not meant to be seen from far away, only to guide the ships into the harbour itself. The last two are situated maybe 250 - 300 meters from each other and to safely approach the harbour you should see these lights like on top of each other, in a straight line so to say.
Perhaps one could say that they are more like "traffic lights" than lighthouses....

The next pictures are taken from on of the oddest places I have been to: The Hill of Crosses.
You need to read below to get an idea.

Look closely - and you will see that all the sticks are actually crosses




The road becomes a path... and it goes on and on and on deeper into the forest...

And this is the cross that we made:



One woman, who worked at the hotel, was also a Hiiumaa guide. She told us, that as religion was forbidden during the Sovjet regime, soldiers came here every week and distroyed all crosses but people came back and put more up. This "game" just went on until Sovjet was no more. Now it is part of the Hiiumaa tradition to come here and make a cross.

Very interesting. Did you make a cross? (If I had known about this earlier, I would have asked you to make one for our unmarried son! )

Bisky wrote:Did you make a cross?

I recommend to read Caysa´s post again

Bisky wrote:Very interesting. Did you make a cross? (If I had known about this earlier, I would have asked you to make one for our unmarried son! )

The last picture is our cross
Well, if nothing else helps, then we have to do another trip

Ricky wrote:

Bisky wrote:Did you make a cross?

I recommend to read Caysa´s post again

Oops! Looked like I skimmed through it too fast!

- that happens!

Did you think my pictures finished ???
HAHA!! No way

Here are some random animal pictures:

Ship dogs we met:






... and some sheep

In many places sheep and cows are used to keep the vegetation at the shores under control. The "modern" way of agriculture, where sheep and cattle were kept in small inclosures or inside barns all year around, started to spoil the beauty of the lowlands. The grass grew very thick and high and even the birds that used to come here to nest started to decrease. Now it is looking much better again

Some birds that use these areas:


Crane (Grus grus)



Crane and Grey herons (Ardea cinerea) at least I think they were Grey herons...

So you teased us...doing like there were no more pics! What a beauty
that 2nd cow...she just needs a bit of mascara to win the

Nice that you show us all those animals you met.. that black dog on the ship looks like Mr. Spikey sometimes does, like thinking: So what?

He is a French Bulldog and his name was Otto, I thought it suited him and his funny face very well

caysa wrote:He is a French Bulldog and his name was Otto, I thought it suited him and his funny face very well

probably his full name is: Fürst Otto von Bismarck!

Hehe, very possible!!! He was a real Fürst !! His owner sailed alone with only Otto as company and he said that the trip is all about Otto!! OTTO RULES

Those 2 things I found in Internet..The poem belonged to a Alfa, white dog, but to Otto it fits better...

Quite interesting!!! Thanks !

The last pic of the Grey Herons is great!! (for some reason I didn´t see these pics before )

Do you have any more pics of your trip to show??