Easter Break in Estonia

Hiimuaa Island

The weather is damp and gloomy as I sit and write this blog at the start of my Easter break. It reminds me of the great British weather

I cast my mind back to a time when I was travelling to Estonia and went to visit my friends who lived on Hiimuaa Island. Where is that you ask? It is Estonia’s second largest island and in the winter the ice hardens and freezes so that people from the mainland can drive over the frozen Baltic Sea to reach it. This includes trucks that weigh quite a considerable amount. No, the ice road wasn't there when I went to Hiimuaa, but it was a lovely spring day as I took the ferry and another bus to reach my friends who lived there.

On their kitchen table was a beautiful display of flowers and Easter bunnies that the kids had made. It was a real pity that I could not communicate with the children as they didn't know any English but the language of smiles reaches across all cultures.

Soviet bunkers - Hiimuaa Island

I went outside by myself to explore. The spring flowers were just putting their heads out in the warm sunshine and the sea sparkled and glistened as if it was offering me a palette of many colourful jewels. I walked along the beach feeling the saltiness of the spray and skimmed some pebbles into the sea. I was alone in my thoughts, but pondered the history of the island which was quite different to its present day calm atmosphere.

Early human settlements were found on the island dating back to 4 century B.C. It has also been under the jurisdiction of both the Soviet Union and Germany during World Wars I & II. It was hard to imagine that I could wander about so freely and yet at another time the island was closed to mainland dwellers and foreigners. Examining some bunkers made in the times of the Soviet occupation brought this sharply to my mind.

Fishing trip with friends

If you come to Hiimuaa, it’s because you love nature for there are no bars and clubs anywhere. We took a car ride across the island and watched in silence at the antics of some moose and elk. Did you know that elk  have antlers for only two weeks of the year to attract a mate?

My friends said that often islanders offer to take in a stranded tourist who had missed the last ferry back to the mainland. Perhaps it’s because of this trait that I found the island fascinating. Listening to some people’s personal histories as to what happened during the war years and yet offer hospitality and trust to strangers was remarkable in a day when common decency is fast disappearing.

In the evening we went out in a boat to do some fishing and sat in companionable silence as the sun set cast its final glow across a dead calm sea. It’s one of those moments when you feel at peace with the world and yourself.