Sometimes surprising things turn up in out of the way places.

Driving south we detoured to Haapsalu to see the Railway Station. And we were glad we did. The platform here, at over 200 metres long, was at one time the longest in Northern Europe. It was built in 1904 for Tsar Nicholas II and his entourage. Just like that. He must had had quite a crew with him. 

 Like almost every town on the Baltic coast, the town was a drawcard for the wealthy to undergo curative mud and spa treatments, so had many visitors. The platform is very long, and the waiting room huge and the whole building is in relatively good condition as there is now a railway museum here. Unexpected to find this here in such a small town. 
 


 
We then spent two nights at Parnu, another couple of hundred kms south. This is a modern day resort town, and very pretty with many pastel coloured houses and attractive villas.The beach is actually on an estuary between the river and the Baltic Sea and on the day we were there the water was as flat as glass. There was hardly a soul to be seen and there was not a sound to be heard. I have never been on such a silent beach as the water just gently moved in and out. It was actually not as cold as I thought it might be, though I only put my feet in.

So we are now at the end of our Baltic leg of the trip. And it has been so interesting and enjoyable.

After 3500 kms or so we discovered things we did not know:

• that almost all older houses are of timber construction
• that the beaches have beautiful white sand
  
• that much of the country is uninhabited 
• that the EU money has assisted infrastructure development and
• that the Russian legacy as far as buildings is not as obvious as we though it might be.
  

We have loved 

• the countryside in spring
• the lovely architecture in the old areas of towns and cities 
• the food - it is wonderful, as are the restaurants and
• the fabulous and great price coffee. 

Thank you Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia for having us.