Around three and a half thousand years ago, something from space hit the island of Saaremaa, and the people living nearby saw it. Kaali is the site of a meteorite impact, and the main crater, about a hundred and ten metres across and some sixteen metres deep, is a circular pond of dark water surrounded by a grassy bank. Eight smaller craters lie scattered around it in the surrounding fields and forest. It is one of the best-preserved small impact sites in the world, and a rare find in Europe.
The effect on the local people must have been dramatic, and many scholars believe the event left its mark on regional mythology. Some of the older Nordic and Baltic stories about a sun that falls from the sky may have their roots here, though that is speculation. Archaeologists have found traces of settlements and an ancient sacrificial site around the main crater, suggesting the place was sacred for centuries. Today a small visitor centre and a circular path make it easy to walk around the main hole.
Saaremaa is itself a gentle place. The island is flat and low, with limestone bedrock, juniper heaths and thin fields, and a coast full of reed beds, small harbours and windmills. The roads are generally quiet and well surfaced, with long straight stretches and a handful of bends where they curve around bays or villages. The ride across the island has a calm, unhurried rhythm, with open skies and plenty of birds, and the wind is a regular factor, particularly on exposed stretches.
From the mainland, the route to Saaremaa runs through Virtsu and Muhu on a short ferry ride, then across a causeway to the larger island. Kuressaare, about seventeen kilometres from Kaali, is the main town, with fuel stations, supermarkets, restaurants and a fine medieval episcopal castle surrounded by a moat. It is a spa town as well, with a long tradition of mud baths and health resorts. The local cooking features fresh fish, rye bread, smoked meat and a firm cheese from the island, and in summer you can eat outside until late.
The windmills at Angla, toward the north, stand in a row beside the road, and are worth a stop on any ride across Saaremaa. Come in June, when the days are very long, to enjoy the full effect.