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Summer Lovin', Had Me an Umlaut

The Independent has gone Baltic island mad! Don't cower in the corner--we promise we won't talk about herring. No, they're pushing the region as the "Mediterranean of the North"; old school spa and beach towns where Finns, Estonians, Germans and Swedes spend the summer on sandy beaches.

Unfortunately, they didn't write the article for American attention spans--it's really long. We'll summarize for you, so that you'll be able to tell the difference between Mihu and Hiiumaa at the office water cooler this week:

Gotland: Part of Sweden, it's the largest Baltic island, home to a huge medieval festival in August. Originally home to the Goths, it's now it's home to Gothem church, dating from 1300.

Aland: The Aland Islands are part of Finland. A distinct culture from the Finns, they speak Swedish, and many of them come and live in waterside log cottages for the summer.

Hiiumaa: Home to one of the world's oldest lighthouses, this is part of the Estonian archipelago chain. Muhu, also part of the chain, is famous for wild orchids.

See how nice Estonia can be without stag parties?

[Image via tonykerr/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Guide to the Baltic Islands [Independent]
·   Summer Islands [Jaunted]