Palmse Manor, Estonia

My wife and I felt welcomed to Estonia during our visit in July ’08. Although the smallest of the Baltic nations, it offers a feast of attractions: unspoiled islands; dark forests; green marshlands and bogs; towering castles and fortresses; seaside villages, and a cosmopolitan capital featuring medieval splendor. There are also hundreds of manor houses in Estonia, survivors of the more than 1,000 built by Swedish and German nobles over seven centuries.

Often built in grandiose style, they include stables, cow sheds, bridges and pavilions. After serving as a Cistercian monastery in the 13th century, Palmse Manor (pictured above) was home to the Swedish Pahlen family from 1677 to 1923. The three-story house, restored to its 1780s glory, is open to visitors daily (admission, €6 per person).
— HARVEY HAGMAN, Fort Myers, FL