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- Fun and Interesting Trakai Castle, Lithuania
- A Walking Tour Through Kaunas, Lithuania
- Kaunas Fort Museum Holocaust Memorial, Lithuania
- Sand Dunes and Nida on Neringa Spit, Lithuania
- Witches' Hill on Neringa Spit, Lithuania
- Palanga Beach Resort, Lithuania
- The Hill of Crosses, Siauliai, Lithuania
- Rundale Palace, Latvia
- The Central Food Markets and An Evening Chamber Music Concert in Riga, Latvia
- The Art Nouveau/Art Deco Architecture of Riga, Latvia
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The very scenic Trakai Island Castle is located on an island in Trakai, Lithuania on Lake Galve. Morris parked the bus and Signe gave timing and information about the castle and its surroundings. She explained a little about the "Karaites" who live/lived here and urged us to walk around and visit their area (didn't have a clue what "Karaites" were), paid the entrance fee to the castle and let us loose. Massive crowds of tourists milling along the lakeshore to take photos of Trakai Castle while boat men offered yacht trips on windy and cold Lake Galve.....brrr. We later found out that Trakai Castle is extremely popular among Lithuanians and foreigners and a short half day trip or 40-minute ride from Vilnius, our destination tonight. The town of Trakai was a cradle for Lithuanian statehood and once the capital of Lithuania.
There were little stores and stalls on each street selling expensive t-shirts, typical tourist souvenirs, restaurants, cafes and signs touting Kybynlar. Kybynlar? Kybynlar is a traditional dish made by the Karaites (Karaims). It is a leavened dough in the form of a half-moon, filled with lamb or beef and baked in the oven. In other words, a big "pasty" or meat pie. (More about the Karaites later.) The Village of Trakai is build on a peninsula and situated between heavily forested hills and more lakes.
Continue reading "Fun and Interesting Trakai Castle, Lithuania" »
The Hotel Centre in Kaunas was not exactly what I would call the "center" of Kaunas but located up a slight hill in a not-so-great area. The hotel served breakfast only and our room was freezing. Fortunately, all the hotels up to now have nice warm blankets but I still went to sleep with socks and an extra t-shirt on. Since it was a one-nighter, no worries. A drive to Trakai Castle scheduled for the afternoon with the ultimate two-night destination, Vilnius.
Kaunas is located at the confluence of Lithuania's two largest rivers, the Nemunas and Neris, and is often regarded as the most typical city in the country. I didn't know that Kaunas became the capital of Poland from 1920-1939 and 20th of the inhabitants are still Polish. Did you? As a matter of fact, a trading post was established in 1398 controlled by merchants from Gdansk who imported salt and used the Pregel canal as a water route. This helped Kaunas become one of Gdansk's important trade points. If you have the time, there were an inordinate amount of museums to suit every taste. There is a Devils' Museum, several Art Museums, Children's Literature Museum, Great War Museum, Folk Music Instruments Museum, Gemology Museum...you get the drift...
Continue reading "A Walking Tour Through Kaunas, Lithuania" »
We drove through the once again boring, flat scenery towards Kaunas with only a brief stop in a petrol/gas station with a cafe. Forward thinking us again decided to buy sandwiches to eat for dinner since the e.t.a. to Kaunas was late.
Signe surprised us with a stop on the outskirts of Kaunas at the Kaunas Fort Museum Holocaust Memorial. It was 6:00 p.m. and too late to visit the museum inside but at least we could walk around the outside memorial grounds. The Kaunas Fortress was constructed between 1882-1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders and used as a prison until 1940. The Soviets then began using it as a prison and temporary holding area for prisoners being transported to Gulags in Siberia. After the Soviets, the Nazis used the Ninth Fort to execute Jews, captured Soviets and dissidents. The victims were simply marched into the forests and shot.
Continue reading "Kaunas Fort Museum Holocaust Memorial, Lithuania" »
From Witches' Hill, we drove to Nida. Nida is the biggest village on Neringa Spit and its administrative center. It was also a short 4 km/2.5 miles away from the Russian settlement of Kaliningrad. Since this is where, supposedly, all the Amber comes from, beach combing in this area could be rewarding and fun. Nida has quite a bit to offer tourists besides the sand dunes above the village. A beach that is one of the cleanest in Europe, miles and miles of bike trails and bike rentals. The trails range from 9-52 kms with complete descriptions available at the excellent Neringa Tourist Information Office. Many hotels, guest houses and apartments to choose from in this very small town with approximately 1,500 permanent residents. However, 50,000 people do visit Nida each summer so it would be wise to make reservations.
It's not a difficult walk from Nida up to the top of the shifting sand dunes but we drove to the top and walked back down the 159-step boardwalk path with Nida dead ahead...View image. The "towering dunes" were quite scenic. I wouldn't say "impressive" if you've ever seen sand dunes before but they are some of the highest shifting sand dunes in Europe and I guess that counts for something. What was more interesting to me was the fact that these shifting sands have engulfed small settlements on Neringa Spit over the years. There was a sign asking people not to walk on the dunes but since every other tourist was out there, I confess, we took a teeny walk on one...View image. Sand dunes are such fun to walk on that it's difficult to resist...View image.
Continue reading "Sand Dunes and Nida on Neringa Spit, Lithuania" »
Another interesting and filled-to-the-brim with unusual sights to look forward to. Early breakfast followed by a 5-minute ferry ride across the Curonian lagoon over to 98 km/66 mile long Neringa Spit. Neringa Spit was formed over 3000 years ago when the natural forces of sea and wind took a series of small islands and eventually connected them into a narrow, sandy peninsula. The Baltic Sea on one side, Neringa and the Curonian lagoon on the other. Neringa Spit was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the world's most scenic spots. The south part of Neringa belongs to the Kaliningrad Sambian Peninsula (Russia) and you need a Visa to visit this section.
We would spend the day on Neringa Spit exploring the area around Juodkrante and Nida, beginning in Juodkrante, the second biggest village on the spit. Both villages lie within the Curonian Spit National Park, home to some of the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe. Juodkrante was a high-class European resort before World War II and the village runs along the lagoon for about 2 km/1.2 miles with a beautiful esplanade to walk or cycle on. As a matter of fact, the entire spit is easy cycling from one end to another. The thickly wooded hillsides are inhabited by moose, wild boar and many bird species (migrating cranes in Autumn). Didn't see any moose. Did see a forest area that was disturbed by wild boar and a few hunters.
Continue reading "Witches' Hill on Neringa Spit, Lithuania" »
It is very understandable why Palanga is such a popular resort town in the summer or early Fall but today was windy and cold on the beach. Even so, the less than one hour spent here was most definitely not enough. The town of Palanga is a short distance from Klaipeda...View image, located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and functioned as Lithuania's main port from the 15th-17th centuries. The coast stretched as far as the eye could see, well over 10 km/6.2 miles and is backed by a pine forest and dunes. Almost half a million visitors visit Palanga and settle into one of the many guesthouses, hotels, resorts and even sanatoriums with thermal and mineral baths that operate year-round.
The bus dropped the group off on a corner along with directiol instructions and "what to see." The old town pedestrian area with historic buildings that date from the 13th-18th centuries. Check that off as a miss with too little time. The Palanga Botanical Gardens, designed for Count Tiskevicius with over 300 plant species and considered to be Lithuania's most beautiful botanical garden. The Tiskevicius Manor House is located in the center of the Gardens and houses the Amber Museum (closed for the day). Check that off as a miss with too little time.
Continue reading "Palanga Beach Resort, Lithuania" »
From Rundale Palace, the bus crossed the border into Lithuania...View image... where we stopped somewhere to use an ATM and convert Lats (LVL) into Lits (LTL) - Lithuanian currency if anyone chose to convert their Lats (we'd spend more time in Latvia after touring Lithuania - are you confused yet?). Again, we were out of the group loop and just found out that Mort had his wallet stolen in Tallinn as he was walking up the stairs to a church. Money, credit cards, and ATM. Where was his wallet? In an easily reached pocket, obviously not in a money-belt.
Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic States, is 90% Catholic and converted to Christianity 200 years later than its northern neighbors. Signe told us that there are still Lithuanians and Latvians that practice paganism, primarily in a society called Romuva. Google "Romuva", you'll find out she is correct. Romuva was a pagan worship place and the grass snake (or Sacred Serpent) is revered. Later on in this trip, Signe passed around a book called Egle, Queen of The Grass Snake for everyone to read commenting that it would be difficult to understand the Baltics without reading this Lithuanian fairy tale.
Continue reading "The Hill of Crosses, Siauliai, Lithuania" »
The Historic Baltic Republics continues...
The group headed south into Lithuania today with a jam-packed schedule. We now have a dedicated bus that will be used for transport until the tour ends. A short stop at a RIMI Supermarket in Bauska to buy food for lunch except us. We settled on a rotisserie chicken, Armenian bread and mega pastries to eat for dinner since the Klaipeda e.t.a. was 7:30 p.m. (Must confess...we snarfed down the pastries way before dinner. They are just so darn good.) Not only was Bauska on the old trade route between Riga and Lithuania but Napoleon's army transited through in 1812 on the way to Moscow.
The bus passed the atmospheric Bauska Castle...View image... on the short 12 km/7 mile drive from Bauska to Rundale Palace but there wasn't enough time to stop. Rundale Palace was built in the 18th century by Anna, Empress of Russia, for her lover Count Birons who became Duke of Courland...View image. Being Anna's lover sure paid off for him until she died when he was promptly banished to Siberia. Hey...I've been lost in Siberia. How many people do you know that can say that...or want to say that? The palace then stood empty until Catherine the Great presented the palace to her lover, Prince Zubov in 1795.
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New batteries in my camera, men tearing up the sidewalk in front of Hotel Irina trying to find the electrical problems, we strolled over to the Central Markets right by the bus terminal. The gigantic Central Markets is the Baltic's largest marketplace and were originally used as Zeppelin hangers during World War I. Each of the five hangars/buildings sells something different...View image. For example, meat, fish, groceries and dairy products while stands outside the hangars sold everything from fresh produce to clothing.
We picked a hangar/pavilion/building (whatever you choose to call it) at random and this happened to be all meats. Chickens, huge hunks and sides of beef, all parts of a pig and more. How about pig ears with sauerkraut... The second building was loaded with cheese. What kind of cheese you might ask? I did recognize goat cheese but haven't a clue about the other varieties since every little sign was in Latvian and most of the sellers only spoke Latvian. There were also stalls selling honey. Jars of liquid honey, honey combs, candles and little figures made of honey.
Continue reading "The Central Food Markets and An Evening Chamber Music Concert in Riga, Latvia" »
There was an electric outage in the hotel but our room, fortunately, had electricity through breakfast before it went kaput. Darn...I knew I should have recharged everything last night! The Hotel Irina had a very nice breakfast buffet with tomatoes, cucumbers, fish, cheese and bread, meatballs, hard and soft boiled eggs, different luncheon meats, juices, cakes, cereals. That filled up the empty spots.
ex-Marine has been commenting for days over how light Dorothy and Alan travel. Only two backpacks and no luggage. See how little they are traveling with? Why can't we go with only two backpacks. WELL, the airlines lost their luggage and that's why they only have two backpacks! We were definitely out of the group loop. Their bags finally surfaced in Riga yesterday but they have to go to the airport and get them through customs. Isn't traveling fun?
Continue reading "The Art Nouveau/Art Deco Architecture of Riga, Latvia" »
The Museum of The Occupation of Latvia is located next to the Tourist Information Office with free admittance and has a mission to:
- Show what happened to Latvia, its land and people under two regimes from 1940 to 1991;
- Remind the word of crimes committed by foreign powers again the state and people of Latvia; and
- Remember the victims of occupation. Those who perished, were persecuted, deported or fled the terror of the occupation regimes.
Visitors walk through the museum rooms reading texts in Latvian, English, German, Russian, Spanish, and French. Poor Latvia underwent 51 years of occupation by the Soviets to begin with, followed by Nazi Germany, and then the Soviets once again.
Continue reading " The Museum of The Occupation of Latvia in Riga" »
Riga is the geographical center of the three Baltic Republics and has eclectic architecture. Gothic, Roman, Renaissance, Baroque, Classism and Art Nouveau. It is believed to have been founded in 1201 when Bishop Albert moved here. Merchants have lived in Riga since the 11-12th centuries because the Daugava River estuary was a good place for a port. Important German legacies remain from the days of the Crusaders when the Knights of the Sword were sent to convert Baltics who were still "pagans" in the 13th century!
Together with Signe, the group began a walking tour of Riga beginning at The Monument to Freedom with ironic associations. Only a few years after this obelisk was unveiled in 1935, the Soviets annexed Latvia. The travertine column has a copper figure of Liberty lifting three gilded stars at the top.
Continue reading "A Walking Tour Through Riga, Latvia" »
It was hoped that today would not only be the last public bus ride but also the last very early morning. Wake up at 4:45 a.m., breakfast by 5:15 a.m. to leave in time for the 6:45 a.m. bus to Riga, Latvia. The public bus originated in St. Petersburg and had a few Russians zonked out on the seats...definitely understandable. Another boring 4-hour ride that most of us slept through with flat scenery and small houses being the only sights. A private bus was waiting at the Riga bus station right across the street from the huge hangars of the Central Markets and transferred us to the Hotel Irina, a 3*** with elevator, opposite the central railway station. The building was built in the 19th century and recently restored. Suitcases in room and a short walk to Freedom Square with Signe to orient ourselves before the 2:00 p.m. walking tour.
Signe lives in Riga and would act as the Explore tour guide during the two days here. One third of Latvia's population lives in Riga and most of the important sites are concentrated in a small area. Riga is an old Hanseatic city on the banks of the Daugava River and considered one of the most beautiful in the Baltics, but at first sight, the city didn't seem that appealing. The Hotel Irina was close to the railroad station and you know what areas like that usually look like. Sex shops, beggers and drunks loitering around...albeit, with a McDonald's directly across the street.
Continue reading "Public Bus to Riga, Latvia and Peitav-Shul, The Only Remaining Jewish Synogogue" »
A fun experience would be Tartu's Hanseatic Days Festival during the summer when different parts of the town are turned into towns from different eras including pagan times. Sigrid and the group first walked over to Tartu University built in 1809. Would you believe there is a student lock-up where students were incarcerated for minor offenses? Return a library book late got you two days in lock-up, insulting a cloakroom attendant five days, and dueling three weeks, seriously! We didn't enter but Sigrid told us that cartoons and graffiti by the students still cover the walls. The University is a symbol of Estonia's "brain factory." Remember, Skype was developed in Estonia.
My favorite part of the University grounds was one building that had a facade painted with life-like portraits of the Deans, Chancellors and Professors...View image... who teach here. While another building had a beautiful mural showing University life in the 1800's.
Continue reading "The University of Tartu, Estonia and St. Johns Church" »
Tartu is the oldest town and second largest city in Estonia. Almost everything in Tartu was destroyed during the northern wars when Russia attempted to capture the Baltic states from Sweden and Peter the Great gave the order to blow up Tartu. Germans formed the upper and middle classes of society during the pre-independence period and this is reflected in both the architecture and city planning of historical Tartu. Did you know that at the end of the 16th century, Southern Estonia was under Polish rule?
Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and left the Reval Central Hotel at 8:15 a.m. in two mini-buses that took us to Tallinn's bus station for a 9:00 a.m. express bus to Tartu. It was only a 2-1/2 hour ride through very monotonous and flat scenery with the exception of one Dutch-style windmill...View image. At the Tartu bus station, another private bus was waiting to take us to the Kantri Hotel outside the main city. A modern hotel decorated in Danish style but it would have been nice to be more centrally located. Signe gave us 45 minutes to unpack before climbing back on a mini bus into Tartu that let us off by a park through which we walked into the heart of Old Tartu.
Continue reading "A Public Bus to Tartu, Estonia For One Day" »
It was pouring buckets of rain early this morning but fortunately stopped by 10:00 a.m. when the walking tour started. The missing 10 arrived safely last night. Vanessa, Mark, Jo, Philip, Michael, Merelyn, Christine and Alison from the U.K., Dorothy and Alan from Scotland.
The local guide began by taking us through the Rotterman area right behind the Reval Hotel Central. Once an old factory/warehouse area, it has been rehabbed with wonderful architecture...View image, and gentrified into condominiums, apartments, restaurants and a food market once a week. We had noticed the name "Reval" on many hotels, restaurants and shops and today found out why. The official German name of Lower Tallinn was once called "Reval," replaced after Estonia became independent in 1918-1920. Ah so... From there, the guide primarily followed the same route that ex-Marine and I took yesterday (except today we noticed a restaurant called "Chicago"...View image, colorful trams...View image, and a few other differences). She pointed a few Art Nouveau/Art Deco details in preparation for Riga, Latvia, known for its Art Nouveau/Art Deco. One house had a cat...View image, and head sculpture on top while another had an Egyptian facade...View image.
Continue reading "A Walking Tour of Tallinn, Estonia with The Explore Group" »
We've traveled with Explore Tours U.K. on 15 trips and the routine is always the same. A notice is posted on a wall in the joining hotel's reception area. It's important to always look for this notice with the day's information on it. Wake up time, breakfast, itinerary for the day, departures times, etc. The Explore notice stated "meet and greet" at 5:00 p.m. tonight in the reception area. The first nine tour participants stood out like a sore thumb since we were the only ones talking English. Nine of us to begin with while 11 others were flying in on Estonian Air late tonight. Brenda, Marjorie, Doug and Anne from Toronto, Canada, Mort and Katherine from California, Patty from New York, and of course us from Chicago. Astounding that there were five Americans on this trip since ex-Marine and I are usually the token Americans among all the British.
The group tour leader for the next 14 days is Signe, from Riga, Latvia. A very personable and well-informed young woman. We moved into an area of the restaurant for the more detailed orientation. Filled out the compulsory insurance forms with all the details and gave Signe our tip kitty money. Signe requested 20 British pounds or 200 EEKs from each person. Explore traditionally collects a tour kitty that covers tips for city guides and bus driver, Morris, who would join us in Riga. Saves digging into pockets after each tour.
Continue reading "An Explore Group Orientation in Tallinn, Estonia" »
Our exploratory tour continued through the Old Town Square up a steep cobbled stone street to Toompea Hill with hours worth of sights on this hill alone. Toompea is filled with medieval houses and alleyways with colorful houses that reflect German, Scandinavian and Russian periods in Tallinn's history. Toompea Hill was originally the site of the Danish castle and home to the Danish aristocracy (now many embassies also live on Toompea Hill) while the riffraff lived in the lower town at the foot of the hill. The Danes founded Tallinn in 1219 and Toompea Hill (also referred to as "Cathedral Hill") is still the seat of the central authority. The old Estonian Royal Palace is now the pink Parliament building on the same square as Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. After the Danish came the Teutonic Order of Livonia, followed by the Swedes and then Russians.
Through the Long Leg Gate and along steep Pikk Street with artists along the route exhibiting and painting until the onion-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral appeared directly in front of us. This classic Russian Orthodox Church wasn't built until the 19th century and is extremely picturesque. It has been restored, bells and all, freshly painted...View image... and services were going on inside.
Continue reading "Up on Toompea Hill in Tallinn, Estonia" »
I have abundant facts and trivia about Estonia for you that I thought was interesting. First, the facts:
- Skype, the free internet calling software was primarily invented here;
- Ferries come and go all day from Tallinn to Helsinki. The fastest ones, either the STAR or SUPERSTAR, take two hours and cost approximately $37-45 dollars one way. Check Tallink for the ferry schedule between Tallinn and Stockholm. The ships depart Tallinn at 6:00 p.m. and arrive in Stockholm at 9:00 a.m. the next day. They only sail between May through August and have different class staterooms;
- There is a plaque in front of every historical building in English and Estonian with detailed information;
- Tallinn's population is 1.4 million;
- Estonians speak a Finno-Ugric language that was totally beyond our comprehension;
- Tallinn Ulemiste Airport has direct flights from all large European capitals, served 1.8 million passengers in 2008 and is only 10 minutes from the center of Tallinn;
Continue reading "Estonia Facts and Trivia" »
We awoke on a sunny day in Tallinn feeling like new people after a great night's sleep and immediately headed down for breakfast. And what a breakfast it was. Gigantic buffet with bacon, hard boiled and scrambled eggs, salads, fish, fruits, bread, pastry, hot and cold cereals, yogurt, cold cuts, coffee and tea. Crowded with Finns getting ready to checkout and take a ferry back to Finland.
The Reval Hotel Central...View image... is an easy four-block walk to the old town. Location...location...location, and armed with a map from the hotel, we set off at a leisurely pace to enjoy and lose ourselves in the medieval ambiance of Tallinn. The Explore group wasn't scheduled to arrive until tonight when we'd meet for orientation, and the "Historic Baltic Republics" would officially begin tomorrow morning. Down Narva Mnt Street and past the Hotel Viru, infamous as the former Intourist Hotel where every room was tapped and monitored by the KGB. Now, just an ordinary hotel. At busy Parnu Mnt Street, cross over using the stop lights or pedestrian walkways only if there is no light. ex-Marine actually saw a jaywalker get a ticket! It appears that they take jaywalking seriously in Tallinn. Can you believe that? We were also shocked that cars, trolleys, trucks and buses will actually stop and wait for pedestrians as long as you are in a crossing zone without even a honk. Can you believe that! Estonia also prides itself on being completely WI-FI (more about that later).
Continue reading "Exploring Tallinn, Estonia's Medieval City" »
It was a very easy 8-hour flight from Chicago to Frankfurt on United Airlines even if we were sitting in Economy. I zen into watching movies, always pick pasta from the two selections and try not to think about cramped quarters. Once in Frankfurt, it became slightly more difficult to stay in the "zen" mode. Frankfurt Airport changed their security process again and you must go through one huge area of security before you connect to Terminals A, B, C or D. This took over one hour before heading into a Lufthansa Club (privilege even on a free ticket if you maintain Elite Status with United Airlines). Good thing we had a couple of hours before the once-a-day Lufthansa flight to Tallinn.
It is a very short two-hour flight to Tallinn's Ulemiste Airport and we were the only passengers in Business Class. Lufthansa never ceases to amaze me. Fly any one of the American carriers on a two-hour flight and you're lucky if a bag of pretzels is passed out. Lufthansa offered a choice of two hot meals in Business Class and fed all Economy passengers as well. ex-Marine and I sat in Business Class by our lonesome with a flight attendant practically standing over us, eager to do something...anything. What else was there to do for two hours except admire the clear scenery over the Baltic Sea as we approached Tallinn.
Continue reading "Arriving in Tallinn, Estonia" »
Air? This was easy. Booked a non-stop Chicago-Frankfurt flight on United Airlines and turned in miles for business class tickets from Frankfurt to Tallinn, on Lufthansa which is where the tour begins and ends. A brief word on getting free tickets with miles. Book far in advance. Book off season. Other airlines to Tallinn are: Estonian Air, Finnair, SAS, and EasyJet.
Hotels? We needed a night before the trip began at the Reval Hotel Central, in Tallinn where the Explore group would stay. Big suggestion! If you ever need pre- or post-joining hotels, check rates with your tour operator first and then go online to see what rate you can get. In this particular instance (really an anomaly) Explore's rate was double the Orbitz rate. Guess who we booked with? Another night was needed at the end in Frankfurt because Lufthansa only has one flight a day to and from Tallinn and we'd misconnect. Used Orbitz for this reservation also and booked the Leonardo Hotel at the Frankfurt Airport, the cheapest hotel available that night with free shuttle service and prepaid to lock in the price. Orbitz's Latest Top Hotel Deals in one spot
Continue reading "Planning The Baltic Republics, Europe" »
In the process of researching a fall vacation (when aren't I researching...), another Adventure Center offering intrigued me. The Baltic Republics with its three countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. (Check out the Adventure Center "Find Your Adventure" on this side of this page for more information.) This particular trip is run by Explore U.K., one of ex-Marine's (husband, Steve) and my favorite tour operators, represented in the United States by Adventure Center. This would be our 16th trip with Explore and I don't use tour operators who aren't up to snuff. Just too many other reputable travel operators/consultants who would love your business to bother with a sub-par one.
"Historic Baltic Republics" was a cultural tour of the three countries, often seen as one nation. Each has its own identity, language, traditions and currency. They will adopt the EU currency around 2012, but for now, this could be a little challenging! All three countries have been occupied by different invaders since the 13th century and spent the last 50 years under Soviet occupation.
Continue reading "Europe's Historic Baltic Republics" »
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