Thursday Aug 27th, 2025 – Greenville to Krakow
Today is travel day, not my favorite activity, sitting in an airplane that is. Most airplanes nowadays seem to be built for your average asian pre-adult. So assume you are a skinny built, 5’2” boy or girl and you will fit just fine in the seats of a modern aircraft. For me the story is different, you’d understand if you had ever seen me. I am 6’1” and the years have left a trail of extra weight in all the wrong places. So for me an economy aircraft seat is no picnic. But this trip too I have survived.
Friday Aug 28th, 2025 – Krakow, Poland
Both of us arrived at our hotel with a severe case of jet-lag. We tried to shake it off with a short nap followed by a walk in the city and a late lunch. Usually that is enough for us to shake it, but not this time. Walking feels like our feet are stuck in molasses. We are grateful for the many benches everywhere in Krakow and stop frequently.
On the walk back we start checking out places to eat. Neither one of us truly has much of an appetite. Our internal clock are pretty mixed up. Nonetheless we sit down for a bite to eat and a drink. This happens at one of the many terraces that litter the square where our hotel Wentzl is located.
The Rynek Główny Square is a lot more alive than us. This is where all the action of Krakow is concentrated. We enjoy our food and drinks and listen to the activity on the square. But it’s time to give in to the jet-lag and turn in for the night. Tomorrow we need to get up really early to visit Auschwitch/Birkenau and the Salt Mines.
Friday Aug 29th, 2025 – Auschwitz/Birkenau and the Salt mines
Thanks to jet-lag we both sleep early and are able to get up very early at 4:30AM. We need to leave early as we have a full schedule today. Our hotel has provided two large lunch packets to keep us going today. Later we actually take the time to check the bags they gave us. It proves enough to feed the whole bus we are traveling in. First we are picked up by taxi at the hotel and dropped off at the departure point of the bus. Our group consists of 14 people: Italian, Danish, Scottish, American and Cypriots, so quite a mixed company.
Auschwitz
After about an hour we arrive at Auschwitz. We are the first in line of all the groups that have just arrived. After a short wait, we go through the security check. We get our headphones so we can hear the guide and enter the yard.
Auschwitz is a camp that cannot be described. It’s incomprehensible what the nazi’s have done here during the second world war. The scale of the murder of Jews, Poles, Roma, Russians and many other nationalities goes beyond what a normal brain can understand. They try to show it by displaying the objects left behind by the victims of the atrocities. Many simple articles such as glasses, shoes, suitcases and mountains of hair cut off from the arrivals before being sent to the gas chambers.
Birkenau
At the end of the line are the crematoria in Birkenau. The nazi’s attempted to blow everything up before fleeing from the approaching allied armies. Ruble here sits on either side of a large monument built in 1962 to commemorate this area. The monument is built in typical Soviet style, as Poland was then still a Soviet satellite state.
We return to our bus and head to the Salt Mines on the east side of Krakow. The ride is long enough to rock everyone into a deep slumber. When we awaken, we stop at a restaurant for drinks and/or food, before heading into the Salt Mines. The mines are deep and cold and we walk a very long distance while visiting, descending uncountable stair steps.
Salt Mines
The mines are very old. Aside from mining the valuable salt, the people here have also carved out many statues, chambers and even cathedral like rooms. One room is an actual church where regular mass is held. Everything is made of salt, even the confessional pew, that was made only last month. Most other areas and statues are much older, some as old as 700 years.
When our guide tells us the end of the tour has come, we are happy that we can take an elevator back. By now we have dropped to a depth of more that 140 meters below the street level. There are many groups that need to ascend. I joke that I hope the elevator can accommodate at least forty people at a time. As it turns out there are two elevators, but they are the size of a shoe box. None the less, we are packed inside like sardines and then ascend at a very high speed.
We are happy to see the sun again, and all pile into the bus. Luckily none of our group has opted for the one hour museum option at the end of the tour. Otherwise we would all have to wait in the hot sun for them to return. As it was, we can pile back into the bus and sleep our way back to Krakow.
Back to Krakow
In the bus, Gepke makes a reservation at the Straka Restaurant. This is a place we saw recommended on youtube. It’s quite a hike from our hotel to the restaurant, but by now we’re used to long walks. The food was very good. We end the day with a Salted Caramel ice cream cone, which seemed appropriate considering the mines we just visited. We spend some time at the Rynek Głósny Square that was a buzz with activity on this Friday evening.
Saturday 30th Aug, 2025 – Krakow, Poland
Today we remain in Krakow to discover the sights in town. We are impressed with the full breakfast offered in our hotel. There are different egg dishes, and a large choice of other offerings we gladly indulge in.
Following this large breakfast we have no other choice than to walk off all those calories again. We head out onto the square in front of our hotel. Here we wait until 10AM to hear the trumpet of St. Mary’s Basilica. The trumpet here has been played every hour, 24 hours every day since 1392. On that day the original trumpet player was shot in the throat, when trying to warn residents of the approaching Mogul Army.
Rynek Underground Museum
After the trumpet player waves, we go and buy tickets for the Rynek Underground museum. A few stairs take us down to the levels where the old ruins are of the original medieval town. The archeological digs ended here by leaving everything that was unearthed in place and cover it with the square above. The history preserved in the manner is on display in the underground museum.
Following the museum we walk to the Wawel Castle. Instead of entering each individual paid option, we decide to just admire the outside of the castle. After walking around here, we continue to the Kazimierz, an older Jewish part of Krakow. To us it does not look that much different than the rest of Krakow, just more graffiti.
By now we have ventured further away from our residence. So we start back in the direction of the hotel while looking for a place to have a drink. However, we do not find it and end up at the hotel for a nap. The evening meal we wish to have outside our hotel as we noticed they have Schnitzel on the menu.
Sunday 31st Aug, 2025 – Krakow to Warsaw
Gepke decided not to wake me up this morning as we have plenty of time. As a result I slept until 8AM. During breakfast we discuss our plans for the day. At 11:50 our train for Warsaw leaves. So since we have enough time, we decide to walk to Krakow Głowny Station. Our suitcases sing a song as they roll over the cobblestones of the old medieval streets.
After about 20 minutes we enter the train station, of course waaaay too early as we have more than an hour before the train leaves. We fill the time at a cafe with two Americano Coffees, appropriately named after us. As the train number shows up on the departure screen, we can now make our way to “Peron 5”, from where we will depart.
Train to Warsaw
The last coach is the first class coach, which we have booked. The seats in the train are two side by side and one by itself on the other side of the isle. That means they are wide enough for my substantial backside; this should be a comfortable ride. Another surprise is that we are offered food and drink in with our ticket. I enjoy tenderloin sliders and coffee. Not bad for train food.
After about 2,5 hours we arrive at Warsaw Central Station. It’s a bit chaotic and confusing for us at first. We follow the herd of people at the station and end up in some kind of shopping mall. After some more confusing hints from google maps we finally just ask someone how we get outside. Once there we can pickup a route to our hotel: Teatro.
Hotel Teatro
It’s about a 25 minute walk to the hotel. Although not far it’s clumsy with all our luggage in the busy streets packed with people. Still we find the hotel and a friendly lady at the desk helps us to check in. After settling in and taking a short nap, we head out to find a place to eat. We find a Greek restaurant and enjoy Moussaka and Greek Meatballs.
For dessert Gepke has ice cream down the road, whereas I find a candy store. In here you can fill your bag with one of more of many selections of candy. Thery vary from salty licorice, through chocolate cover nuts to supersweet candies. I decide to indulge in a few grams; 250 to be exact. I’m sure they’ll be gone tomorrow. Sweet have a tendency to get lost in my vicinity.
Monday 1st Sep, 2025 – Warsaw, Poland
It’s Monday, a bad day for tourism in most countries. Most museums and other attractions are often closed on Monday. So today will be one of those days where we walk a lot and admire the scene of the city. We do this after a tasty breakfast in the basement of our hotel. The basement reminds me of the warehouse basements of the canal homes in Utrecht where I was born.
Gepke has a list of sights she’d like to mark off. So we head out on a course she has set for us. I eagerly conform, as I don’t always want to have to point out the way. Although my sense of direction is a little better than hers. In this manner we visit the things on our list. Old town Market Square with the Syrenka Mermaid, the Royal Route, Royal Castle and Gardens, Barbican and walls of the old town and many more.
It’s cold out today and I am eyeballing a place where we can have Hot Chocolate. Unfortunately I end up settling for an Americano Coffee. To ensure we take a more direct route back to the hotel, I take over the navigation. By accident we also discover the Ghetto Wall marker in the street which we could not find before. This is a common occurrence on our trips. When we look for things we can’t find it, but end up tripping over it when we give up.
Tuesday 2nd Sep, 2025 – Warsaw Poland
After breakfast we head for the Museum of Life under Communism. As usual the walk to the destination is as interesting as the destination itself. We are so immersed in the environment that we completely pass the museum. Only when I look for the way on Google Maps do I see that we already passed it.
Life under Communism
The museum is very small, but it shows life between the end of the second world war and the fall of the iron curtain in detail. After Poland was “liberated” by the Soviets, life did not improve much. Everything was still hard to get and often rationed. Objects that are common in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s in Poland are displayed here along with a timeline of events with highlights. Some of these highlights are things that we remember too.
The first protests were also news in the west and we remember seeing these on the news. Especially the activities resulting in the organization of the union Solidarity is still somewhat fresh in my mind. Lech Wałęsa was a name as famous in the west as it was in Poland. But the museum also show the whimsical daily objects as radios, vacuum cleaners, soap, sugar, flour in their original packaging. All things that were not easy to get, whereas we in the west never even gave it a second thought when buying it.
The small Fiat 126 that was built as a Polish version is on display. Also a complete room with bed, washing machine, Black & White TV and small kitchen. I can highly recommend this museum if you are ever to visit Warsaw. Especially if you are of a generation that remembers the time of Soviet domination.
We discover Radium
By now we are quite a way from our next destination. We consider trying public transportation, but the weather is good and it’s just fun to walk in this city. We make it to the Marie & Pierre Curie museum, just to find out that the entry is free on Tuesdays. Lucky us! Madame Curie earned two Nobel prizes for her work in physics and chemistry. She is mostly known for her work with discovery of Radium and Polonium.
However she was also a daughter, sister, wife and mother more as is explained. The museum has many of the objects she used for her work. But also photos and stories of her life as a student in Poland and France. About her life with Pierre who was killed in a car accident. Also other stories about her children and her later life until her death in 1934.
After this museum we head back to the hotel. Easier said than done as by now we have covered quite a distance. However we are still not tempted to take a bus, tram or taxi. We have dinner in the evening at the “Eatmosphere” restaurant on the outside terrace. That is a recurring phenomenon: eating and having drinks outside on a terrace.
Prices for food and drink are reasonable here in Poland. That will change when we fly to Finland tomorrow morning.
Wednesday 3rd Sept, 2025 – Warsaw to Helsinki
The alarm clock is set for 5:45AM, but we are both already awake. We pack our stuff and head downstairs to get the taxi we ordered. Our driver is somewhat talkative in the beginning of the ride, but settles down later. He drops us off at the terminal of Chopin Airport, which the Poles pronounce as “Shoppin’ Airport”.
Shoppin’ Airport
One of the more chaotic airports we have visited. It takes us a few moments to get our bearings. Gepke gets in line into one of the very long lines for checkin. I walk a little further and see that our checkin counter is on line further away and very short. Gepke joins me and we can drop our luggage and head for the security line.
Here something odd happens. We need to go through these electronic gates. As Gepke has to try multiple times to get it to read her boarding pass, it won’t do mine. She is not allowed back, and I cannot continue and need to walk to the other side of the airport. We text each other and agree to meet at the gate once we individually get through security. Luckily we are both carrying our own passport.
Flight to Helsinki
After each figuring our way through the crowded and confusing airport we meet again at the gate. We have a quick coffee then it’s already time to board. The flight is about 90 minutes, of which I was only aware for about 10 minutes. I have a hard time staying awake in an airplane. Some people call me lucky.
In Helsinki we grab an Uber to Hotel Fabian, where we will be staying the next three days. We buy some snacks at a supermarket around the corner. Then we rest in our room, and later have dinner at a Thai eatery. It’s raining now, so we race back to the hotel and call it a day. Tomorrow is Gepke’s birthday; she turns 35 for the second time.
Thursday Sept 4th, 2025 – Helsinki, Finland
Happy Birthday Gepke! We celebrate by walking many miles today, and visit a laundry shop. We drop 3.5 kg of clothes and will be charged 45 Euros. Not cheap, but much less than 27 euros the hotel charges just for one pair of trousers. Helsinki is not cheap, more like hardly affordable. Salaries must be fairly high here to survive. But we’re just here to visit, and visit we do.
We visit a lot of Cathedrals, as apparently the Fins are a lutheran society. Of course our path also follows Monuments like Sibelius, Mannerheim and the Three Blacksmiths. The latter are btw nude men doing blacksmith work. It’s a mystery to me why you would expose your genitals to hot sparks like that…
As we are getting further away from our hotel, we walk a while to go back to down town. Here we have a cup of coffee and visit the train station with the “lamp bearers” statues in front of the building. While walking through the city, we keep running into people with folded newspaper hats on their head. They end up all gathering near the Helsinki Cathedral where they are yelling really loud. As it turns out, they are first years students of the University going through some kind of initiation.
In honor of Gepke’s birthday we visit a bakery for some coffee with red velvet cake. Every birthday must have cake! Passing by the Uspenski Cathedral and the Ursa observatory we walk back to our hotel. In our room a birthday present is waiting for Gepke. The management left a disk of candies with a note congratulating her.
It the evening we have dinner at the Sea Horse Restaurant. Excellent dinner!
Friday 5th Sept, 2025 – Helsinki, Finland
We are barely in time for breakfast today, which is until 10AM, as we are a little lazy today. We walk to the harbor area and first check out where we need to get on our ferry to Talinn tomorrow. Harbor areas are the same all over the world, industrial, very few people and not very attractive. Finland is the exception to the rule. Yes, there are few people, but the buildings do not look very industrial, and I did not feel unsafe. In most South American harbors I have been you are advised not to walk around as a tourist.
We find the entrance to the Viking ferry and a friendly lady explains us what to expect tomorrow. I think we should be able to figure it all out. We head back to downtown Helsinki to find another ferry, this time the one to Suomenlinna Island. This is a Unesco location with a sea fort. Our visit to Finland would not be complete without at least one fort visit.
Suomenlinna Island
We struggle to figure out how to buy a ticket for the ferry. We were about to pay 10 euros per person for them. Then, just to be sure, we ask an official looking woman. She tells us to buy only a single ride there, and another single back. This way will end up costing only 14 euros for both of us. We gladly take this advice. Later on board we find out that our credit card has declined the payment, so for now it’s free…
All of Suomenlinna can be visited by walking to whatever sites need to be visited. However, instead of walking, most of the time is spent standing, moving, standing and moving again. This turns out to be much more demanding than just walking at a brisk pace. However, we see a lot, visit a few military museums and even board an old submarine.
History
Everything here is about the history of Finland, which is not really that old. The area we now call Finland was first part of Sweden. Later it was taken over by the Russian Empire, before fighting for independence in 1918. This fight was against the Soviets, who just took over Russia and did not want the Fins to become independent. For a while they fought on their own, then during WW II got some help from the Nazi’s. They had to pay for that after the war,. A large area of Finland was annexed by the Allies and in the end became part of Russia.
By the end of the day our feet are protesting. We invest in a final sprint to be on time to catch the ferry back to the mainland. We then get some junk food at the market place. Fish and chips which we eat on a small table at the market place.
After a while we find a terrace to have some drinks and people watch before heading back to the hotel. We stop at our favorite supermarket for some snacks and head home.
Saturday Sept 6th, 2025 – From Helsinki to Tallinn
It’s Saturday, and today’s breakfast is served at a later time, so people can sleep in. However, we need to eat and go, as we have a ship to catch. Immediately after breakfast, we drag all our luggage behind us and check out of our hotel. The easy way would be to take a taxi or Uber to the docks, but why do anything easy? We walk with our suitcases trailing us, so we can get a last view of Helsinki.
Ferry
The checkin and boarding of the ship goes smoothly, and before we know it we are on board of the Viking Xprs. Why the ship’s name lacks any imagination is a mystery to us. We settle in some pillowed chairs and pile our luggage around us like soldiers defending an area they just conquered. We take turns discovering the ship and surroundings while the other guards our belongings.
After about two and a half hours we arrive in Tallinn, where the disembarkation takes place in a less smooth manner. All 2400 passengers need to fit into a long and small corridor in order to get down to the street level. Again here we decide a taxi is too easy and start walking with our suitcases trailing and backpacks hanging on us. After walking a little this way and admiring the city around us, we stop at a park bench to recover a little. We look like a couple of homeless people sitting there with all our luggage around us.
Homeless in Talinn
As we have now caught our breath and continue, we discover we are only a block from our hotel, the Ibis Styles. We check in and drop on the bed for a quick nap. We intend to have an early dinner before meeting up with our group at around 7PM this evening. That dinner takes place at an Indian restaurant named Ginger Cafe.
Later that evening, we meet the Explorer group we will be traveling with. As usual with groups like this they hail from a variety of countries. Most are from the UK, Australia and the US. They are also mostly in our age group. The group expedition leader is a woman from Lithuania named Margarita, she is probably the youngest of our group. We join them for drinks when they all go out for dinner, but leave around 9:30PM. At that time their dinner had still not been served.
Sunday 7th Sept, 2025 – Tallinn, Estonia
We are joined by a local Estonian guide today, named Julia. She takes us for walk in old town Tallinn and explains all the sites we see along the way. We actually walk part of the route we walked back from the restaurant yesterday. It looks a lot less challenging in the daylight than yesterday in the dark. At that time we were struggling to find the way with the flashlight on our mobile phones.
Old Town Tallinn
Julia shows us several spots in old town Tallinn. The old area surrounded by an old wall and a city park. Some highlights are the independence monument, the town hall, the centuries old Apothecary, some Orthodox churches, some Lutheran and many buildings with their own story. Many of the old buildings now are home to hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops.
Tallinn has been around in the Baltics some way or another for nearly 1000 years. Many other different countries wanted to be in charge, and therefore many stories can be told. Some I’m sure are true, but the ones about ghosts and devilish parties I do not really believe.
Around noon Julia leaves us to discover the town on our own. We start out, in our own way, with coffee on one of the many street cafe’s. Then Gepke marks out some sites and instructs me to lead her to them; I am mostly the navigator.
We visit the area known as Roterman, which is a former industrial area that has been modernized and turned into what the British refer to as a “Posh neighborhood”. From here we return to old town and have a late lunch/early dinner at Restaurant Rataskaevu 16. The meal was amazing and the staff very friendly and entertaining.
Hellemann Tower
We enter the Hellemann Tower so we can walk along the city walls for a short distance. The stairs leading op and down are challenging, narrow and with people coming down from the opposite direction just as we are climbing them upwards. My legs feel like limp noodles by the time were back at ground level. But we continue onward.
We head back to the hotel through old town. All the while we run into the occasional person of our travel group that is also checking out the town. We exchange stories and move on again.
Monday 8th Sept, 2025 – Tallinn to Saarema Island
We hit the road again this morning. We board our bus, driven by Alexander or Sasha for short. Our driver is a young Russian who fled Russia to avoid being sent to Ukraine to fight in a war he does not agree with. Driving us around seems like a much better deal, and he appears to enjoy it.
Muhu Island
Our first stop is the ferry to Muhu Island. The ferry ride is only 30 minutes, so we barely have time to check out the ship. There is not much to see anyway, it is a standard small ferry, though large enough to carry 700 passengers. Today I doubt there are more than 10% of it’s capacity. In Estonia peak tourist season has already passed.
Next stop will be the Muhu Museum. This is dedicated to a peasant community that has lived in the region since the 16th century. On the way there we briefly stop at an old church. However, it is closed so we skip this in the hope to get to another old church further down the road. As Gepke would say: ABC (Another Bloody Church).
The Muhu Museum open air is interesting. The old buildings of this community have been preserved and also restored and/or renovated. A famous Estonian writer also lived here named Juhan Schmuul. There are a few artifacts that remind of his writing career here. Some of the other buildings are dedicated to farming. It also shows the processing of different farm products such as wool from sheep and flax.
Everywhere around the buildings they have planted apple trees that are full of small tart apples. Visitors are encouraged to eat these; personally I prefer a sweeter apple. We walk to the beach near the village to see where the local fishermen would launch their boats to do their work. Then we return to the bus and Sasha takes us on to the next item of interest. We cross a causeway onto Sareema island.
Sareema island
We stop at a church under renovation. Here too we cannot enter, but outside there are some things to see. There are a few oddly shaped gravestones or markers. Also stone carvings in the outside walls and a generally beautiful area surrounding the church. Most churches here as with this one are dedicated to St. Nicolas. Apparently the Turkish bishop from Myra got around, and not just as Santa Claus.
We stop again to see a hand full of windmills and buy some ice cream. I should be more interested in the windmills. However I have more fun playing with the friendly dog that hangs out here. The last stop wasd at the Kaali crater where a meteor hit several thousand years ago.
The Asa Spa hotel where we have just arrived looks to me like a dilapidated Soviet resort. It has clearly seen better times, and can use an upgrade. Like for instance air conditioning as the temperature in the rooms is uncomfortably warm. Opening a window is possible, but then you need to deal with the noise of the busy street and the mosquitoes.
We repeat our decision of yesterday not to eat with the group. Instead we have a cosy dinner at Good Mood Food about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. It’s restaurant week so there is no menu to choose from. Instead we can choose either Vegan or non-Vegan, and we choose one of each. Both taste very good, so we are not disappointed.
Tuesday 9 Sept, 2025 – Kuresaare Saarema, Estonia
My judgement of the hotel yesterday was a little too harsh. What I said was true, but it has some nice things too. The location is perfect, right next to the castle in the center of the city. Great breakfast in a dining room with a beautiful view of the shore. They could use an upgrade of the toilet paper however.
Kuresaare Castle
This morning we started with a walk to the castle in the middle of Kuresaare. The castle is one of many old castles in Estonia and although originally built from wood in the 13th century, the current stone structure dates from around the 1550’s. We are invited in the castle that is truly a maze of corridors, passages, rooms, stone and wood stairs.
Every room represents a period in the history of Estonia. From the stone age, around 13000 years ago, until now. Through the conquest of different empires until the current period of 34 years in which Estonia has been truly free of oppressors. Also the Soviet era is represented as just another era in which the Russians have occupied the country.
After being lost inside the castle several times, we finally make it to the outside world again, where we investigate the bastions and other objects of interest. We have some coffee outside of one of the bastion basements that has been converted into a cafe.
At Söök and Jook, a small restaurant not far from our hotel. we have a late lunch. Burgers and fries, and the waitress is rather surprised that I do not care for cheese on my fries. I know cheesy fries is a thing for some people, but to think you cannot eat fries without cheese goes a little far.
A walk through Kuresaare
In the afternoon we went for a walk in Kuresaare, under the guidance of a local teacher. She teaches English in town, and has done so for 40 years, which means she was teaching English when Estonia was still a Soviet state. She is very knowledgeable about the town’s buildings and takes us inside the townhall.
In the council chambers we can admire the ceiling on which a huge 5×7 meter canvas painting is attached. Unfortunately no one knows where the painting originated or who painted it. It is also seriously deteriorated and in need of some renovation.
By bus we visit a few other sites in and near the town. A statue of Suul and Piotr, two giants that are considered protectors of Kuresaare. Then also a walk through the civil and military cemetery, where Germans and Russians have been buried since the 18th century. Via the harbour we return to the hotel, where we can recover from all this culture.
Wednesday 10th Sept, 2025 – Kuresaare to Tartu
Not much physical activity today. The distance from Kuresaare to Tartu kept us in the bus most of the day. We got off the bus at the ferry crossing and again at Viljandi and Pärnu, two towns on the way to Tartu.
We walked around both towns where we stopped to admire the old buildings. But I wonder how long these building will remain standing. It looks like not much money or effort is put in them to renovate or restore and they are crumbling away. In Viljandi we saw the remains of a castle of which less than the ruins remain. You’ll need a lot of imagination to recognize a castle in it.
Late in the afternoon we arrived in Tartu; a modern and vibrant city. We have dinner as a group at a large table in restaurant Wilde Ja Vine, dedicated to Oscar Wilde and Eduard Wilde.
Thursday 11th Sept, 2025 – Tartu
This hotel has an odd bathroom, where the toilet is more or less integrated with the shower. It is possible to separate the shower with a curtain, but regardless of that everything gets wet. So it is important to place items such as toilet paper at a safe distance outside the bathroom.
After puzzling with the shower we head down to the basement for breakfast. It’s the standard fare we’ve become used to, though the coffee is very strong this time. The guide for the day in Tartu is waiting a little later to take us for a walk through town.
Merika
Our guide’s name is Merika, pronounced as America without the “A”. She takes us past many buildings, most of them now belonging to the University, but in the past they functioned as government buildings and some even as hospitals.
Her explanation of the history of this part of the Baltics fits nicely within what I have learned overall about north European history. The Russian and Swedish Empires that fought against one another using Estonia as a battleground. Also the effects the reformation had on the city and its inhabitants. Catholics, Orthodox and Lutherans did eventually learn to live with each other. Nowadays however, most Estonians are irreligious.
After the walk with the guide, Gepke and I continue to walk and also stop for coffee and pastries at Cafe Werner. We then continue our way to the University Botanical Garden. Most plants are at the end of their growing season, not many are in bloom anymore. The walk slowly takes us back to the hotel.
Friday 12th Sept, 2025 – Tartu to Riga
A long travel day today. Our end destination will be Riga in Latvia, but there will be some stops along the way. First there is the town of Cesis. The idea was to visit a medieval castle here. However, due to the rain Gepke and I choose to have lunch in a local restaurant instead. I guess we are getting “castle fatigue”. We are not willing to brave the weather for ABC (Another Bloody Castle).
After lunch we went on to Gauja National Park and stopped at Sigulde Castle. However, here too the rain chased us back into the bus after a short photo stop of the outside of the castle. On then to Turaida Castle where it was dry enough to enter the castle grounds.
Turaida Castle
We started with the sculpture garden then went on into the castle itself. As we were only given 20 minutes for the castle, a few of our group and myself ran up the stairs of the nearest tower. This turned out to be quite an athletic endeavor, as the top of the tower was 120 meters.
Out of breath we reached the top floor and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the surrounding area. After the obligatory photos I went down again and ran into Gepke going up. Downstairs we visited a few of the other parts of the castle and then returned to the bus.
Most of the passengers in the bus had exerted enough effort to pass the rest of the trip to Riga in peaceful slumber. The hotel in Riga (Konventa Serta) could not be reached by the bus. So we had to walk the last few hundred meters dragging our luggage over the medieval cobblestones.
The hotel room here was one of the better ones on this trip, with AC, comfy beds and safe for valuables. We had dinner with the group at restaurant Locale. In the evening Gepke and I found our way back to the hotel on our own.
Saturday 13th Sept, 2025 – Riga
This morning our local guide Anita was ready for us at 9AM for a 3 hour walk through Riga. The city is beautiful with many restored buildings dating back to the 13th century. There are also many Art Nouveau and Jugendstil buildings with impressive facades full of statues.
Anita explains everything enthusiastically, even of the Soviet period of which she is clearly not too happy about. For many people the Soviet occupation was just a continuation of the second world war period. The German occupiers were just replaced by Soviet soldiers.
She also spoke of the other periods which involved Swedes, Danes, Germans, Russians, and this all before the 20th century had even started. The Baltic states have not experienced much liberty and have worked hard to get where they are now.
On our own through Riga
Around noon, Gepke and I continue on our own after being released by Anita. We start with a cup of coffee near the center town square. Here we get our bearings and set out a path for the afternoon. Our route takes us through the Art Nouveau district where we nearly fall over backwards from looking up at the impressive houses here.
Then we walk to the Zeppelin Market, but are sidetracked by McDonalds; a snack of French Fries is just too much to pass on. Afterwards we continue to the market across the rail tracks.
Old airship hangars have been converted into a market where literally everything appears to be for sale. It’s easy to get lost here and forget why you came here originally. After the market we decide to head back to the hotel. On the way back we stop briefly for a beer and wine, then find our hotel again.
In the evening we all join together for dinner at Salve Restaurant. Gepke and I are separated each to a far end of the table. Other people in the group make a bigger deal of it than we ourselves. We know that we will always end up together again.
Sunday 14th Sept, 2025 – Riga
We are on our own today and we celebrate that by visiting the former KGB headquarters of Latvia. Actually, celebrate would be a wrong word here. The KGB in Latvia were not the most friendly, nor popular organization. This becomes clear in the Corner House as this building was known in Soviet days.
The Corner House
The guide who herself was not yet born during Soviet occupation shows us around the different rooms. Some were used as cells, other rooms for interrogation. There is a kitchen to prepare food for prisoners, and from the stories it is clear they did not get fat on their diet. All in all the stories are heart breaking and scary. It was not a good time to be alive.
After this dark tour through history, we are outside again and head back to the Freedom Monument, where on the way here we had seen a large gathering of people and soldiers. At first it looked like a demonstration, but upon closer inspection it turns out to be a celebration of the young soldiers that have been called to serve in the army for the next 11 months.
There is music and marching, men and women in traditional costume parading around the square. Apparently this is an annual recurring thing here in Riga, as I learn after asking a local what is going on.
St. Peter’s Church
Our trip continues to our first stop for coffee. We then put together a plan for the next stops. First is the St. Peter’s Church, where Gepke wants to go to the top to get her bearings. I already have mine from mapping the routes we’ve been taking in the last few days, so I remain downstairs.
After she descends, we walk to Our Lady of Sorrows Church and Riga Castle. Both are nice photos ops. Inside the castle we have the option to visit the National Museum that is located here, but we skip that. Instead we walk to the river bank and sit on the steps for a while and watch all the passengers of the “My Schiff 7” return for departure. It’s a huge cruise ship that is moored just before the Vansu Bridge, which is too low for it to pass under.
Old Town Riga
We climb the bridge and use it to return into the old town of Riga. Along the way we buy an Ice Cream and shop for some snacks for our bus ride tomorrow. More or less by accident we find ourselves back at our hotel that is located smack in the center of the old town.
After a short rest in the hotel room we walk to Casa Del Pasta on the other side of the block of homes where our hotel is located. No restaurant is very far from us here in old town Riga, After a good meal we stop at another place for dessert and then walk, or wobble, back to our hotel.
Monday 15th Sept, 2025 – From Riga to Klaipeda
A long travel day again to the coastal city of Klaipeda. Along the way we stopped at the Rundale Palace, designed by the same person who designed the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The inside of the palace was over the top opulent, and full of time period objects. Ernst Johann von Biron and his descendents lived here starting around the 18th century.
After the tour through the palace we were given some time on our own to look at the gardens and other grounds of the palace. We then got back to the bus, and continued our way to the next stop. This is the Hill of Crosses near the city of Šiauliai.
Hill of Crosses
The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania. The precise origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain. It is believed that the first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort after the 1831 Uprising. Over the generations, not only crosses and crucifixes are left. Statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian patriots and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims.
We continue on to Klaipeda, where we arrive in the late afternoon. Our hotel appears to be in a neighborhood full of so called “Gentlemen’s Club”. When we go to dinner in the evening it becomes even more clear, as many are adorned with red lighting.
Dinner is served for us at the Kurpiai restaurant, where we all eat together.
Tuesday 16 Sept, 2025 – Klaipeda and surroundings
In the morning we take the bus to the ferry to cross the lagoon to a sand bank like area of the Curonian Spit. This long sand bank is covered in pine trees, some that grew naturally but also many that were planted by the local population. The Curonian Spit continues all the way to Kaliningrad, but due to circumstances we cannot cross the closed border here.
Instead we stop first halfway to walk through the forest to the Hill of Witches. In 1979 local artists placed many wood carvings that were inspired by folk tales. The Soviets in those days did not mind this, as they were similar to many of the Russian folk tales.
Nida
After the walk we continue to the town of Nida. The bus leaves us here as no vehicles are allowed in the town. First we go to a high point where we can look down on the border of Russia. No official border crossing here for obvious reasons.
Again we walk further until we hit town. As we get closer to the town center, Gepke and I notice the similarities of this area to the island of Texel in the north of Netherlands. In some places it can hardly be seen as different from this Dutch island. We have some time to ourselves and use this to get drinks and a bite to eat.
Baltic Sea
We catch up with our bus on the outskirts of town again and drive back in the opposite direction. First a short stop near the Baltic Sea beach. The wind blows hard and we can enjoy getting our feet wet in the Baltic Sea. Then we head back to the ferry, a trip that most of us experience nodding off.
We arrive at the Amberton Hotel again. This evening we can all go out on our own to find nourishment and other entertainment.
Wednesday 17 Sept, 2025 – Klaipeda to Kaunas
A not so long day in the bus that starts with a one and a half hour drive to a small place that serves as a bathroom stop. It looks like a wedding venue on the inside, and it has a beautiful garden around. The most important thing though for most passenger in our bus are the toilets.
There is also coffee and other beverages that can be purchased, along with what I can only describe as Lithuanian donuts. I try one bite, but they do not taste anything like a donut. They taste more like the Dutch oliebollen I once tried to make from scratch. According to Gepke they did not taste anything like oliebollen, and most of them ended up in the garbage.
Kaunas
Early in the afternoon we arrive in Kaunas, where the bus leaves without us. We go for a walk through town with our guide. This town does not have everything concentrated in an old town area. So we walk here first and visit a few churches and the ruins of a castle.
During our free time Gepke and I have a light lunch at a Georgian Restaurant. I order soup, which was the most spicy soup I have tasted here in the Baltics. However it was very tasty, and very filling.
Best Western in the East
Then we go on to find the bus again that takes us to the Best Western, which is our hotel for the night. It’s located in an older building, but the rooms are modern and spacious. We immediately head out again. Tomorrow we immediately leave again, so we need to use the afternoon and evening to check out Kaunus.
We walk toward St. Michael’s Church and find a restaurant nearby for dinner: Bernelių užeiga Smuklė. The food offered is typical Lithuanian, and my pork dish required some adjustment from my end. Gepke had fish and loved it. On the way back we took Freedom Street and found the most amazing ice cream for dessert.
Also on the way back we found a barber for my traditional vacation haircut. He was so thorough, he even put wax in my nose and ripped out the nose hairs. Thankfully he was less rigorous on my eyebrows and mustache. Anyway, mission accomplished.
Thursday 18th Sept, 2025 – Kaunas to Vilnius
As we continue our trip to our final destination, we have one or two more stops to make. We stuff our back into the trailer of our bus one more time, as this is the last time in this rather tight bus. Then we set off in the direction of the Pažaislis Monastery and Church.
When we arrive, we walk to the monastery where Margarita needs to call the nuns to get the keys to the building. The building is old, but in relatively good shape. Two deep wells are present in the courtyard, each encircled by three huge trees that must be at least 100 years old.
We enter the building and are led through the individual areas that are open to the public. In the meantime Margarita explains the history of this monastery. This order of nuns is dedicated to Casima, a local Lithuanian order. Only 6 nuns are left today, and we have not seen any of them.
Trakai
The next stop on our trip is in Trakai, where we walk through the village to an island in a lake where the Trakai Island Castle is located. This 14th century castle was the home of the Duchy of Lithuania in charge during this era.
The castle was still in ruins at the beginning of the 20th century. It has been restored in several stages to its current glory. A tall local guide leads us through the chambers of the castle and drones the history of each chamber as an autonotome. We follow in docile silence and admire all we see before walking back to the bus.
Then we enter Vilnius, the final city of this trip, so we say goodbye to our driver. Our hotel is again the Amberton, just as we had in Klaipeda. Dinner in the evening is consumed at the Grey. Even though we had plenty of room across three and a half tables, we chose to sit nearly on top of each other at only 2 tables.
Friday 19th Sept, 2025 – Vilnius
On the last day of our tour, we start with a 3 hour walk around the old part of the city under the guidance of Margarita. I have a hard time keeping my attention to the stories she speaks of while we visit the sights of Vilnius. It’s the last day and I am growing impatient and want to explore on my own.
At last that opportunity comes, and rather abruptly some of us separate from the group and head off on our own. It’s still most fun to just walk around the city at your own pace. Although, we do occasionally come across some of the points that Margarita just talked about.
However, now we can admire the sights from our seat on a terrace of a cafe, while enjoying a cup of coffee with way too rich pastries. We can go on a diet when we get back.
Gediminas Tower
We climb to the top of the hill on which the Gediminas Tower stands. It’s quite a climb and after the first very steep section of cobble stones, there are still nearly 100 stair steps to climb. But we make it to the top and are rewarded with a beautiful view of the city.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at two shops for snacks to consume on the trip back to the US. We also walk through the street near our hotel which is closed to traffic and full of market stalls with pretty much anything under the sun for sale.
The evening is spent together again, this is the last time we will be together as a group. Sort of a last supper, without the religious part of it. Tomorrow we need to get up before sunrise to catch a ride to the airport.
Saturday 20 Sept, 2025 – Vilnius to Greenville
The alarm goes off at 4:30AM. We are both immediately awake, as we neither got much sleep. Perhaps that was due to sleeping with the window open. Much noise from the street, the bar nextdoor that is open until 7AM and the Cathedral which bells toll every 15 minutes.
At 5:20AM a taxi pulls up outside with our names, and we are on our way to the airport. Vilnius has a small airport, so we don’t need much time to find our gate. That is quite different when we change planes in Amsterdam, where we walk about a mile before we finally find our gate.
The flight to Washington DC is next and that is 8 hours of hanging out, watching TV and eating junk food. In Washington we have about 3 hours time to get onto the final leg to Greenville-Spartanburg. I don’t sleep much on the plane(s), but I’m sure I will catch up on sleep once we’re home again.
(More photos can be found here)