I crossed the Baltic Sea on a big cargo ferry, ready to be driving through the Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, stopping at the capitals.
That’s right! I left north of Stockholm (Kapellskär) and arrived in a small harbour town (Paldiski) near the capital city Tallinn in Estonia. OMG! It was such a long ride! 9 hours sitting around and waiting. The sea was pretty peaceful and the sea breeze on the deck was great, that said, really, there is not much to do on a cargo ferry otherwise. But as there was lots of room to move it was probably more comfortable than on a plane. And I can‘t believe I would actually go and drive through the Baltic States.
The Baltic States – Estonia, Litvia & Lithuania
Three more countries added to my already 35 visited. As I mentioned previously the aim was to head towards my cousins wedding in Poland (near Katowice) and so it was a good way to do it. In addition I was so close to Belarus (White Russia) and St. Petersburg in Russia but I had no time to visit them nor the visa to do so. Shame, but maybe next time!
Estonia
The Capital of Estonia is TALLINN and I was looking forward to visiting this small medieval town. I have heard that the Baltic states are worth a visit so I couldn‘t wait.
Tallinn was very cute. The old town cobble stone streets were idylic medieval style, with gorgeous buildings, colour and lots of charm. The walls of Tallinn (or the medieval defensive walls) look stunning. It makes it look and feel like a fairy tale city.
The only thing that ruined it a little bit for me were all the tourists. So many of them! I just couldn‘t get a proper photo without the crowds. But I guess it is August and high season for tourists. Oh well. It is what it is, however a very cute town with lots of little streets to see. Worth a visit!
Latvia
Driving through the countries of the Baltic States, I didn‘t stop much in between (don’t think there was too much to see) and so the next stop was the capital city RIGA in Latvia.
Driving into Riga was very different from Tallinn as the city felt much more run down and dirty. I haven‘t seen run down places for a while so I was a bit surprised at the first sight. I only read afterwards that you can actually do a tourist trip to the old Soviet time Suburbs of Riga to see how people lived before the Soviet Iron Curtain fell. It was not something I was interested in seeing. Hearing yes, but no need to visit. Maybe because I was born in Poland in the 80s? Not sure.
The old town is very pretty to visit, slightly bigger than Tallinn and nice to walk around in. I especially loved the United Buddy Bears exhibition that I stumbled across. It is an exhibition organised by the German Embassy and is on display on the Dome Square from 12 July to 22 August 2018. It brought lots of colour into the town and I thought it was amazing! Not to mention that it was a great photo opportunity.
Lithuania
After Latvia, it was Lithuania’s turn. And VILNIUS is the capital city of Lithuania and was therefore my next stop after Riga. It took me over three hours to get there and once I arrived it was time for lunch. I had a great lunch with local cuisine (potato dumplings filled with meat) but that was really all in this town. I didn‘t find anything exciting to see otherwise.
Furthermore the main Cathedral was under construction and the castle (up on a small hill) wasn‘t really a castle but more a viewing point over the city. Personally I don‘t think it is worth a stop, unless you have lots of time to spare. Given that it was destroyed during the wars it is more a new town but still not quite grand enough. Sorry Vilnius.
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Trakai and the Island Castle
However, after Vilnius there was the small town Trakai and the Island Castle. I looked it up as the must see in Lithuania and it was only 20km west of Vilnius and on my way to Kaunas, where I booked for the night. Trakai was a quick stop, adding a few steps, but it was very cute. Yes, still lots of tourists and so I walked around the castle from the outside rather than the inside. It was a great little detour and Trakai had a great feel and idylic vibe of the medieval times. Loved it!
The Baltic States Summary
I booked a night in Kaunas as the final stop before heading back to Poland. I did enjoy Lithuania as well as the Baltic States Estonia and Latvia. That said I am looking forward to being back in my original country where I was born. Although it does maybe scare me a bit to see all my relatives whom most I haven‘t seen since my mum‘s funeral. There will be lots of Vodka for sure!
And Kaunas is left to be explored in the morning. Let‘s see what it has to offer! Until the next time xx
