WanderlustandWhimSea

My Baltic Adventure started in Tallin, Estonia. The Baltic countries include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all on the Baltic Sea. I originally planned to visit on a cruise that included St Petersburg, but the political winds no longer favor that trip, so a land adventure must suffice. As I have learned during my visit, the Baltic countries have experienced centuries of conquest and suppression. The most recent Soviet suppression still weighs on the countries as the freshness of the 34 years of independence is apparent. An excitement for democracy and capitalism and the freedom of religion is very different from what we seem to take for granted in the states.

The end of the Second World War wasn’t kind to the Baltics as hundreds of thousands of rebels were killed or sent to Siberia. This is one of the only memorials recognizing this with victims names.

Riga has one of the biggest neighborhoods of Art Nouveau architecture in the world. The decoration is over the top with grinning cherubs, elaborate masks and shields. The wild thing is there will be one street with cherubs next to a Soviet era grey ugly box apartment building. The juxtaposition is startling.

It’s Europe so of course the trip included several obligatory castles. This one was on an island but it was a cold blustery day with temps starting in the 30’s. Glad to have my Scottish rain coat and puffy vest to venture into the elements.

In the middle of nowhere Lithuania you can find the Hill of Crosses. This was the most unusual site of the trip and a pilgrimage for some folks. Traditionally pilgrims bring a cross and leave it on the hill and this has been going on for hundreds of years. During the Soviet era this was forbidden as was any religious acts. Multiple times the Soviets burnt all the crosses down, blockaded the roads and still the people brought the crosses. Today they estimate hundreds of thousands of crosses are at the site. My visit to the Hill of Crosses was in the driving wind and rain, somehow it seemed appropriate to have to earn a visit to this site.

I would be remiss on a Baltic Blog to not mention the Ukraine. Support for the Ukraine is evident everywhere. Ukrainian flags fly, posters, even the local busses have banners that show the heart and Ukraine. Everywhere they celebrate being part of NATO for 20 years. On the way to Poland, I passed within 30K of Belarus and there were lines of NATO troops on patrol. In the Baltics not only do you get to experience the thrill of an independent republic but how very fragile and threatened that independence is.

So the Baltics were phase 1 of my trip. Phase 2 starts tomorrow in Bratislava, Slovakia and ends in the Czech Republic. Phase 3 is all Poland. Today I took a breather day to relax, energize and of course get a massage, to fortify me for Phase 2. Travel and time on the cobblestones requires energy!