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Baltic Greenlaning 2021Baltic Greenlaning 2021
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Time to go East again, time for some Baltic 4x4 Adventure - avoiding roads and Greenlaning whenever we can.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia revisited. Read more
  • 26footprints
  • 5countries
  • 22days
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  • 3.7kkilometers
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  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021

    Hectic Countdown, hard decisions

    September 2, 2021 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Hectic and long days at Oldtimer Club FHTS getting our imported Oldtimer IVECO 40.10 4x4 WM /1 legalized and ready for its first Baltic trip.
    For us it is our maiden voyage with this noisy and uncomfortable Camper truck.

    As the packing list is much to extensive for the strict weight limit we have tomorrow will be the day for decisions - what to take (and never use) and what to leave behind (and miss painfully in a couple of days).

    After all our trips and adventures we still get excited during the countdown for departure.

    Do you folks use packing lists or do you pack by inspiration and experience?    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021

    Just a couple of more things to fix

    September 3, 2021 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Well, it started out rather easy this morning...but again it took another complete day until it came all together.

    The good news is that due to being so restrictive when we sorted out our stuff we still have lots of empty packing space - the first time ever!

    And just when we figured it was enough for today we became greedy and tried to ad some music system to the truck - and things went wild😂

    So tomorrow morning we still have to connect the smartphones and tablets for the navigation, but how hard can that possibly be?    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    Day 1

    From hectic to slow motion

    September 4, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    While we can't wait to finally get going things are hectic and dense...until we meet our friends and travel companions and at last cross the border to Poland at Kostrzyn nad Odra.

    A short hike around the Bastion, first sightseeing pics with sunshine, some sweets from the bakery sales stand and suddenly things get slower, deeper and more consistent.

    Our truck behaves well so far and most of the gimmicks installed still work (besides the catastrophic electric installation of previous owners).

    The countryside along the Warta River is smooth, green, wild and full of hidden historic sites.

    Finding a place for 4 in an restaurant turned out to be a challenge - everyone seems to get married today and many places were reserved.

    Then, down at RESTAURACJA KASZTELAN NA PROMENADZIE SANTOKSl, we conquer an outside table just to discover all menue cards are in Polish language only.
    "No problem" the friendly waiter said and starts to translate the menues for us, word by word.

    We stop him because we are almost starved already and waiting time is promised to be another 40 minutes.

    The he food was good, the mood excellent and we start to look for a beautiful spot for the night.

    Needless to say the day ends with campfire tales...    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    1
    Day 2

    Finally the first Biwak Camp

    September 5, 2021 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    The night is bloody cold and I start searching for my better sleeping bag in the middle of the night. For now we are still lacking a system to exactly know where is what in this gigantic camper with lots of hidden space.

    To be honest, it is merely a lack of communication since we both started organizing our necessities and forgot to communicate with each other 😉

    Today we decide to do a significant leap towards the East and drive a couple of hours on solid roads. But we aren't quite happy with this decision and return back to the planned trail. We are slower and see so much more of the fantastic countryside.

    The truck performs well and things are getting more relaxed on the technical side.

    Weather forecast is promising for the next few days, especially when looking to the East.

    Oh, and before I forget - didn't they say our truck was less than 3,49 tons? Well, look what happened to that wrotten bridge after we passed it... 🤔    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    1
    Day 3

    Sunny days, icy skies at night

    September 6, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    The second night in a row with 6-7°C and we're still not quite prepared for this.

    And, clever as we are, we always choose nice lakeside camps or spots on a river bank. So nice and chilly and humid nights is all we experience so far.

    But honestly, would you trade the soft murmur of the lake shore and the foggy mornings over the river for a dry and cosy night at some copy 'n paste hotel or camp ground?

    We just rearrange our equipment and prepare for the nights and slowly but surely the taste and the smell of adventure becomes our daily experience.

    So far the countryside has been a drastic change from busy live along the river banks of Odra, Warta and Co. to slow moving late summer routines of farming and forestry around the north eastern country side.

    Another challenge we underestimated is refueling along the often very remote Greenlaning tracks. We can't recall that searching for gas stations consumed that much of our attention in previous years.

    Tonight, after having a wonderful dinner at a superb little brewery restaurant we decided spend our night in an apartment on a horse ranch. And the hot shower let's you almost forget the curses of last night's chattering teeth contest down by the river.    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    1
    Day 4

    Castles, Dwarfs and Breweries

    September 7, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    This morning we all felt too lazy to get going again. Besides the warm and cozy rooms, the excellent food, the friendly hosts and the stables full of curious hoof crawlers there is so much to be discovered nearby - and we decided to take a one-day-rest from our holidays (to be honest...we need to go shopping for some door seals to prevent the dust crawling into through the backdoors of our "Buddha").

    We have some wonderful ice cream at downtown Malbork, stroll around in one of the world's largest fortresses, enjoy the walk along the riverbanks and the coffee at friendly 25°C.

    And, of course, we find and buy some door seals, managed to silence the awfully noisy driver's seat and fix some electrical outlet issue on the Defender.

    Needles to say that we enjoy some excellent food all during the day.

    Tomorrow is the Kick Off for the next stage to take us Greenlaning up to the Lithuanian border.    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    1
    Day 5

    🛑Under Construction 🚧

    September 8, 2021 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    The day starts with the understanding that overdressed male business junkies are the same all over the world - empty headed egomaniacs with no sense social behavior.
    Same as it ever was, same as it ever...

    Nevertheless our today's trail across Masuri is tasty, divers and challenging (no, not the OFFROAD tracks, it is the long road constructions that really challenge us) and in the end takes us quite close to the Kaliningrad enclave - a little off the track we originally planned. But who cares since we mainly proceed by instinct rather than a plan.    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    Day 6

    Drama, Drama and good food

    September 9, 2021 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Most of the time the track we follow is a narrow one-lane trail. Today we encounter a car parked halfway on the track. As I try to pass it I seem to get uncomfortably close to it with the large side mirror and I make a slight move to the right. A touch too much as it seems and the Buddha decides to jump into the deep ditch on the left side and tends to tip over...

    While Paula and Anke leave the Buddha I shift into 4x4 reduction, throw in all the diff locks and with the counterweight of two helpful souls manage to back out of the ditch. Challenge taken and solved👍

    Along the road we discover a small restaurant - and have an excellent lunch.

    Later in the day we take a break at the base of an old viaduct and take some impressive pictures. As we are already heading back to the main road one of our travel companions realizes that she has lost her smartphone. So it's back to the Viaduct and searching for the beloved "remote control".

    We are lucky again after 10 Min or so, return to the main road and start looking for a place to camp for the night.
    We are rewarded at a well maintained public BBQ place with a great view over the lake.

    Campfire? What else...    Read more

  • Baltic Greenlaning 2021
    1
    Day 7

    Border hopping, Canal stuff + Bye-Bye

    September 10, 2021 in Lithuania ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After a short discussion Ellen and Bernd decide to ride with us for one more day before they start their return trip back home to Hamburg. Goal is to at least set foot into Lithuania and get a taste of what lies ahead of Paula, Anke and myself.

    We start with a short stop at the “Oberländischer Kanal”, a famous channel with a century old ship lifting devices. Perfect timing we have - we arrive just in time to watch a boat to be lifted to the next level.

    Roaming the “Rominter Heide” is next on our schedule - a nature resort and special retreat close to the Polish-Lithuanian border. For centuries it had been used as a hunting area by European Lords, Kings and Emperors and nowadays still is famous for the ruins of old railway Viaducts. Forests are still wild and dark in this area (and without GPS signal) and we loose our way and ride in circles returning to a new scenic tower several times.

    Since we are traveling “after-season” we are almost the only foreign tourists out on the tracks and the local people take their time having a chat with us whenever we stop for food, sight seeing or curiosity.

    Finally we reach the Polish-Russian-Lithuanien triangle and cross the border into Lithuania to take our noon break at Lake Wystit.
    As we enjoy the fantastic view, the sparkling clean water, the border buoys marking the Russian border and the fresh coffee we made, Paula decides to take a stroll and roam the nearby campground for food. Our travel companions would like to spend their last night in a hotel we book a room at the “Villa Skomanda” in Augustow for them - a wonderful small hotel and adventure operator owned by friends of ours.

    We jump in the cars to drive back to Poland for our Bye-Bye dinner – and almost forget to take Paula with us!

    Back to Poland again for our dinner with the “Inselmanns”, sending them to Augustow for the night while we return to Lithuania (again!) to continue our Eastward Bound 2021 experience.

    After an hour or so driving into Lithuania we discover a wonderful nice spot directly at a small lake with a brand new wooden picnic area and a fireplace included.
    A couple of locals come by to go swimming in the lake and later on the local police force makes sure that we're alright.

    To give the day a perfect end the night turns out to be warm and very dry – the first time on this trip.    Read more

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