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Europe 2026
  • Joann Pyne
  • Joann Pyne

Europe 2026

We are off to Europe for nine weeks. London, Dublin, Portugal, France and the Balkans. Sadly we are not flying on Emirates first class using points. We are on Singapore Airlines instead. Not as luxurious, but avoiding any unscheduled stops in UAE. Read more
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  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Riga

    May 15–19 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Riga was founded in 1201 and is the largest city in Latvia, home to nearly 600,000 people. It sits at the mouth of the Daugava River, where it meets the Baltic Sea. This strategic position has brought much turmoil over the years. During World War II, the Soviet Union and Germany fought over Latvia, with the USSR eventually claiming the country. As the USSR began to dissolve, a protest known as the Baltic Way was held on August 23, 1989. Nearly 2 million people joined hands to form a continuous 675.5-kilometre human chain across Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to protest Soviet occupation. This protest was pivotal in Latvia’s path to independence between 1991 and 1994.

    The city is extremely beautiful, with over 350 Art Nouveau buildings. It is like a mini Paris in many ways.

    We seem adept at linking our holiday with national events. Yesterday was the Riga Marathon, with nearly 47,000 competitors. This little city was pumping.

    On Friday, we visited a few of the important sites in Riga: the Cathedrals, the House of the Blackheads, and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. The last two are side by side and are poles apart in terms of experience. The House of the Black Heads was the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Blackheads Society, a group of unmarried travelling merchants formed in 1334. They are named after their patron saint, St Maurice, a dark-skinned Moor and early Christian leader. It was very fancy inside, and the only museum where you are given a crystal glass of champagne to enjoy as you tour the building!

    Karen explained that one of Riga's symbols is a cat. This came about when a resident of the city was denied entry to the Brotherhood, so he built a house across the square and decorated the facade with Cat motifs, with their bottoms pointing to the home of the Blackheads. This apparently tickled the residents of Riga, and they adopted the cat as their symbol.

    Right next door is the Museum of the Occupation, a very different experience, just a few meters away. We had an excellent guide who took us through the exhibition and did a great job bringing this sad part of history back to life. Latvia only became independent of Russia in 1991, and people are concerned about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the potential for the same thing happening here again. So many people suffered as a result of the deportations and repressions, and the mission of the museum is to remind the world of the offences carried out by foreign powers. Len has played his small part with the purchase of a t-shirt.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Tartu, Estonia

    May 19–23 in Estonia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Tartu in Estonia is a very special place. It has a population of around 96000, and 15000 of them are students. Tartu University is the oldest in the country, founded in 1632. It has been controlled by the Swedes, the Germans, the Russians and now the Estonians. The grounds and buildings are stunning. We ended up chatting to some of the academics hosting the 3rd Annual CONNOR conference, “Critical Turns in Conspiracy Theory Studies”. It’s amazing how common some of the discussions were, funding, committees, rival committees, etc….LOL

    Tartu is also home to the Estonian Museum, a huge edifice set in a field of wildflowers. The place is huge and very well designed, with really interesting exhibits. Len ended up in an Escape Room that required knowledge of Estonian History to solve. Luckily, he was rescued by a couple of Estonians. We absolutely loved this little town and enjoyed every one of the three days there.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler
    A memorial to the many deported Estonians who were sent to Siberia

    Tallinn

    May 22–25 in Estonia ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Tallinn is the second-largest city in Estonia and a short ferry ride from Helsinki. It’s a very groovy, arty city. Near the main markets (which are great), there is a small enclave of restaurants and galleries decorated with impressive street art. The walls around the old city are almost entirely intact and frame the area beautifully. The city is also home to an amazing maritime museum, which is highly interactive. You were able to climb inside an old submarine and onto old ships.

    Tallinn is also home to a great little South American restaurant where we enjoyed steaks and pisco sours! We also visited Kadriorg Palace, built by Tsar Peter in 1718 for his wife, Catherine the Great.

    As with most of the Baltic states, there are lots of Ukrainian Flags flying high and disquiet about Russia’s intentions. The Russian Embassy has a 24/7 police guard and lots of protest posters pinned to the fence.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler
    Memorial to the Deported Persons of West EstoniaMore of the MemorialThe chapel at the Arvo Parti CentreArvo Parti Centre

    Haapsalu

    May 25–28 in Estonia ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    According to google Haapsalu is a picturesque, historic seaside resort town on Estonia’s west coast, renowned for its healing mud spas, romantic wooden architecture, and shallow, warm swimming bays.

    Shallow yes! It has been quite brisk since we arrived and wind coming off the Baltic Sea is not warm in any language! It has a population of around 10,000 and it is clearly not the main tourist season yet. A lot of places are still closed - but it is very pretty nonetheless. This is the last location we are sharing with Karen on this trip as we head off to Lithuania tomorrow and she goes to Slovenia. It has been great to catch up in another exotic location!

    On the way here we visited the Kelli- Joa waterfall and park. This was stunning. They have been making electricity here since 1910. We also had lunch at Cafe Ott and Matilda on the way. What a find. They did the most amazing soups with homemade bread and pastries.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler
    Tahkuna Light HousePicnic by the seaMilitary MuseumManor House

    Hiiumaa Island - closed on Monday’s

    May 26 in Estonia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Today we travelled by car ferry to Hiiumaa Island. It is very Scandinavian, very small and very quiet. Most places we had planned to see were closed. Luckily, we bought some bread, cheese, and boiled eggs with us, as every cafe we tried was closed. Karen bought some of the bread from the excellent cafe where we stopped for lunch yesterday - Ott and Matilda. We have never been so excited about a loaf of bread. It was excellent.

    Before lunch, Len and Karen girded their loins and did the very challenging climb to the top of Kopu lighthouse. This was first built in the 1500’s to protect ships from the shallow reefs. In the 1600’s, they added light by carting up wood and keeping a fire going on top. It was then converted to hemp oil in the 1800’s, petrol in 1956, and then gas, until it was eventually converted to electric.

    It still operates today but has been automated since the 90’s.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Villinus

    May 28–Jun 1 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We had a glorious four nights in Vilnius. Coinciding our visit with the pink soup festival and the national folk festival. We also got to catch up with Len’s friends Nerijus and Egle. They were so wonderful and took us to a traditional restaurant out of town and then back into the centre for the festivals. Like all of the Baltic towns and cities we have visited it was magic. In the last 30 years the EU has provided a lot of support to upgrade facilities and restore old towns. The increase in GDP and standard of living has been dramatic. Like everywhere the threat of Russia (after the Ukraine attacks) is concerning.Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Vilinuis - Pink Soup Festival

    May 29 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Well, our luck continues with finding big events by chance! We arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, just in time for the Pink Soup Festival. One of the national dishes is a beetroot and Kefir cold soup eaten with boiled eggs and potatoes. This soup is being celebrated across the city in a big way. The social media around it is really good and really funny. Like Val Shier, the Mayor of Vilnius, understands that festivals are great for a city’s economy. He has taken part in some hilarious social posts. For instance, the weather is still a little cold to truly enjoy a cold soup! It was great to catch up with Len’s friends, who took us out for a traditional (potato-heavy) Lithuanian meal. I truly appreciated it, as according to Ancestry DNA, I am 1% Lithuanian. LOLRead more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Warsaw

    Jun 1–4 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We arrived in Warsaw and realised we had made a big mistake by not planning a longer visit. Sigh.

    Prior to this trip, we did not realise the close ties between Poland and Lithuania. According to Wikipedia, “the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a state that comprised the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which existed from 1569 to 1795. This state was among the largest and most populated countries of 16th- to 18th-century Europe. At its peak in the early 17th century, the Commonwealth spanned approximately 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi and supported a multi-ethnic population of around 12 million as of 1618).”

    During the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, more than 85% of Warsaw's historic centre was destroyed by Nazi troops. After the war, a reconstruction campaign led to an impressive restoration of the city, including churches, palaces and marketplaces. The rebuild is still going on today, with the King's Palace being developed in the 90s. It is a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century. However, during the rebuild, consideration was given to improving the city's liveability by providing more green spaces and making some buildings larger and better suited to modern living. It is now listed by UNESCO.

    After we visited the royal palace, we had a cup of tea in the square and watched an event celebrating 35 years of the municipal police force. There were lots of marching and speeches. The official party on the stage was HUGE! There were somewhere between 60 and 80 people on stage, and it seemed like most of them made a speech.
    In the small amount of time we have had here, we have explored a lot of the old city and some of the new.

    The next day we visited the Warsaw Museum, which was excellent, and gave great insight into the horrors Warsaw suffered in the last century. There were so many photos of the devastation of the city during the Warsaw uprising and the horror of the Warsaw Ghetto. The Nazi’s rounded up 350,000 of Warsaw’s Jewish community and forced them into the Ghetto. They subsequently murdered the entire community. It’s unthinkable that the state of Israel is now treating the Palestinians in such a horrific manner.

    We followed this up with a tour of the Warsaw Vodka Museum, and boy, we needed those vodkas by the time we got there. The guide was excellent and told the history of Poland via the development of vodka. Sounds like a long bow to draw, but it was really interesting.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Kazimierz Dolny

    Jun 4–5 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We drove from Warsaw to Krakow over three days. We stopped for lunch in the spa town of Naleczów. It was very pretty and was built around a huge park. It was pretty cold and drizzly. We found a cute cafe and encountered our first experience of communicating 100% via Google Translate.

    As we were arriving, we passed through a village and saw a procession of priests carrying an icon and all the men in the street on one knee as they passed. The street was covered in rose petals. We didn’t realise it was Corpus Christi Day. One of Poland's most important religious days and a public holiday. Loads of people were walking from the church to cafes, carrying flowers and greenery. This had made accommodation a bit scarce.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Rzeskow

    June 5 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today we drove through beautiful farm lands and cute country towns. We did want to stay in Sandomierz, a small medieval village, but there was no room at the Inn. So we settled for lunch there. It was indeed a cute little village, and they were hosting an annual wine festival. The festival, coupled with the long weekend for Corpus Christi, meant the place was packed. We headed to Rzeszów - the largest city in south-east Poland and very close to the border with Slovenia. It had a great town square.

    One of the things that has stood out to me in Poland is how often women are profiled at various locations. Even in Warsaw, in the vodka museum, one of the women who has been marketing Polish Vodka since the 60’s commented that when she travelled, people would comment on the novelty of having a woman in this role. She replied, “We get the same education as men, so why wouldn’t we do the same jobs as men?”    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Wieliczka Salt Mine

    June 6 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    While we still had the car, we decided to visit the Salt Mine near Krakow. Everyone said this was a must-do, and it really was. The rock salt deposit in Wieliczka and Bochnia has been mined since the 13th century. Apparently, most of southern Poland is built on salt! The underground Wieliczka Salt Mine boasts kilometres of walkways and ramps, magnificent chambers, lakes and breathtaking salt statues.

    The Wieliczka Salt Mine was one of the first among 12 sites from all around the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most frequently visited tourist sites in the world, drawing nearly 2 million visitors per year.

    The miners built Chapels near the current workings for thousands of years. There are over 9 chapels across the site, but only two are still accessible to the public. There is a service every Sunday morning in the main chapel.

    It’s hard to describe the size of the mine; it is over 9 levels, and we visited the levels 110 meters below ground. Conferences and weddings are now held underground. All the sculptures have been created by miners, and this practice is still encouraged today.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Krakow

    Jun 7–10 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Krakow is now one of our favourite cities. It is fabulous. There are a lot more tourists here than in other parts of Poland, but you only notice it in the old city. However, it is nothing like Barcelona or Lisbon.

    The city has an amazing history. During the Renaissance, it was at the crossroads of trade routes between Eastern and Western Europe, attracting German, Jewish, Italian and Hungarian merchants. So it became very multicultural and very rich. Unlike the many other parts of Europe, Jewish migrants were accepted and became part of the city, mainly settling in the Kazimierz area. The oldest synagogue dates from the 15th century.

    It has always been regarded as the cultural capital of Poland and has had a university since 1364. Martin Luther and Galileo studied here, so pretty fine alumni.

    In the 19th century, the city became a symbol of the Polish Nationalist Movement, and academics championed the preservation of the historic centre. Of course, during the war, the city was occupied by the Nazi Germans and the Jewish population brutally repressed, deported and murdered. One of the most notorious camps is located just out of the city, Auschwitz.

    After the war and the defeat of the Nazi’s, Poland became part of the Soviet Union. However, Krakow still managed to preserve its historical legacy.

    It’s a very well-planned and walkable city, and we have loved our accommodation here - the best of the trip. Last night we ventured into the Kazimierz area, a bit grittier, but still super friendly. Lots of interesting restaurants and bars. We ate at a restaurant called Starka, which took a contemporary approach to Polish cuisine.    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Singapore

    June 11 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We flew out of Krakow to CDG yesterday and had 5-6 hours in the Air France lounge before heading onwards to Singapore. It was a very relaxing flight on Air France from CDG to SIN.
    This will be an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Express Serangoon, Little India.
    We ventured out to our local area and found a great bar with 23 different beers on tap. Druggist Bar was quiet when we arrived, but when everyone saw us there, they ventured in en masse. Suddenly, we were in the middle of the cool kids. A quick stop for some street food on the way home, and then a lovely, lovely sleep.
    After a great sleep, we have enjoyed Singapore and are waiting to board, sitting at the Qantas First Class lounge, enjoying a French Champagne. Cheers    Read more

  • Joann PyneEurope 2026Traveler

    Back in Melbourne

    June 13 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    So home at Andre's and taking a photo to bookend our trip! Had a great night at Chris and Denise's shared 70th birthdays and 40-year wedding anniversary. We love a fancy dress night!

    Trip end
    June 13, 2026