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Scandinavia and the Baltics

August - September 2017
A 46-day adventure by Maree Read more
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  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 8

    Food, fabulous food

    August 19, 2017 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    While I've been here I've tried as much as the traditional and local food as I can. I've loved the markets, the €10 buffets, the brown seedy bread. I don't think I've seen any white bread, just the baguettes.
    I've had 3 different types of porridge - barley, oatmeal and rye. I prefer the barley or rye as it's not as stodgy and heavy as the oatmeal. Rye for preference, I reckon, it tastes like rye
    Coffee is interesting - in cafes you can get a "proper" barista type coffee but often it's the percolated in the glass kettle thing stewed for a while. Still, it's caffeine when you need it 😉
    Ive grown to really enjoy the Karelen pasty at breakfast with a bit of bacon.
    It's berry season and markets are full of so many different berries.    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 8

    Tampere

    August 19, 2017 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today I took a train ride to Tampere, home city of friend Jana's family. I was going to go to Hameenlinna on the way home to see a Medieval Festival but it got wet and cold when I arrived so decided to keep going to Helsinki and go tomorrow morning . The forecast is for sunny skies. 🌞🌞

    Tampere was well worth the visit just to come across this group of kids singing in the Cathedral! ! They were beautiful.
    This city had a different vibe to Helsinki, this is the home of heavy/black metal music and the people here look a lot like the band members of Nightwish - men have long hair and plaited beards, woman have heavy eye make up and they generally wear black. There are "normal " people too but the other was very obvious. They appear to like all sorts of music.
    I stumbled across Blockfest -"The tenth Blockfest will be held in Tampere on August 18th -19th 2017. The city festival has sold out in advance every year and has become the biggest hip hop event in the Nordic countries in a very short period of time. " They are going cashless this year - you load up your wristband from your bank account! Very clever 💲💲
    Tampere is also the home of the Moomin Museum. I went on the hunt for that - well I had to.. I was there... my little Moomin keyring wanted me to, Harald didn't mind.
    For tea €10 buffet from Kampin pippuri, a Turkish style meal (or pizza!). I had the Turkish tucker- very yummy, lots of fresh beans and salads, nice soup and chunky meatballs 👍🍜    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 8

    A lesson in language

    August 19, 2017 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Due to the close ties of Finland and Sweden in the past they basically use both languages. I found the Swedish words to be helpful as Scandinavian words can be similar enough to English to work some things out, also I've been to Scandinavia a couple of times now.
    The Finnish language is totally different, you can usually tell if it's a Fin or Swedish word.
    When I first got here I heard people saying "kiitos" to each other and did a double take thinking "I know that word!". I am a fan of the Finnish band Nightwish and they often end their songs with "Kiitos!!!" So I felt at home 😊    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 9

    Hameenlinna medieval festival

    August 20, 2017 in Finland ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    This morning I took the train back to Hameenlinna to see the Medieval Festival. It took longer for me to pack than I'd thought so didn't get going till 9.00 am so could only get the 10 oclock train. It takes an hour so I would get there at 11. I figured I could still get an hour or 2 in then go back to Helsinki to pick up my bags and taxi to the airport. The bags are too heavy and awkward to get the train.
    When I get to Hameenlinna I look at rhe board to see which train I need to go back on. I decide the 1 o'clock one should be safe. They trains run on time I found.
    It's a lovely sunny day and I think I'd like to stay all day but I can't of course.
    People are dressed in medieval costume, even many visitors and their children. There are many tents with stalls. Like most markets and festivals a lot of the same stuff is sold. I bought a nice bracelet. There was some great celtic music being played, piglets on spits, sheep around the moat. I really would've liked to have stayed.
    The festival is in the grounds of the Hame Castle which was open for a look.
    It was time to head back to the train station so a quick walk got me there. I checked the board and realised I had looked at the arrival board and not the departure board earlier!!!! So I'd missed the 12.30 I really needed. The next train didn't leave till 3pm- much too late. I thought **** oh dear, what will I do? I need to get to the airport and there's no train. I remember seeing 1 taxi outside so I asked him if he would drive me the 1 hour to Helsinki to get my bags and then the 20 minutes out to the airport at Vaanta. He said yes, I said thanks, I know it'll cost me a heap but I have to do it. I can't miss the plane or the cycle tour I'm booked on.
    So we make good time and get me to the airport 2 hours before departure. It only cost me €215 which I thought was pretty good. I was expecting it might have been much more. As it turned out we had great chats, teaching each other about our countries and culture, seeing other bits of the country and city that I hadn't seen before. So I figured it was a personal, chauffeured sightseeing trip I had paid for. Was worth it.    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 9

    Goodbye Finland , hello Lithuania

    August 20, 2017 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I got into Lithuania about 6pm, grabbed a taxi to our Hotel Tilto, Vilnius. I met my room mate Nicole, we got on really well!!
    Then we had our meet and greet with the group and guide at 7.30 pm. Nice bunch of people- all from Australia as it turns out, they could've been from anywhere.
    Then it was time to look for some tea. Nicole had been here since yesterday so knew where Old Town was. We walked thete and found a nice cafe/pub where we found some Lithuania style food. I had small dumplings stuffed with beef or pork with a blue cheese sauce- yummo! !
    Nicole's luggage hadn't followed her from her Warsaw connection so she without her stuff and was ringing to find out where it was. Should be here tomorrow??    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 10

    Vilnius to Kaunas, Lithuania

    August 21, 2017 in Lithuania ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Today we woke up to drizzly rain. First day on the cycing tour was good. Did a walking tour of 700 year old Vilnius in the drizzly rain. Very pretty and old. We weren't looking forward to riding in it but we then got on a bus and drove a bit to see a castle at Trakai and have lunch. Best castle set up I've seen so far. All the rooms were open with great displays of normal castle life for the Duke.
    Then the rain stopped and sun came out as we got ready for the ride. Rode 27 k along a country road, then back on the bus to Kaunus. Very nice, a few rolling hills but easy enough. Just came back from a lovely Lithuanian meal in a great little restaurant. They seem to eat late here or maybe just our guide does ??
    There is 14 of us- all Australians!! A great bunch - lots of laughs.
    4 couples from a bike group in Melbourne, 2 from Sydney, 2 from Coffs Harbour, Nicole my room mate from Brisbane and me.
    Was great to be back on the bike 😊😊
    Good news- Nicole got her luggage just before we left Vilnius    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 11

    Kaunus to Klaipeda

    August 22, 2017 in Lithuania ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we dodged the rain again!! It rained even poured a lot of the day but fined up for our ride in the afternoon.
    First we got on the bus and visited another castle which was actually a manor and is now converted to a hotel and convention centre. Very opulently decorated. Would love to stay there!! It is also an artists studio and gallery.
    Driving west through the countryside was very pretty and changed to more fertile country and farm animals seen. They have wind turbines for energy here as it gets windy.
    We visited a park where "pagan" rituals are still performed and got a nice view of a river.
    Lunch was very special - near Silute , it was at a home of people who make lunches with their own homegrown ingredients. It was very traditional, complete with buffalo grass vodka in a shot glass (wow, what a punch!) and lemon balm tea.
    After lunch we cycled the 1km to the nearby bird observatory were they catch birds (and dragonflies ) to band them. They catch around 5000 birds of all species a day and band them all. We then got back on our bikes and cycled 25km further west through a main country road and then up a forestry road. This track was very pretty through the tall pines, was gravel and a few hard core corrugations to rattle the bones. We came across a lake where people camp and windsurf . We got to Vente where we bussed into Klaipeda in the rain!! We were so lucky!! 💧💧
    Late tea at a nearby restaurant, I had pork spare ribs in brandy sauce. Very nice, sweet as well as smoky.
    Klaipeda was founded in the 1200's and was part of Prussia until 1920 when Lithuania was formed.    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    1
    Day 12

    Curonian Spit National Park- 58 km ride

    August 23, 2017 in Lithuania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today we took a cruise down to Nida the bottom end of the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit. Below Nida it belongs to Russia. It took 2 hours and guess what... rained a bit!! There were many bikes all racked up very nicely, obviously ferrying over and riding is a very common thing to do. We firstly rode a little way on bike paths to Parnidis Dune, a national park and an ancient sundial/calendar statue. We then made our way to Nida town to have lunch, I had beef tongue and salad, very nice.. We then made our way up the Seaside Cycling Route crossing over from east to west and back again over some steep hills, going through forset which was nice and sheltered or along the coast where it was very windy, very much like our wind!. We visited a few sand dunes along the way. One was well pathed by a wooden walkway and quite a hike. It was the "dead" dunes where you could sea the Baltic Sea to the west and the Baltic Lagoon to the east. The lagoon lies between the spit and the mainland of Lithuania. We also visited another amber museum and tasted their version of the national amber liqueur- more tasty than the one in Vilnius.
    We stopped for a look and those of us brave enough to jump in the Baltic Sea. The water was about 18 degrees so warm to me! Others didn't want to. 3 men did and me. It was very refreshing to the muscles and get the sweat off to continue the ride actually. The beach was very much like the East coast of Flinders, under toes, long breaking waves, windy, but the sand was more orange. It was great. After that we continued on to a Cormorant spotting place, they are not welcome there as their acidic poo is killing the forest.
    We then continued on up for a few more hours and only just caught the ferry back home with seconds to spare - Minda our guide was very happy with us. This ferry ride was only 10 minutes
    We were home at 7.30 and eating by 8.30 at a restaurant in our "Old Mill Conference" accomodation. This was a set menu as it was a pre- organised and paid for dinner with the tour package. Chicken soup, chicken breast with a lovely creamy sauce, salad and mashed veg, plus a lovely dessert. Just what we needed after a big day riding, climbing sand dunes, swimming.    Read more

  • TravelerScandinavia and the Baltics
    Day 13

    Across the border to Latvia

    August 24, 2017 in Latvia ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Today we have our ride first up which is actually good. We take a 35 km route of mostly bike paths through the forest and a bit of coast, 3 km on the main road. It's through the Seaside Regional Park which apparently is a former soviet military training area. This west side of Lithuania has a lot of reminders still of their Russian history. On the way to Palanga where we are headed, we stop in at a beach on the Baltic Sea with pines all around. The beach is sandy but has a lot of different coloured pebbles on it. I collected a few small ones to bring home.
    Palanga is the biggest Lithuanian seaside resort, the typical summer destination for the locals. While we are there we visit the Botanical Garden and amber gallery at the Palace of Count Tyskiewicz which was built in 1897. Lovely gardens with statues depicting Lithuanian fairy tales and the amber gallery is quite different than the others, it has a lot more history and specimens in it. The bottom floor has rooms with old century furniture in it, depicting palace halls of the aristocracy. Further on we stop at a seaside area that has a fountain, souvenir and food shops and a "bridge" that is the Symbol of Palanga, it's really a pier but goes out over the water quite a bit and has a good view. Lunch is at a nice cafe in Palanga, I had some local fish - halibut, the first for the trip and was delicious.
    The ride was over and we had a bus journey of 290 km stopping near Siauliai at the Hill of Crosses. That place is amazing - 2 mounds full to overflowing with crosses and christian figurines. I'll do a whole page on that with the explanation.
    Driving on through the Lithuanian countryside we cross over into Latvia, where the farms etc all look the same. Some of the houses look a little different already though.
    Apparently, Lithuania is a catholic country and Latvia is mainly Lutheran
    We arrive at Riga, the capital city of Latvia and find our hotel Konventa Seta. Yes, it used to be a convent. Very old and many rooms in separate "apartment" type buldings. Very nice rooms and comfy beds.
    Riga was established in 1201 and has been ruled by the Swedish, the Russians and the Lithunia/Polish commonwealth before all the Baltic countries gained their independence in 1920.    Read more

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