Vilnius, Lithuania: Our Last Stop in Europe

I tried to think of a grabby title for this entry but, well, nothing came to mind. And, to be honest, by this point much of what we saw in Vilnius was similar to what we have already seen in the other Baltic States. And, this city more touristy than the previous ones (Riga, Tallinn, and certainly Daugavpils) we were getting a bit blasé at this point. Seeing the tour groups clogging the crowded cobblestones lanes, trailing the flag-toting leader, this city began to feel like a European Disneyland. But if you take exception to these comments just chalk it up to my personal opinion. Or, as my Oma would say, “Geschmacksache”, a matter of taste!

But we did see some interesting sites and learned a few things. And we stumbled upon a country within a country (more on that below) And, ah yes! the weather was getting warmer. So there’s that.

This city certainly is photo-worthy. But first I have two views before we even came to Vilnius, approaching from Daugavpils, Latvia.

As is often the case I will upload the photos first and add more comments later. Yesterday here in Thailand we had a four hour power outage because of the monsoons.

**Above** and **Below**. Rural Lithuania. Rutted trail leads to gutted houses. Cemetery in background.

White Storks are still fairly common in this part of Europe. Many villages, like here, accommodate their needs, setting up wagon wheels or wooden frames as nesting platforms.

The modern city center is separated from Old Vilnius by the River Neris.

**Historical national (armorial) flag of Lithuania**. It was the flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania right up until the 18th century when it ceased to be grand. Or a duchy. The current Lithuanian flag can be seen in the photo before this one.

Russian Orthodox Church. “It contains the relics of the first three Orthodox martyrs in Lithuania.” (from a reviewer).

This creepy trio graces stares down from atop the entrance to a store on busy Gedimino Street.

Amber-colored chess pieces on what looks like a marble board. Chess coordinates are inlaid on the sides

This view and the next two photos are of Gediminas Castle. You can walk up or take the funicular for a euro.

This photo can be selected to read background history on the castle and on the city’s simplifying the flow of the Vilnia River, the smaller river that feeds into the Neris.

The Vilnia River is pretty much controlled with paths and artificial embankments on both sides.

Cathedral Square: **Vilnius Cathedral** (left) and the **National Museum** (right).

The very imposing Romanesque **Vilnius Cathedral**.

This morning we accidentally walked into another country: **Uzupis**.
Well, a self-proclaimed republic just across the brook from Vilnius proper. They even have their own **Constitution** assumed self-evident rights are etched on a long series of shiny metal panels, translated into several languages. Rather quirky items here. Number 13 states:

*“A cat is not obliged to love its owner, but must help in time of nee.”* (sic)

We can only hope that those times of nee are few and far betwee!

A frieze just down the street of the Constitution plaques. Not sure which of the “rights” listed above are assumed here!

Confiscated scissors and lighters. I guess you would call this Found Art. Or – from our personal experience (maybe yours too!) – Lost Art.

This city oozes street art. And not just in the old town.

Walking by the train station on the way to the bus terminal.

Children on a field trip to old town. Having taught all ages of students I think most about the young ones. Some of these kids will most likely live to the turn of the next century. I wonder what kind of Europe these students will grow up in. Do you ever have thoughts like this?

Next time I hope to tie up a couple of loose ends. I have one last Nicaragua article to write and a few other on the back burner.

Daugavpils: Latvian City Near Russia

There is something mentally massaging about a train ride. It is not hurried. You are not driving. You are simply watching the scenery scrolling by, a leisurely left-to-right change of view, often very interesting. We left busy, crowded Riga for the much more laid-back Daugavpils. It was a nice change of place. This city is the penultimate one we visited, Vilnius, Lithuania being the last.

Walking through the train station we continued straight down this pedestrian way that traverses the center of the town. On this street were two decent-sized malls with good grocery stores, marketplace, restaurants, an old, apparently no longer used church, and restaurants. It was pretty convenient that our apartment we were to stay at was just a block off this walkway.

Another view of the well laid-out pedestrian walkway, with the train station on on end and the shopping district on the other.

Also along the pedestrian way (behind the building) is this disused church.

Not as picturesque as Riga, but the old town still had some architectural beauties.

Daugavpils Fortress: The (Military) Glory Has Departed. The six photos below were all taken at this fortress.

This sprawling, star-shaped fortress (the last of its kind) was built in nervous anticipation of Napoleon’s sweep eastward. Construction began in 1810 but was only fully completed in 1878. But long before this time it was already obsolete; cannons were soon able to fire from much further away and thus arc easily over the walls causing many casualties and much damage, just like Lieutenant (later General Stonewall) Jackson demonstrated in the 1847 siege of the similarly-walled city of Veracruz, Mexico.

I tried to research what this is a picture is of. There were several of these openings. It would have been helpful if there had been information here or a military museum. But there is only, strangely enough, an art museum!

My first impression as we entered the fortress and climbed up the grassy ramparts, was of a ghost town. But there are actually over a thousand residents within these walls. And a hotel and restaurants and stores also. A town within a town. A town ssurrounded by a ghost-fortress greatly in need of careful renovation.

A good part of the fortress walls and some of the buildings within (photo **above** and **below**) are dilapidated, giving the impression that the fort had once seen serious battles. *But not a single battle happened here.* The decay was entirely caused by neglect over the years. Also, the Soviets tore down at least one of the gateways to make room for their tanks.

Eroded ramparts, horse stables, and (I think) an armory.

The Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella, sings from the ruined ramparts, “A little bit of butter and no cheese!” At least that is how my bird field guide puts their song.

Back in town, these Eurasian Jackdaws, there were two of them, were shamelessly stealing from the dog’s dish.

Above and **the two photos** Below: Wooden houses make sense where wood is plentiful.

One of the main attractions of Daugavpils, located on **Varsavas Iela (Warsaw Street)**, is the **Shot** **Tower**, the oldest one in all of Europe. The shot (lead balls) is made by melting the metal on the top of the tower, passing it through the sieve (usually made of copper). The balls thus formed are dropped down into a water-filled tub. The result is perfectly round lead balls. Once a year the tower makes these balls by this traditional method.

**Above** and **Below**: Two views of the neighborhood (formerly *town*) of **Griva**, which is just across the **Daugava River** from the main town. Walking over the bridge seemed also like walking a few decades back in time to a more relaxed and bucolic Latvian town.

Also in Griva: A colorful Orthodox Church. From what I read, a friendly and “comfortable” place of worship.

Back in the city: Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Boris and Gleb.

A most inhospitable church, the **Pomors Church of Latvian Veterans**. My wife and I wanted to see this church. Before entering she was sure to have her scarf on and we were both modestly dressed.
But we couldn’t even get close to the door. This old woman with fierce-looking eyes shooed us away like we were dogs! How bizarrre! The congregation is part of that staunch Russian sect called the “Old Believers”. Reading the reviews of this church on different sites I find that our experience was not unique.

**Our apartment was quite comfortable.** We wished to stay longer but were told that the apartment would not be available in the next days. I wonder sometimes if they maybe were balking at letting us have the booking at our “genius rate” that Booking.com gave us. So we gathered our belongings and walked the three blocks to the bus station.

… and, for a while, puzzled over our options. We knew we wanted to go to Vilnius but didn’t know *when* or *how*. But finally, with my Russian and appropriate gestures we were able to conjure up the needed tickets.

But events often do not pan out as planned. The bus was over two hours late. By the way, according to the yellow sign, buses or vans left from here to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Minsk. At least they did at one time.

As the minutes turned to two hours I went back and forth outside and inside, trying to get updates on just what happened to our bus. The interior of the us station was decent enough. Snacks, Soft drinks, tea were available at the far end. As we waited those two hours, I noticed that the usual hubbub in the station was getting louder and louder. A couple of men were being quite boisterous, alternately singing and shouting, obviously drunk.

Eventually the bus came. And, even with the occasional inconveniences here, I mentally added Daugavpils to the list of places that I wouldn’t mind visiting again.

But we probably won’t.

Next: Vilnius.

Five Countries in Five Weeks – Cold Northern Europe: Riga, Latvia

Of the three Baltic States we spent the most time in Latvia. And this was mostly in Riga since we found a cheap hotel right in the city center, close to the old city (pictured above).

**Above** and **Below**: Two views of the scenery on our way down to Riga from Tallinn.

**The view from our window**. Pretty decent view of the modern downtown. You can see a shopping mall, train station, and a Soviet-era university building locally dubbed “**Stalin’s Birthday Cake**“. The place here is no-frills. But that’s fine. Only $23 a night. Pretty cheap for Europe.

**Downtown Riga** viewed from the western bank of the Daugava River. Compare this view with the 1518 lithograph **below**. The artist’s rendering is wider in scope but you can still see some of the same churches. Several of these churches were renovated quite a bit. The lithographer used his artistic license with his rendition of hills that were neither that high nor that close to the town.

**Left**: **Statue of the Town Musicians** (or **Four Musicians**). Riga being a Hanseatic City, they were greatly influenced by German culture of fellow Hanseatic Cities like Bremen and Hamburg. The statue is from the famous eponymous story from the Brothers Grimm. **Center**: **The House of the Black Head**s, originally built in 1334 and destroyed in WW2, was totally rebuilt in 1999. (You can read more about this colorful organization in my previous article on Tallinn) **Right**: **The Pulvertornis (Powder Tower)** an ancient structure that still seems to have the marks of past conflicts – cannonballs lodged in it’s wall, courtesy of the Tsar’s cannoneers in the Second Northern War. Like much of the historical buildings in this war-battered city, the tower was rebuilt a number of times, lastly renovated just prior to World War 2. Pretty neat trick to rework the walls yet leave the cannonballs in situ. Actually, though the cannonballs are real, their placement in the wall was done afterward as a memorial of the Second Northern War.

**Left**: Another view of the House of Black Heads. **Center**: This cat tells an interesting tale. It was made by a a craftsman who wasn’t allowed to join a certain guild. So he bought the house across from the offending guild and placed this cat statue on top of his roof. The cat (How do I phrase this politely?) faced away from the offending guild house. Well, that guild sued this fellow and I don’t know if he had to pay other damages but he had turn the cat around! **Right**: Speaking of guilds these three iconic buildings are called the “Three Brothers”, perhaps in connection with the similar “Three Sisters” in Tallinn.

Left: One of two water towers, the first ones in Riga, are from 1897. Architectural details have several masonic motifs. The planner’s original intention was to construct three towers but his aspirations did not match the city budget. Center and Right: Walking through almost any part of old or midtown brings you to very interesting buildings.

Another view of the University building dubbed “Stalin’s Birthday Cake”. The design is very similar to the university in Moscow. It was built in the 1950’s. The various symbols decorating the upper floor sides (red star, hammer and sickle) are still visible.

It is easy to find examples of **Art Nouveau architecture** in central Riga. I would say maybe a third of the buildings have some of this style. Some streets, like Alberta Iela, are extreme examples. Every building, almost, has whimsical flourishes like the photo on the **right**. The left photo, by the way, is actually from the Old Town. **Center**: The **Freedom Monument** honors those who died in the fight for national independence during the time of World War 1.

The Market close to the Train Station. Buckwheat is something that we have learned to enjoy from our months in Ukraine, a basic ingredient in a good soup!

**Left**: The former site of Jewish Synagogue and a memorial to those killed when the Nazis came through the city. The same sad history we encountered in cities in Europe. **Center**: **Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral**. A lady here gave me the stink-eye for taking this picture. You can see her just to the left of the blue candle. She’s wearing black and looking right at the heathen American. **Right**: Russian Orthodox Cemetery.

**Left**: Great Spotted Woodpecker quietly working over the trees of the cemetery. **Right**: Pigeons.

Next: Daugavpils, Latvia.

Five Countries in Five Weeks – Cold Northern Europe: Talinn, Estonia

Taking the ferry from Helsinki to Talinn, Estonia was, of course, much shorter than the hours-long one from Stockholm to Turku, Finland, so we didn’t even bother with a room. We just sat at a table by one of the windows.

We entered this gate to the old town. Our hotel was fairly close. This was once the main entrance into town but now it is relatively quiet.

Our first view of the city from our ferry. The **upper town** is visible in the center of the photo.

The ferry trip was short and pleasant – except for the music, which was quite loud and grating. A Finnish rock group was making a train wreck of **Hotel California**. Added to that the vocalist and instrumentalists apparently couldn’t agree on a key.

Looking like so many stubby pencils, these towers guard west-facing old Town Wal

Supposedly the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625 the 12th-century St. Olaf’s Church, named after King Olaf II of Norway, is now a Baptist church.

Jeweled figurines in a Lower Town shop window

**Town Hall Square**. Town Hall on the right. Normally there would be a lot more tourists here, but it was still pretty cold this morning.

Colorful wooden door to the House of the Brotherhood of the Black Heads, also in the Lower Town. The Brotherhood of Black Heads was originally a military unit that helped in the defense of the city. It was also an association of **Hanseatic** guilds of various trades and crafts. Later the military aspect faded into the background, especially after the Soviets overran the city. But it is still an important social organization.

The door was painted in the early 1640’s but the building itself is much older.

Who are the Black Heads? They are named after their patron saint, the Egyptian **Saint Maurice**. You can see his portrait over the door. This is not the only Black Heads building. We later came across an even more impressive building of that name in Riga, Latvia. (More on that in a later article).

The imposing **Toompea Castle** protected the upper town for many centuries. The tower to the right is **Pikk Hermann.** Danes, Germans, Swedes, and Russians all had the eyes on this important trade crossroad of Talinn. The Estonians (then called Livonians, along with a good part of what is now Latvia) won many defensive battles against the Russians and others. But they were finally overcome in 1721 by the Russians. Livonia then became part of the burgeoning Russian Empire. The castle grounds now includes the Estonian Parliament.

Across the road from the Parliament is the Russian Orthodox **St. Nevsky Church**. It has a beautiful interior of gold paintings and and intricate woodwork. Like in many orthodox churches, they must be admired standing up, seats being scarce.

Looking northward at the Lower Town from the **Patkuli** viewing platform.

My impression is that there are three parts to this city: the tourist-friendly Old Town, Upper and Lower. Then there is the modern high-tech business district (pictures below). And lastly, pictured here, is the “normal” city of middle to low income people. Neither touristy nor glistening. In fact, in many places, somewhat run down.

But the people are interesting. I am always interested in the ethnicities of a place. The three largest groups in Talinn are:
Estonians 233,518 53.34%
Russians 149,878 34.23%
Ukrainians 15,449 3.53%
(From 2022, Wikipedia)

Walking on our way to the bus station on our last morning we went through a very modern section of the city

“Tallinn has the highest number of startup companies per person among all capitals and larger cities in Europe and is the birthplace of many international high-technology companies, including Skype, Wise and Bolt.” – from Wikipedia

Seegi Church, now closed. One Estonian local spoke of this church being in a neighborhood of “*cloud climbers*” (Google translate from the Estonian. Apparently their word for *skyscraper*!)

On our way down to Riga, Latvia. Once again I get to take a few pictures of the local countryside.

Before we leave this article I should mention a favorite candy of ours – **Marzipan**. We found this in all three of the Baltic countries. This photo is actually from Riga but it should be here since Talinn, along with Lubeck, Germany, has a longstanding connection with this candy. Both Hanseatic cities had their own version of the candy at about the same time.
Did I say “*candy*“? Marzipan (“*March Bread*“) was first considered a medicine, known as “*Panis Martius*“. It also appeared in **Shakespeare’s** “*Romeo and Juliet*“. A servant at work in Capulet’s house says:

“Away with the joint-stools, remove the
court-cupboard, look to the plate. Good thou, save
me a piece of marchpane;”

Next: Riga, Latvia

Five Countries in Five Weeks – Cold Northern Europe: Finland

Even though Northern Europe was expensive it was a nice change from the places we usually visit. This is the second article of the Northern Europe series. Having left Stockholm via the Viking Ferry, we arrived that same evening in Turku, Finland. And after a few days we took the bus down to Helsinki. Here are some of the highlights.

We saw several homesteads like this that were alone on their own island.

We made a stop at Mariehamn, Aland Islands. On the cliffside path facing the sea there were several residents watching the ferries pass by. Mariehamn and the Alan Islands are an autonomous region of Finland where the residents speak Swedish. Mariehamn (“Marie’s Port”) was named after the 19th century Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse).

Stenkrossen, an abandoned quarry by Mariehamn’s Western Harbor.

Turku Castle, built in the 1280’s, greets us shortly after we disembarked from the ferry. A fire in 1614 destroyed most of the castle and after it was rebuilt and made into a warehouse.

Even though the walk to the apartment was cold and we had several blocks to go I just had to stop and take a photo of this building.

Market Square with the Orthodox Church of Saint Alexandra on the right.

Läntinen Pitkäkatu. We trudged through snow and more snow on our way to the bus station and back.

**Left**: Läntinen Pitkäkatu. Kauppiaskatu 20. The house was designed by Robert Lyly and was completed in 1926. **Right**: Detail of the Woman & Girl statue gracing the corner. I’m not sure who did the artwork. It dates to the same time as the building.

They really love licorice in these northern countries. I do too …. but a whole tupperware-type container of it? And of course there is also Fudge. Licorice flavored!

**Left**: “Turku Cathedral is a medieval basilica located in Turku, Finland. It was originally built out of wood in the late 13th century and dedicated as the main cathedral of Finland in 1300.” – Wiki
The main cathedral was in Turku (earlier called Abo) because it was the capital of the country.
**Right**: I wanted to get a closer photo of the facade and interior but it was just too cold to go over the bridge in my decidedly unwinterly clothes so I had to settle for this shot from the bus as we were leaving town.

Finally heading south to Helsinki. We could enjoy the scenery … or decide just who to vote for in the upcoming elections, each candidate conveniently also given a number.

Three photos of the landscape as we went in and out of snow flurries.

Red seems to be the preferred color of Finnish barns.

I can almost hear one of Sibelius’s symphonies to accompany these vistas.

We really wanted to spend more time in Helsinki but it was just too cold and budget-breaking.

A telephoto of the Helsinki Train Station, taken as we were walking down to our next hotel. I was hoping to get a closer look the next day but getting ferry tickets for Estonia was a higher priority. Can’t see everything.

I wasn’t able to find out what this building was. I had seen another one almost identical to this one.

The bitter cold walk to the ferry dock still had some pretty interesting sites. Halfway to the ferry we ducked into a nice hotel lobby to warm up.

**Next**: Estonia.

Five Countries in Five Weeks – Cold Northern Europe: Sweden

Our travels in Africa having come to a sudden end, we decided to go someplace totally different. Northern Europe was indeed just that: more expensive (which is why we didn’t stay too long), modern, but much safer than South Africa. And much colder. And we still had our sandals from Africa!

This is the first of several articles of our journey through five countries: Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Most of this article has to do with Stockholm. A very interesting city. Even though we were not dressed for the freezing temperatures we forced ourselves to make the most of it.