June 7 Last Day of sightseeing

Well, the final full day of my trip has arrived. All I have to do tomorrow is get to the airport for my direct flight to Toronto, and the arms of my eagerly awaiting wife (I always was an optimist)

I actually tried to spend money today!

I thought a perfect memento of my trip to Poland would be a pirogy maker (Different strokes for different folks). I have looked throughout my journey, with no luck. Kitchen gadget stores just aren't a Polish thing.

I did visit a big, modern mall, and I did find a kitchen store, but no pirogy maker. They did have fancy rolling pin, that you could adjust, so that the dough is a uniform thickness, that you can dial. It would be great for making pie dough. Unfortunately it as only six inches long, otherwise it would be mine.

I also wanted to do something entertaining tonight. I had two favourite choices. One was an international volleyball game between Poland and Brazil, two of the top teams in the world. The other was the final concert of the Polish Philharmonic.

I was out of luck, both were completely sold out.

My third option was a noon organ recital at a church. That was available, and it was excellent. The organ was huge, the acoustics perfect. It was a great experience; what a sound. I guarantee nobody dozed off.

I also visited the Royal Castle in Warsaw's Old Town. It had been dynamited by the Germans as they retreated. Good old Germans. It wasn't rebuilt until 1980, and I bet it looks better today than it ever did in the past.

To be honest I have seen more castle rooms, over the last few weeks, than I can remember. About half way through the tour today, my eyes started to glaze over, and I knew I was ready to return to My Ol' Kentucky Home, or, even better, My Ol' Dundas Home.

It has been quite a few weeks. I learned a lot of history, saw some wonderful architecture, and art. I have certainly come to understand the suffering of this part of the world over the last century. It makes me appreciate what we have in Canada. Most of us don't know how fortunate we are.

Till the next trip; hope you enjoyed my blog

Ralf

PS for those of you interested, give me a week, or so, and I will add my final thoughts, and I will add some photos. I still haven't figured out how to do this on the run.

June 6 Two more days to lift-off

It's nice to be back in Poland. Of all the countries I have seen on this trip I liked Poland best. Friendly people, good transportation, lovely sights, good food.

To be honest, when I reached the point of arriving in Warsaw, I just wanted to go home. What I had read of Warsaw was that it was a big modern city.

I have been very pleasantly surprised.

I am staying near the main railway station, convenient, but not upper class. You won't find one tour bus in this neighbourhood.

Warsaw is one of the most punished cities in the world. Over the years it has suffered many invasions, the plague, several times, flooding, you name it. The only calamity it has avoided was Rob Ford as mayor.

It suffered greatly during WWII. 85% of the city was completely levelled by the Germans; as they left they bombed and blew up whatever they could. Warsaw lost over 700 000 of its prewar population of just over a million.

It is absolutely amazing how the city has recovered.

One of the main attractions is The Royal Way. This is the road Polish kings used to travel to their palace. It has been rebuilt as a beautiful people-friendly avenue, full of boutiques, cafes, and beautiful architecture.

In 1778, the Italian painter Canaletto painted many parts of Warsaw. His paintings were used to reconstruct the Royal Way. As you walk along the street, there are several reproductions of his paintings, showing the scene in 1778, and as you look up what it looks like today.

The Old Town was completely, and I mean completely, flattened. It has been rebuild to look the way it did before the war.

Absolutely amazing.

I also saw a photo exhibit, taken in 1947, and beside it what it looked like in 1939. It is very moving to see how these people, and this city suffered.

The other thing I love about Poland is that it is the land of patisseries. I have never seen so many, sometimes two, side by side. I think you gain a pound just walking by one. What is really surprising is that that's the way it is everywhere in Poland, but nowhere else, none of the Baltic states, nor Russia.

The national sweet is a jelly filled doughnut, but there dozens of different tarts, cakes, pies, you name it, the Poles have it. Even more so than the French. I indulged today, had a cappuccino, accompanied by a donut, with a chocolate heart-shaped wafer, on top, while sitting at a cafe on the Royal Way. Decadent, but lovely.

As I said, Warsaw has been a very pleasant surprise.

I should mention one more item. In the centre of the city, near the railroad station is an immense structure. It looks like the Empire State Building. It is The Palace of Culture and Science. It was finished by 1955, and its purpose was to glorify Soviet achievement. At the time it was the tallest building in Europe.

It is referred to, locally, as "Stalin's Hard-On". The Poles do have a sense of humour.

June 5 Arriving in Warsaw

I said good-bye to St. Petersburg today. It was a great week.

Getting to the airport was easy, a Metro ride, then a shuttle bus. It took about an hour and cost 2 dollars.

The St. Petersburg airport has two terminals. The smaller lines use Terminal 2, which is not very modern, but there were few people, and security was much easier than Canada.

 Air Baltic is like Easyjet, cheap, but they try to get you anyway they can. There is no free checked luggage, it's 30 Euros per bag, if you book ahead, and 40 Euros if you wait till you check in. My ticket for the flights was only 100 Euros.  You are allowed one free carry on, but it has to be less than 8 kilos. No other bags, handbags have to be inside your carry-on, or there is a charge.

I had fun packing. In 30 degree heat I wore my jacket, rather than packing it. My electronics stuff was jammed into a pant pocket. My iPad was in a bag around my neck, with a bag of coffee. My iPod was in another bag around my neck. Various other items, including lunch, of course, were in the jacket pockets. I wore a fanny pack around my back, hidden by the jacket.

I looked like an overweight Santa Claus, sweating like a pig. The weight of my bag? 7.8 kilos...another victory for Ralf the Great.

As soon as I got past the check-in, I loaded everything back into my bag.

As it turns out Air Baltic is actually very lax, I saw several people with oversized bags, and with two bags. But you never know ahead of time.

The flights were quick and easy. One and a half hours to Riga, wait an hour. Then another one and a half hours to Warsaw. Sure beats the alternative, 30 hours on buses. And it's probably cheaper

I only got lost a couple of times finding my apartment, and I was in the shower by six.

Supper was a nice pizza and a half litre of beer, after which I staggered home.

Ralf

June 4 St. Petersburg, my last night, or Room 26 where are you?

I had an almost perfect visit to the Hermitage on my last full day in St. Petersburg. I arrived at opening time, and, because I already had my Day 2 ticket, I bypassed every line, and walked right in. I felt like Tsar Ralf The Great.

It was a much less stressful experience than last Saturday. I had decide what I wanted to see, and I could skip all the "highlights" that I saw on Saturday. I have to admit there are things here that you won't see anywhere else. The Oriental collections are great, and they cover places like Tibet and Mongolia. And, as a bonus, there is nobody there. Very peaceful, and lots of time to soak in the atmosphere. You cross the hall, where the impressionists are, and it's a different world. They do have rooms filled with works by Renoir, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and anyone else you could name. And also lots of tours.

Another group I wanted to see was the collection of Central Asian, and Siberian artifacts. These are all in the basement, which can be accessed by only two stairs. I asked 8 different Hermitage guides, and none were able to direct me there. In the process of finding these stairs I wandered all through the Hermitage, and did see some interesting things. I finally did find the magic stairway, you had to start on the third floor, no second floor entry. I started in Room 11, and worked my way up. It was fascinating to see some of the findings from Central Asia, all the 'stan countries. Things I had never even heard of before. I got as far as Room 17, where there was a sign "We apologize for the inconvenience, but, because of renovations access to the next rooms are by the stairs in Room 302. I nearly cried. I looked on the map, and not only was Room 302, all the way on the third floor, no elevator, it was on the other side of the building.

I had spent an hour trying to locate this room.

I hate to say it, but I admitted defeat, and left.

On the way home I stopped at Kunstkamera, or "Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (say that three times fast). This is the first museum in Russia, opened in 1727. Peter the Great was a great collector, and wanted to educate his people, so this museum was to expose Russians to other cultures. He was also interested in science, and collected medical oddities.

The museum is not nearly as well maintained as some of the others, no money from tour groups.

The main part of the museum illustrates cultures from all over the world. There is even a section on North American Indians. The Iroquois are one of the tribes featured. It's actually quite good.

The reason this museum is popular is because of his collection of malformed fetuses, all preserved in large jars. It is amazing what is on display. Fetuses with two heads, fetuses with only one eye, cyclops style. Fetuses with four arms and legs, others where the feet are joined, like mermaid. There are over 50 of these on display.I don't think there is another display of this type anywhere else.

I did not take any photos.

It is still hot, today it was 29, and that's in the shade. Apparently this is quite unusual, summer temperatures are a normally around 20. But there is no rain, unlike other parts of Europe. It doesn't sound that Prague would be much fun right now.

Let us count our blessings.

Ralf

June 3 St. Petersburg Day 6

Monday was an easy day, no more minibuses. 

In the morning I toured the Peter and Paul Fortress, only a ten minute walk from my room. It was the origin of the city of St. Petersburg and was built as a protection against the Swedes. I never realized how big the Swedish empire was at one time.

The high light of the visit, is the cathedral. It is the burial site of Peter The Great, and many other Tsars. In 1998 the remains of the last tsar, and his family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks were entombed here in a special chapel.

The church is not huge, but the inside is beautifully decorated. They sure like their gold.

Most museums are closed on Monday, so the cathedral is very busy with tour groups. You can hear just about any language. I waited for a lull, and I had time to enjoy the architecture.

As I was leaving I saw six buses arrive at the same time, and a horde walking across the square.

I also visited the prison in the fortress. It is famous, because it housed many of the political prisoners dusting the late 1800's and early 1900's. It is ironic that in the 1800's it imprisoned the intellectuals and socialists who fought the Tsar; there were 8 assassination attempts on Alexander II. After the Russian revolution its prisoners were the government officials of the Tsar.

The prison is 2 minutes from the cathedral, but I only met fewer than ten people. It's not on the tour.

In the afternoon I did my subway tour. Some of the station are quite beautiful. I had researched what stations were well known for their art work. I covered a dozen, or so, getting off, taking pictures, and then getting back on the next train, to the next station. It worked very efficiently. I never had to wait more than 2 minutes for the next train.

I had tickets to the Philharmonic, last evening, and that was an interesting experience. I had no idea what the program was going to be, but, for 10 dollars, I was willing to take a chance. By the way, for those of you that make fun of my frugality, that was the top price. The hall is beautiful, lovely decor.

I knew this was not going to be a concert, when there was only a piano on stage, but I can handle piano recitals.

The program started with a lady coming on stage, and reading from a book, In Russian of course. After five minutes of that I was wondering whether this was going to be Russian poetry for a couple of hours. Next another lady came out and started to talk. She could had lectured on "Black holes, and why they are so black", or "the sex life of the Russian snow beetle". It would have made no difference to me. 

I started to plan my escape.

But, yes there is a God, a singer came on stage and sang an operatic aria. Beautiful voice and great acoustics. After her performance the lady spent another ten minutes talking, before the next song, by a different artist. That was the pattern for the evening. I used my stopwatch, and for one of the songs, she talked for over nine minutes, the song lasted six minutes.

Things did improve, and the singing was beautiful. There were eight different performers, all very good.

I only recognize two operatic songs, The Theme of Carmen, and Lakme's Flower Duet, and that piece was performed. Made the evening special.

There is another observation I have made over the last few days. There a good number of overweight people in Russia. They dress better than our Wallmart folks, but they are there, especially older women. But I have seen quite a few chunky young ones, again more women than men.

One more day in St. Petersburg

Ralf

June 2 St. Petersburg Day 5

It has become hot. A high of 28, in the shade, and it's sunny. I am sorry I used all my sunscreen that rainy day in Tartu.

I tempted the fates today. And I lost. I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to visit Tzarist Catherine's Palace today, on a Sunday. Just me and 50 000 other people. This palace is in Pushkin, about 20 km from St. Petersburg centre. I decided to take local buses. The tourist information bureau has a neat handout. It lists the main tourist attractions, and how to get there. For this palace it reads something like take the Metro to station Moskovskayas, then bus 187 or minibuses 342, or 545. I found my minibus, showed the driver a photo of the palace, and paid a dollar.

Now, those of you that know me, don't believe I have faith, well let me tell you that you must have a lot of faith to get on one of these buses, hoping to end up where you want to go. 

Pushkin is a separate, good sized town. The busdriver, after zig zagging around the town, dropping off and collecting passengers, finally motioned me to get off, at a corner.

Lo and behold, around the corner I could see the palace.

It is beautiful, everything a lovely baby blue, with a lot, and I mean lot, of gold.

They have a strange ticket system there. The palace opens at 10, but between 10 and 12, only tour groups are allowed in. So there is an advantage for those extra 50 dollars.

I wasn't concerned, I arrived before 11, but there are beautiful gardens to enjoy. It's again the same story, once you get away from the two or three highlight buildings you are on your own. There is a small lake, with several interesting buildings, but, mainly, it's the peace and quiet that is so appealing.

At about 10 to 12 I went back to the palace to line up to buy my ticket inside. As I said I was not the only person who wanted to visit. I had to wait 50 minutes before I finally got inside. A couple of other unique practices; you have to wear a cloth cover over your shoes, to protect the parquet floor. You also have to line up for a free audio tour- Russian only.

The Palace tour is a "Slam Bam, Thank You Ma'M" tour. The palace is huge, but there only about 15 rooms open to the public. They are all in a line, so, after a maximum of 30 minutes, it's over.

To return to the exit you walk through a long corridor, which has an excellent, in Russian and English, explanation on the restoration of this palace after WWII. The Germans bombed the site heavily, and when you see photos of the ruins, and you see the present palace, it is absolutely amazing.

Having said that it is certainly worth the time, effort, and money to see the palace.

The furniture is all original, and the restoration is superb. The biggest attraction is The Amber Room, which uses different shades of ambers to cover the entire rooms. Very impressive and beautiful.

You were allowed to take photos, except in this room. I really don't understand that. I can see flash photography damaging art, but an ordinary camera has no effect.  I did take several, before the guard told me " no photos".

Coming home was a bit trickier, because the corner were I got off did not have a station across the road. I had to walk a long block into town, before I saw one. But it worked, and I was home in less than an hour.

I have picked up a cold, and I feel achy and listless. I think my body is telling me to go home. And I agree.

Ralf

June 1 St. Petersburg Day 4

Today was the day I was waiting for; my visit to the Hermitage. The Hermitage is the main reason I decided to come on this trip.

I was apprehensive, I had all these great expectations, and usually, the real thing doesn't live up to expectations.

It didn't start out too well. I had bought a two day pass, before I left home. It seemed like a good idea, because the line-up to buy tickets was long. I went to get my tickets, at a special booth, no line-up, but the lady wanted to see my passport, which was safe at my accommodation. She sent me to a supervisor, same story I needed ID. I didn't want to spend an hour going home, but I had my iPad with me, and I had taken a photo of my passport. I showed it to her, and it worked.

I also learned that I didn't have to use my pass on two consecutive days, but that I have a five day period, so I plan to come back on Tuesday, my last full day in St. Petersburg; a nice way to finish my visit.

The Hermitage is in what the Winter Palace of the Tsars was, and it is huge, comparable to the Louvre.

The most impressive aspect is the building itself. Gorgeous architecture and the decorations are lovely. It's Like a maze though. On the map each room is numbered, the problem is that not all the rooms have numbers. This is where tour groups come in handy. The highlights of the collection always have a group. What is nice is that if you want peace and quiet there are many rooms that are almost empty. I discovered a painting by a student of Hieronymos Bosch, one of my favourite artists, and detectives. It was in a room, no one in sight. I spent several minutes enjoying it.

The Hermitage also has a Caravaggio, I wanted to see. It was in a large room, one of about twenty paintings on a wall. It obviously wasn't on any tour group highlight, because there was nobody viewing it.

There are almost twenty Rembrandts, but most are not his best work.

The one painting that was, both a highlight, and very busy was a daVinci, Mother and Child. I had to wait several minutes for a tour group to finish, before I had a chance for a close up. It is magnificent.

If anyone is interested in the Hermitage I would like to recommend a film called "Russian Ark". It was made about ten years ago, and is the story of an actor wandering through the Hermitage, engaging in conversations with figures of Russin history. The amazing thing is that the director was given permission to film in the real building, but he had only one night to film it. So the movie was shot in one continuous shot, no retakes, no cuts. An amazing piece of organization, and filming. The Hamilton library has a copy, and I have a reserve on it, when I get home.

 I find that three hours of viewing art is my limit, after that my brain goes numb, and I get that glazed look in my eyes. I see a lot of that with tour groups. I wish that the museum would allow re-entries, but they don't, once you leave you can't go back, without buying a ticket.

That's the nice thing about having another day to see the collection again. Knowing where things are will make the second visit so much easier.

May 31 St. Petersburg Day 3

Last day of May, it's been quite a month.
The weather continues to be great, 22 and sunny.
I am still suffering from all the walking on Thursday, seven hours, and my body is sore. 
I would like to talk about the subway system here. It's great. I have used it every day, and the longest wait has been just over 2 minutes. It is very well used. This Metro is also the deepest system in the world, because it has to go under all the waterways in the city. The depth of the average station is 105 m. There are no steps, only escalators. I used a stopwatch, and it takes two and a quarter minutes, from top to bottom, at the station nearest to me. I transferred at another stop, and it was another minute and ten seconds to get to that platform. Once you insert your token, cost about one dollar, you can use as many trains, for as long as you want. Some of the stations have beautiful architecture.
I spent the day visiting Peterhof, the Russian tsars summer residence during the 18th and 19th century. It is located about 20 km from the city centre, on the Gulf of Finland. The palace is built on a bluff, overlooking the Gulf. The area between the shore and the bluff are the Lower Gardens, and there are Upper Gardens, behind the Grand Palace.
I decided to go there by hydrofoil. It is billed as "scenic", a great misuse of that word, and it's pricey. You land at the Lower Gardens, which are known for the, almost, 200 fountains. They are spectacular. I arrived just in time to witness the largest of the fountains being turned on, with music. It is quite the show, gorgeous fountains, the palace in the background.
The Lower Gardens are huge, I would guess over a km wide, with lots of paths, smaller palaces, and, of course, fountains. I spent almost three hours walking in those gardens. Another amazing fact is that none of the fountains have pumps, nothing but gravity. Quite an engineering achievement.
I don't know if I'm getting cranky, or just overtired, but, as a tourist attraction, I would like to see some improvements. It would be nice to be given a map of all the big fountains, rather than wandering around. I also think they do too much "nickel and dime" pricing. There is an entry fee to see the gardens. To see the palace is another fee, to see the Grotto is additional. I skipped the palace, probably a tourist "no-no" but I was just too tired. And you weren't allowed to take photos in the Grand Palace.
Coming home was another another "solo traveller, not speaking the language" experience. There are buses that go back to the city, but finding the bus stop took me almost 30 minutes of going back and forth, it's a 10 minute walk from the Peterhof. It turns out it as fast as the hydrofoil, and less than a tenth of the price. And, in my opinion, more scenic. I saw some trolleys, still in use, that looked like they been used since the twenties.
I actually looked at a tour package to see Peterhof, but I am happy I didn't do that. There were a lot of tour groups, at the palace, but, once you walked 5 minutes off the main path, you were alone. The time spent at the site, for tours, is about two and a half hours, and that includes the palace. I spent three hours in the Lower Gardens alone.
My hostess informed me that she and her husband were going to their "dacha", their cottage for the weekend. Home Alone....Party Time!
Ralf

May 30 St. Petersbug Day 2

I finally discovered where all the tour buses have benn; right here in St. Petersburg. There is a multitude, it's like mating season for tour buses.

I did a lot of walking, seven hours on my feet, and I felt it last night.

I started off by visiting two churches. But they are unique. The first one was the Church of the Saviour on the Blood. This is the Russian Orthodox structure that's on all the brochures about St. Petersburg. It is a multicoloured, over the top, sight, with onion domes. The interesting thing is that's it Steve's no religious function. It was built on the spot where Alexander II was assassinated, and even though the inside has many religious figures, and an altar, it is not used as a church. The inside is also spectacular. There are numerous mosaics of saints, all large, all made up of tiny tiles. Spectacular. The only thing more numerous than the mosaics are the tourists. EVERY tour group HAS to see this church. At any one time there are, at least a dozen tour groups inside. I saw Japanes, German, Russian, and English groups.

The other church I visited was Kazan Cathedral. It is the largest Russion Orthodox Church in the city, but it doesn't look like a church. When I first saw it I thought it was a museum, there are no church towers, no onion domes. It was built to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon, in the War of 1812. Now this was a real war, no Laura Secord, but real armies, and typically brutal. 

The church, inside, has no pews, like all Russian Ortodox churches, just huge marble columns. It looks like a military palace. There were no tourist groups, but quite a few locals, worshipping at the side altars.

After a coffee break I visited the State Russian Museum. It is site of the largest collection of strictly Russian art. It starts with some beautiful old icons, and then has famous Russian paintings. Famous in Russia, because I didn't recognize any of the artists. There were some individual pieces that were excellent, but it was mostly unimpressive, to me anyway, but I am no art expert. There were some modern art pices, but I still don't get a black square on a white background as art.

 My favourite part, aside from the icons, was the folk art section. Some beautiful lace work, wood carvings, enamel pieces.

The other things I liked were the museum itself, a beautiful palace, and also the fact that you were allowed to take "no flash" photos.

Another aspect of St. Petersburg that I enjoy, are the number of parks, very large, very beautiful, very clean. And there are a lot.

I did encounter an interesting Russian. He was sitting on the sidewalk, with a sign, in English, "Need money for beer and vodka". I wonder if honesty pays?

Time to rest my weary bones,

Ralf

May 29 Arrival in St. Petersburg

I have achieved one of the goals of this trip; I have arrived in St. Petersburg!

Everything went smoothly, but it was a long day. I was up at 5, packed, took a bus to the bus station and was there shortly after 6 for my 7 o'clock bus to St. Petersburg. The management at my apartment even left a breakfast for me in the fridge.

The buses here are great. Complementary water, coffee, a clean toilet, even WiFi all the way. There was even an electric outlet to charge my iPad,

The border crossing, into Russia took about an hour. First we had to have our passports stamped on the Estonian side, then, on the Russian side we all had to get off the bus and go through customs, one by one.

Even with that we arrived in St. Petersburg 40 minutes early. To get to my accommodation I had to take 2 different subway lines, but they are well marked, even in English. The Internet is, again, very helpful. I knew what to expect, and I was ready.

When I got off the Metro I actually found a person who knew the area, and within 10 minutes I was there. Another bonus, the apartment is on the fifth floor, BUT there is an elevator, an Otis, no less.

This accommodation is different in that I am basically occupying a room in an apartment where a Russian couple lives.

The apartment is unbelievable. Absolutely gorgeous. If it were a hotel it would be 5-star. Beautiful furniture, two bathrooms, there is even a sauna off the larger bathroom. The appliances in the kitchen are all Miele. The fridge looks like a wooden cupboard from the outside.

I went for a walk, and this area is very nice. Grand old buildings from the late 1800's, and well maintained. Language is a problem. Since I can't read any signs I don't know what kind of a store it is until I go inside. I have been in hairdressers, computer stores, sushi restaurants, you name it.

St. Petersburg is called the Venice of the north, and there are many bridges and canals, but on a much larger scale than the real Venice. I even saw a couple of ladies, in bikinis, sunning themselves beside one of the canals.

The only negative aspect, so far, is that there is smoking in restaurants. I didn't realize that before I ordered, so I suffered. I will have to deal with that.

My sleep pattern is also off, the length of the day is something I have never experienced. At 11:30 last night it was light enough to be able to read a book, without turning on a light. And, at three, it is bright again. It must be very difficult in winter, when the nights are that long.

Let the fun begin

Ralf

May 28 Tallin Day 3

Another lovely day in Estonia.

I spent most of the day at the Estonian Open Air Museum. This is a pioneer village, representing farms from, mostly, the 1800's. it is about 8 km from the city center, but can be reached by a local bus. You walk, for about 15 minutes, through a lovely forest to get to the museum.

There are a dozen farms, actual old farm buildings, moved from different  locations in Estonia, to this location. Each farm consists of all the buildings it had. There is the main house, barns, storage buildings, smithys, outhouses, wind mills and so on.

There is also a fire station, church, school house, and a store.

The setting is beautiful, right on the water at Kopli Bay, and very peaceful. It takes up 200 acres, which means the buildings are spread out. The nice thing is that it is easy to avoid everybody else who is there, not that there were a lot of people. I saw one tour bus, a couple of school groups, and maybe a dozen or so individual tourists like me.

This museum was part of a Rick Steves show. When he was there there was music, twenty or so dancers; it was quite a party. I did mention I was a personal friend of Rick's, but no luck, no music, no dancers.

There weren't any demonstrations, like we are used to in our pioneer villages, but all the buildings had explanations in Estonian, English, and Russian, that were good.

Aside from the farms the thing I enjoyed the most was the peace and quiet, beautiful forests, lots of birds, I even found some Lily-of-the-Field. Gorgeous little white bells, with a lovely aroma. They are very popular here. In Gdansk, and everywhere since, i have seen numerous ladies selling bunches of them on street corners.

In the late afternoon, after a rest, (there is a lot of walking to cover 200 acres), I went back to the Old Town one more time.

I did learn an interesting fact. In Amsterdam, and Gdansk, the buildings are narrow, because taxes were dependent on frontage. Well, in some Baltic cities, taxes were determined by the size of the windows, so small windows were in style, to save money.

I have read a couple of books by Bill Bryson on this trip....love those ebooks, from the library. One was "The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid". The other is "At Home". Both of those books fit into this trip. The first one is the story of Bill growing up in Iowa, during the fifties and sixties. Travelling through these countries I couldn't get over the difference between life in Iowa, at the same time as everybody here suffered under the Soviet regime. In North America it was the best of times, in Eastern Europe the worst.

Bryson's other book deals with the evolution of how we live, and I have seen, first hand, some of the developments he documents, especially at the Outdoor Museum.

Interesting.

Tomorrow I have a bus at 7 am to St. Petersburg. My passport and Russian Visa is ready. So am I. I'm down to my two last cities, St. Petersburg, then Warsaw.

Ralf

May 27 Tallin Day 2

What a difference sunshine makes!
It was a gorgeous day for sightseeing, sunny, mid teens in temperature.
Some travel books call Tallin "The Jewel of the Baltics". After today I have to agree. The history is similar to the history of Gdansk and Riga. They are all seaports that were very rich and important during medieval times. They were all ruled by German knights, Sweden, and Russia, and didn't become the countries they are now, until the 20th century. (Except for Poland)
Tallin has some of the best preserved medieval fortifications and buildings in Europe. Half of the original 4 km wall is still there, with, over twenty towers. I have noticed that in most of theses medieval towns there was a moat. Those moats have been filled in, and become parks. So each of these towns has a lovely bit of green space surrounding it.
The Old Town has been beautifully restored.
Tallin also has a hill, where the nobility lived, so you can get lovely views.
I started my walking tour early in the morning. By ten the town is a zoo. Tallin is a port for many cruise ships, similar to Dubrovnik, so between 10 and 4, you encounter dozens of, mostly elderly, tourists, gawking skyward. 
A couple of points of interest, for me, were churches. The first was the "Mary, Mother of God" cathedral. I have never seen a church like it. There wasn't one picture, or statue, of a saint. The only religious figure was Christ on the cross. The walls are covered with beautifully carved wooden coats of arms, belonging to wealthy citizens, who are buried in the cathedral. The are several dozen of these, and the church looks more like a military memorial, than a religious building.
A block away is the Greek Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, another impressive structure.
The other church is visited was Saint Olav's. It's claim to fame was that it was the tallest building in Europe when it was built. For 2 Euros you can climb the 285 steps to the top. It was quite the climb, very narrow, and spiralling. It isn't really wide enough for two people, so it was fun squeezing by the ones coming down. The view was worth it though.
It reminded me of the temple I climbed in Orchha, in India. That one was a lot scarier, because there were no railings, and I was following a guide, who had a flash light. There was no-one else there, and you just have to have faith, that you werent going to be mugged, or worse. The neat thing about the Indian temple was that at the top were birds nests, parrots, bats, even a vulture, with a baby.
Back to Estonia.
Tallin is full of souvenir shops and restaurants. The souvenirs are high quality, but expensive.
My apartment is at the edge of the Old Town, so I went home and 
had a bit of a rest.
Afterwards I decided to head in the opposite direction from yesterday. Yesterday I hit the slums, today I hit the rich part. A world of difference. Lovely parks, beautiful shops. I spent almost 
an hour in a great book store. As big as Chapters, but much nicer. There was also a fantastic supermarket. I drooled all the way home.
I did see a cute sight. I passed the Opera and the parking lot had bars that go up and down for cars. The bars were in the shape of a big pink hand holding a conductor's baton. Very ingenious.
As I travel further north the length of the day is really changing. It is still fairly light at 11, and it gets light by 3. I could be walking Logan at 3 am. 
Ralf

May 26 Tallin Day 1

It stopped raining during the night, and there was even a bit of blue sky this morning. I arrived at the bus station early, and had one of those blissful, peaceful moments. I was enjoying a coffee, not a care In the world. A group of middle aged locals were enjoying their beer, it's 8 on a Sunday morning, and we were all listening to "If you're going to San Francisco be sure to put some flowers in your hair". 

As I said a lovely moment.

I saw my first red head. Very stylish hair cut and hair colour. Too bad the stylishness stopped just below her hair line. The rest was 250 pounds of "Mean Mama". Her dress had horizontal stripes, not a good choice, and she was puffing away on a cigarette. At least she wasn't drinking a beer.

There is still more smoking here than in Canada, but it's a lot better than when I came to Europe 30 years ago. All public places are non-smoking, as are hotels and transportation vehicles. Here are a lot fewer cell phones.

The country is quite attractive. Flat, I haven't seen anything as high as the Hamilton mountain in three weeks, but it is clean and green. Once I went north from Riga there weren't as many farms, but a lot more trees. 

The roads are two-lane, but well maintained. One other difference from Canada, at construction sites there are people actually working. What a novel idea.

I arrived in Tallin, and, following the directions found my apartment, without too much trouble. I did luck out, it's on the fourth floor, but there is an elevator. I think it's one of the first ones installed in Tallin. There are some people in Canada who could not fit into this elevator. But it does work.

My location is fantastic, I am right at the edge of the Old Town. Tallin is like a Disney production of a medieval town. About half of the fortified wall, with over twenty towers is still standing. Part of the moat is also still there. It is gorgeous, but it feels as if it was made just for tourists. There are nothing but souvenir stores, restaurants, and high end boutiques.

A great multitude of tourists. I think the only locals all work in restaurants, or the shops.

I decided to walk into the part of town outside the Old Town. A completely different story. The houses are either old wooden houses, or Soviet built apartment buildings. Very few had been kept up, most were quite run down. But I didn't see one tourist.

I find Estonia much more expensive than the other Baltic states, and Poland. While I was in Tartu I checked the price of my mini iPad. It was 150 dollars more here. Gas is about 1.80 dollars per litre. Beer in a restaurant is 5 dollars, quite a difference from Poland, and when you think a teacher makes 12 000 dollars a year, you wonder how they do it.

The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow. Everything looks better in sunshine

Ralf

May 25 Tartu Day 2

Today was not a good day. The weather was just plain ugly; a high of 12, it rained all day, and there was a strong wind.
I did brave the elements, and spent a couple of hours walking around Taru. It is a very pretty town. There is a hill at the center of the Old Town, a real hill. There is a beautiful park at the top, and also some buildings. The ruins of a medieval cathedral are there, quite impressive, and also some university buildings. A lovely setting, even in the rain. The Old Town, itself, is a mixture of restored wooden houses from the early years, and many elegant buildings throughout.
I was well prepared; rain jacket, umbrella, sun screen; optimistic, but ready. I discovered my GoreTex jacket was "Chinese Gore Tex", it doesn't breathe, so you get wet on the outside from the rain, and wet on the inside from persperation. My umbrella lost a fight with a gust of wind, and is no more. The sunscreen worked well, no sign of a sunburn.
I gave up after a couple of hours, and went back to my B and B. I counted money. I am quite the financial institution; I have Canadian dollars, US dollars, Polish zlotys, Lithuanian Litas, Latvian Lats, Euros, and Russian rubles. 
I can safely use a public toilet in any of these countries.
That is actually an important thing. When you first arrive in a new country, and withdraw money from an ATM, you get nothing but big bills. The definition of frustration is needing 40 cents to use a toilet, and all you have is a 50 dollar bill.
Whenever I hit a new country
Step 1 Find an ATM
Step 2 Buy a coffe, or chocolate bar to get change
Step 3 Locate a toilet
Ah, the joys of travelling on your own.
Tomorrow it's on to Tallin. I have discovered my apartment is on the fourth floor, and in Europe the ground floor is Floor Zero.
I have a stress test scheduled when I get home. I should be able to kill the stair climbing machine.
Ralf

May 24 Tartu Day 1

I left for Tartu, in Estonia, this morning. The bus I travelled in was very fancy. It had WiFi all the way, and there was a free coffee machine on board. The coffee was very good.
Tartu is a university town, and not on the tourist trail. I haven't seen one tour bus.
Estonia is interesting. Although it is one of the Baltic states it is quite different from Lithuanis and Latvia. Culturally, and ethnically it is much closer to Finland, than the other Baltic states.
Estonia suffered the same fate after WWII, it actually suffered more, in terms of population loss, than the other two.
One big difference I noticed quickly is hair colour of the female population. In the other countries I visited the most popular artificial hair colour is red. That's all you see in Poland, Lithuanis and Latvia; and you see lots of those. Not so in Estonia. I haven't  see one red head yet, but lots of blondes, not all natural.
I had my usual fun experience arriving in a new city. I don't know what it is, but the number of people who have no clue about their city is amazing. I was once again told to go in the opposite direction, once I got off the bus. That's 20 minutes wasted. Then I did find my street. The number was 117. I started at 1, figuring 117 wouldn't be too far. I was wrong. After walking 3 to 4 minutes I noticed I was at number 5. It took me over half an hour to get to 117. Fortunately my land-lady told me how to get into town by bus. Very simply, once you know how.
I met a young lady, who is a teacher in Tallin. She told me her salary, after 15 years is 9000 Euros. There is no grid. And Estonia is not that cheap. Gas is about 1.80 per litre, and grocery prices are almost the same as Canada.
I did have one other great experience. I attended a choir presentation, at one of the local churches. When I arrived a choir, made up of middle aged women was singing. To be honest I was not impressed.
Luckily I stayed, and the next choir was fantastic. It seemed to me to be a university choir. The voices were great, very clear, and powerful. A neat thing was that the choir members took turns conducting. A great hour of wonderful music.
Tomorrow I get a chance to see the rest of the city.
Ralf

May 23 Riga Day 3

I love my mini iPad. It does so many things. I have used it to make my hotel reservations, get maps, do emails, and my blog. I am using it to back up my photos. I have Face timed. And it is my library. I can read all the books I bought for my Kindle, and borrow ebooks from the Hamilton library while I travel. It also allows me to read the Spec, the Globe, and get CBC news.
All that and it is light, and fits in my pocket.
It is surprising how universal WiFi is. Every accommodation I have stayed at has WiFi, some better than others, but it is there.
One of the observations I have made is the homogeneity of the population.  Aside from obvious tourists I have seen only a dozen or so visible minorities, of any sort. And this is after three weeks.
The one thing which is also noticeable is the universality of Western chains, particularly restaurants. I haven't been anywhere that didn't have several McDonalds, KFCs, I have even seen a TGIF. 
I have also been surprised by the small number of farmers markets. I have seen a few, but the selections were small. No local cheeses, jams, or so.
The one exception is Riga. The central market in Riga is bigger than any other I have seen. It is not as attractive as the one in Barcelona, but it is much bigger. There are 5 huge buildings. The largest one is about the size of the Food building at the Ex, and it is only for butchers. There are other buildings for dairy products, and an entire building for fish.
The outside is filled with, literally, dozens of stalls selling produce, fruit, flowers, dresses, shoes, souvenirs. The only thing I didn't see we're large appliances.
Riga is a beautiful city, with beautiful buildings, smart shops, and many little squares full of sidewalk cafes.
I start early, and it is very quiet. By 10 or 11, my feet need a rest, and I have a coffee at an outdoor cafe, and watch the crowds. By this time the tour groups start to appear. There are quite a few, each day. I head back to my hotel for some rest, and then go out for dinner.
The most spectacular building in Riga is the House of the Blackheads. The Blackheads, or as they were known locally, the Zits, were unmarried German merchants. they built this house in the 1300's. The house was added to over the years. It was bombed heavily by the Nazis, in 1941, and completely demolished by the Soviets in 1948. Fortunately the original plans were saved, and the building completely rebuilt for Riga's 800 years birthday party, in 2001. Check it out on Google.
One story is that on a cold Christmas, in 1510, the Blackheads, under the influence of a lot of Christmas spirit, cut down a pine tree, and brought it into the main chamber of the house. They decorated it with flowers. At the end of the evening they torched the tree, still inside. According to legend that was the start of decorating Christmas trees. They decided to drop the burning part, although that does take care of all of the fallen needles.This is the kind of things that should be taught in history classes.
Ralf

May 22 Riga Day 2

Today was a perfect day for being a tourist, sunny, temperature in the high teens.
I spent the time wandering around the Old Town, and the Art Nouveau buildings. This style of architecture was very popular from about 1900 to 1912, which coincided with a building boom in Riga, so there are, literally, hundreds of these buildings in Riga. The fronts are full of very fancy figures and fanciful creatures. They are quite the sight, and are numerous. 
It was funny, but there were about 4 school tours, grade 5, or so. Typical school groups. Three paying attention to the teacher, the majority looking bored, and half a dozen boys, in the back, horsing around.
I also visited an Orthodox Church. These churches are very beautiful inside, and quite different than a Western Christian church. There are no pews, just an open area, with chapels along the outer perimeter. Photography is forbidden, and, being a good Canadian, I didn't take any.
I saw a lot of Japanese tourists, at least three bus loads, and also some Japanese young people, back packing. The only other place I have seen Japanese tourists were at the salt mine in Krakow.
I visited the Latvian museum, dedicated to the history of Latvia in the 20th century. Very grim. The Russians simply moved thousands to Siberia, and used them as slave labour. Only 1% were able to return, after Stalin died. The Russians also brought in 700 000 Russians to live in Latvia. After Latvia gained independence, in 1991, the great majority chose to stay in Latvia, even though they weren't given citizenship. That's why there are more Russians than Latvians in Riga.
The other thing I found interesting was that this was the first museum that acknowledged the fact that there were a good number of Latvian collaborators, that helped the Nazis and the Soviets.
The one bad experience was lunch. I went to a restaurant that was highly recommended by a couple of well known web sites, as providing real Latvian food at cheap prices. They were right about the price, but the food was insipid. Maybe I'll try McDonalds 
tomorrow. They actually make a very god cappuccino.
Till then remember " Eat well, travel often"
Ralf

May 21 Riga Day 1

I took the bus from Siauliai (can anyone think of another 8 letter word with only 2 vowels?) to Riga. I noticed, in Siauliai that many of the older homes were of a clapboard construction. The favourite colour is a mustard yellow. Quite attractive. Travelling to Riga I saw similar houses along the way.
Everything went smoothly, I found my hotel, a 15 minute walk from the bus station. Nice room, but it doesn't come with a coffee machine, or a kettle. No morning coffee in my room!
I went for a walk in the afternoon. I went into a store to buy some water, and when I came out it was pouring.
Being an ex-scout I had packed a rain jacket and an umbrella. Being a dump Boy Scout I left them at the hotel. So I waited about half an hour till it stopped.
I did notice something interesting. In all the previous places I visited, I didn't see any, what I call, "Wall-Mart People"; you know the type. Well I did see a few in Riga, all female, all obese. I am surprised.
I made it back to the hotel, dry.
I did go out again, after 5, and made it to the Old Town. It is amazing how different these cities are. Riga's Old Town is beautiful. And it's different than any of the other places I have seen so far.
Its history is also unique. It was founded by a German in 1201, and was taken by the Swedes in 1621. For a time it was the largest Swedish city. Then came the Russians in the 1800's. Not a lot of Latvians in this history. In the 20th century the Nazis and the Soviets took turns trying to level Riga. Like the other Baltic states the Soviets were in control, after WWII, until 1991. Even now there are more Russians than Latvians living in Riga. All the public notice signs are in Latvian, Russian, and English.
I was enjoying a cappuccino, at one of the many outdoor cafes, when I heard thunder. I looked up and saw some very dark clouds. I did remember my umbrella, and I walked back to the hotel in a light rain. Within a few minutes of getting back, the rain started to increase, and hasn't let up.
It is nice to be in a nice warm room, and listen to the pitter-patter of the rain.
I hope it does stop tomorrow.
Ralf  

May 20 Siauliai

Today went smoothly. I caught a bus from Vilnius to Siauliai, which is in northern Lithuania. The scenery along the way was very pleasant, lots of green fields, and very flat. I have never seen so many dandelions. I first thought they were fields of canola, but they weren't.
The reason I stopped in Siauliai is that just north of the city is a place called Hill of Crosses. The history goes back to 1831, when some locals used it as a peaceful protest against the Czarist regime.
Over the years more and more people added crosses to show their support for a free Lithuania.
During the Soviet occupation after WWII the Soviets tried to discourage the practice, and, three times, during the 60's and 70's, they bulldozed the hill, and burned all the crosses. Every time the crosses reappeared. The estimate is that there are over 100 000 crosses there now.
It's not easy getting there. From Siauliai you have to take a local bus. This bus drops you off at the side of the road, and you have to hike 2 km, to the actual hill, which is in the middle of nowhere. In reality it isn't really a hill, more like a mound. The vast majority of the crosses are only a few inches tall, and they hang from the larger ones. There are some large crosses and statues.
It is quite a sight, and it's interesting to note different languages, such as German, and even English. The Hill has become one of the biggest tourist attraction on the country.
Siauliai is an interesting town, that has some weird museums. It has a bicycle museum, and a museum of cats. Lots life cats, but a multitude of ceramic cats, and a photographic exhibition of felines. I am sorry to say I missed both of those attractions.
When I arrived in Lithuania I withdrew 600 Lits for my expenses. (About 240 dollars). I am leaving tomorrow, and I have 6 Lits left. How is that for budgeting? I might even squeeze a coffee out of that at the bus station.
Tomorrow I am off the Riga, in Latvia.
Wish me luck
Ralf