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

May 19 Day 3 Vilnius

I had a relaxed day today.I spent the time wandering the back streets of the Old Town and it's interesting in that, once you get away from the main tourist area the city is quite rundown. But you have to remember it's only been 30 years since the Soviets left, And I don't think that Lithuania is a wealthy country.

Another thing I noticed is that the older generation is about the same size as I am, but the young people are quite a bit taller. When I was visiting the KGB museum there was a group of high school students there, probably senior students. There wasn't one, male or female, that was shorter than I was. That was quite different than when I was in Vietnam, but then the world is still looking forward to the first Vietnamese to dunk a basketball.

Basketball is the national sport here. Lithuania has on one of the top teams in the world in basketball.

There are a lot of churches in this city. There are 31 churches in the Old Town which is about 1 km² in size. I went into several churches yesterday, Churches are a great place to relax. I just slip off my shoes and enjoy the cool temperature. I saw one christening and one wedding yesterday.

I visited a couple of churches today, Sunday, And the masses were very well attended.

It's actually nice to be in a place where we religion is still well respected. I think the main reason is that in both Poland and here the church was on the side of the common people against the Soviets. Many priests and bishops were assassinated during the Soviet occupation, unlike Spain and Argentina where the church was on the side of the dictators.

I visited another interesting site, something called the "Miracle Tile". This is a stone, in the Square in front of the cathedral, which marked one end of a continuous human chain of over 2 million people, that stretched all the way between Vilnius and Tallin, Estonia, a distance of 530 km. This chain was formed in 1989 to protest the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. There is a belief that if you stand on the tile and rotate 360° clockwise and make a wish, it will come true.

Is Harper still our PM?

It doesn't say how long it will take for the wish to come true.

I had another fun experience today, on the way home. The main street was blocked off and they were displays of various physical activities. People were playing ping-pong, frisbee, table top fussball, there were displays of yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates. The big event was a 3 on 3 basketball tournament. There were 10 small basketball courts set up down the street. Various age groups competed.

It's been a while since I have seen so many white people play basketball.

Tomorrow I'm off to Siauliai, doesn't that sound interesting.

Ralf