This year’s summer trip is a visit to the Baltic states of Europe.
I had initially thought a visit to Ireland would make a good summer vacay this year. But Lisa came up with something more adventurous – travelling through the Baltics. I looked into car rentals, and where we could go. Then I remembered that for our trip to Iceland a few years ago, Lisa had gone with a company that made all the driving and hotel arrangements for us. I thought maybe there was something similar for Europe.
So I ended up booking our trip through a tour company called Baltic Holidays. They are based in Lithuania, but the founder lives in Manchester. I told him a bit about the kind of touring Lisa and I like (cultural sites, history, non-hiking), the level of hotels we would like to stay at, and our time frames. He put together a suggested itinerary, and with a few tweaks, we landed on a vacation. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland are our destinations! Our adventure starts in Krakow, we drive up through the Baltic states and take a ferry across the Gulf of Finland to end our road trip in Helsinki.
As in the past, I plan to post regularly while we tour (maybe not every day) and you can follow along with us. Trip begins below.
Day 1 – Toronto to Krakow
Tues/Wed July 14/15, 2026
Lufthansa flight 471 to Frankfurt with a connecting flight (LH1364) to Krakow. Interestingly, the YYZ-FRA flight is the same one I took on my solo trip to Nuremberg last September so that I could fly a 747 for the first time. Now I’ve had two 747 flights.
YYZ-FRA was uneventful flight. Left right on time, and our seats in premium economy were not bad. Just behind business class, row 27, two seats next to the window (2-4-2 setup in this jumbo). It was the last row of premium economy, and nothing really separated it from the pleb’s back in economy – other than a short curtain that hung down about a quarter of the way from the ceiling. But the seats were wide and fully reclined. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about the small child sitting right behind us who was making high pitched squealing noises the whole flight. We got only a little shut-eye on the overnight flight (and the kid finally fell asleep about half hour before we landed!).
Arrived in FRA right on time at 10am, or a little before. We were most worried about our connection to Krakow here. Because Frankfurt is where we arrived in Schengen zone, that is where we had to deal with immigration and the new EES (EU Entry/Exit System) system. Lots of horror stories about this new system for non-EU citizens that requires biometrics (photograph and fingerprints), and leading to super long wait times for entry and exit in Schengen countries. We had a two hour window between our scheduled arrival in Frankfurt and our scheduled departure for Krakow – normally plenty of time.
But we needn’t have worried. Other than the wait for the shuttle that took us from our arrival terminal to our departure terminal, the biometric photos/prints took no more time than using the machines we all have to use when we return to Canada, and the immigration line took 10 minutes at most. We were at our new gate with at least 45 minutes before our flight to Krakow departed (and actually left a little late). That flight too was uneventful and we arrived in Krakow just before noon. Very tired, but on time.
As part of our pre-booked tour, a driver was there to greet us once we picked up our bags from the luggage carousel. Pretty hard to miss the guy (Alexander) holding up the DARRYL JAMES SEAL sign in the arrivals hall.
Arrived at our hotel (Indigo Hotel – Wawel Castle) after about a half hour drive from the airport, with a short from-the-car tour of downtown Krakow. Both of us were quite exhausted and jet-lagged, so we had a short (ok, maybe not that short) power nap before heading out for a quick walk around the environs of the hotel area. That included a walk around Wawel Castle and a stroll along the banks of the Vistula river. Stopped for a drink and light dinner at one of the river boats docked along the riverside, and then back to the hotel. We’ll have an early night tonight, hopefully sleep off some of this jetlag, and be ready for our first real day of Baltic holiday tomorrow.
Day 2 – Krakow
Thurs July 16, 2026
Today was first full day of our trip.
We both had a good sleep last night – jet-lagged as we were – and got up around 7:30. Had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant (included with the booking) and then made our way to the lobby. As part of our tour booking we had a personal guided tour of Krakow arranged and were meeting our tour guide in the hotel lobby. Paulina met us there after a slight delay (due to roadwork slowing her transit – summer is roadwork time in Krakow, just like TO apparently), and then we were off on our walking tour of Krakow.
First up was the Jewish quarter. A short 5 minute walk from the hotel, Paulina led us through the streets of the old Jewish quarter while she shared some history of the area and the various Synagogues spread throughout. One of the “highlights” was the alley that they shot a number of scenes for Schindler’s List in. Still milking that relationship thirty (or more) years after the movie came out!
After the Jewish quarter, we made our way back over to Wawel Castle (which Lisa and I had quickly walked around yesterday) for some history of the complex on top of the hill. Originally a medieval fortress, it has been rebuilt over the years by the various occupying empires, most recently the Austro-Hungarians.
Final part of the tour was through old Krakow- the university district, streets and buildings, and the main square – which apparently is the second largest main square in Europe, after St Marks in Venice. It certainly seemed to Lisa and I to be much larger than St Marks. We also had a quick tour inside Bazylika Mariacka and watched the hourly trumpeter up in the tower who plays a short trumpet piece every hour (24/7) on the hour, once in each direction. Apparently this is a tradition held over from the days when it announced the impending attack on the city, or other such things!
Overall it was a decent guided tour. Probably better than a group tour, but at times I found it a bit repetitive and not totally cohesive. We’ve got more of these private tours at a number of our stops this holiday, so we’ll see how they all go.
After a lunch in the main square, we headed back to the hotel for a short afternoon siesta. Really hot here in Krakow today. But nice and sunny too!
For our late afternoon visit we had a twenty minute walk over to the Schindler Enamel Factory, which is now a museum dedicated to the history of Krakow during WWII and the efforts of Oskar Schindler to protect his Jewish staff. Very little of the museum was actually dedicated to the Schindler story, but overall it was an interesting museum.
Dinner at a restaurant in the Jewish quarter, and then we were back at the hotel for the night. A good first day – with lots of walking – on our trip!
Day 3 – Auschwitz/Birkenau
Fri July 17, 2026
Lisa thought it would be a good idea to start our Baltic vacation off with a tour to a concentration/extermination camp. So today, we had a tour of Auschwitz/Birkenau.
Poor-taste joking aside, it does make a lot of sense if we are going to be in Poland to visit this historic memorial. That is one of the primary reasons we started our trip this far south in Krakow.
We were met just before noon by our personal driver (how bougie!) for a 1+ hour drive to Oświęcim, the town where the memorial is located. At the memorial we joined a larger group for a guided tour. The tour starts out in the main Auschwitz camp, with a walk through the grounds and through a number of the various prison blocks. Inside the prison blocks are some exhibits showing photographs,, drawings and artefacts of the various persons incarcerated at Auschwitz during the course of WWII – political prisoners, polish military officers, religious and educational leaders, polish police, Roma, Sinti, homosexuals, and of course, Jews. The guide provided commentary throughout (via headphones and wireless transmitter).
While it is a sombre visit, the crowds (it’s a constant steam of guided tours – you are literally following right behind one, and followed right behind by another) and quick pace really do detract a lot from the atmosphere. You really don’t have time to think deeply about what you are seeing. I contrast it to our visit to another concentration camp during our Austria/Slovenia visit – Mauthausen – where there were no crowds, the tour was self guided, and you could spend your time really thinking about what you were seeing. And Auschwitz itself is not at all like I imagined it to be – that was more our next stop.
After the Auschwitz tour, everyone hops on a shuttle bus for a 10 minute drive over the the Birkenau camp. That is the one most people (or maybe just me?) I think associate with Auschwitz. A much larger camp spread over a large open area, our same guide met us there for a 50 minute walk through Birkenau. Many of the buildings are gone, but some of the brick barracks and even some of the wooden barracks survive. The gas chambers and crematoriums were blown up by the Germans when they abandoned this camp, but the ruins remain.
After the tour (very hot here today, and all the Birkenau part of the tour was outdoors in the blazing sun) we got back in the air-conditioned personal ride back to Krakow. I’m glad I visited, but again, it didn’t have the same emotional impact of our visit to Mauthausen a couple year’s ago.
Day 4 – Salt Mines
Sat July 18, 2026
Left Krakow today. Our rental car arrived at the hotel right on time (delivered from Lithuania! A 2026 Passat wagon) at 10am. After a bit of paperwork, we were on our way.
On the drive to Warsaw, we stopped at the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which is about 20 minutes outside of Krakow. A famous, huge, salt mine that financed many years of Polish governments – at one time, salt was as precious as gold. Lisa had purchased tickets online the day before, so once we figured out where to pick them up (across the road from the mine site) we stood in line for our timed entry.
The visits here are fully guided, so once again we had our Polish english-speaking guide to lead us on the tour. It starts out with descending a wooden staircase, with about 380 steps, down 65 meters to the first level of the mine (in total, the mine has 6 levels, only the first two of which are part of the tour, and goes as deep as 327 meters. We went to 135 meters underground). Through various passages and into various caverns, the guide tells the story of the mine and the miners. There are a bunch of areas where there are statues carved in the rocksalt (or halite for those geologists among you), carved by the miners themselves, with many a kitschy story to go along with them.
A few of the caverns are quite large, but the most impressive is the St. Kinga’s Chapel, which has many carvings, and chandeliers made from salt crystals. The photos I took don’t really do justice to what we saw.
It was a long walk (Lisa’s app says we walked 6km through the tunnels and caverns), and thankfully, there is an elevator up to the exit. Neither of us relished the idea of having to walk back up 135 meters worth of stairs! In total it was about a 3 hour tour.
After the mine visit, we had a late lunch in a local restaurant, and then hit the road again for the 3 hour drive to Warsaw. We reached Warsaw without event (only one missed highway exit!) and made our way to the hotel in downtown Warsaw.
Dinner on a very busy pedestrian/restaurant street and then back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we do a private guided tour of Warsaw.
Day 5 – Warsaw
Sun July 19, 2026
Our tour with our private guide started right on our appointed time at 10am. Agnieszka met us in the hotel lobby, and we started our walk along the main road right beside our hotel, the “Royal Route”. Of course, these days, it is a main thoroughfare with stores and mostly restaurants and cafes catering to the tourist trade.
Agnieszka pointed out the highlights and interesting buildings in the area, many of which had to do with either Chopin, Chopin’s sister, John Paul II (or JP II as they call him here apparently), or some historical polish military figure from the 17th and 18th centuries. Villa’s, schools, academies, and such.
After about an hour, we arrived at the Warsaw Old Town. The Old Town, as the name suggests, is located where the original start of Warsaw began. Only, the buildings here are not really so old. During WWII, almost 80% or more of the Warsaw city centre was destroyed by the retreating German army. So after the war, the old city centre was rebuilt – in the style it was believed to have been in the 17th and 18th centuries! So the “Old town” is about 75 years old. Not even as old as the house I live in in Toronto. Interesting.
Agnieszka had lots of stories about the history of Warsaw including those centuries, and about the times before the war, after the war, and during the communist regime. She also had an ipad with her to show us some historical pictures and drawings when were were looking at various reproduced buildings. She was a very good guide.
After the tour, we had lunch in the “old” market square, visited the Warsaw city museum (really just a bunch of things that had been found over time in Warsaw), wandered a round a bit, and visited the memorial to the 1944 Warsaw uprising against the German occupation. Then a walk back to the hotel for a bit of a rest. Hot here again, though not as hot as it has been the last few days.
The clouds and rain rolled in before we got out for dinner, so we ended up eating at the hotel restaurant this evening. Nice quiet meal – only one other couple in the restaurant.
Tomorrow, we leave Warsaw for the lake district.
Day 6 – Warsaw to Mikolajki
Mon July 20, 2026
Got up at a little before 8am, after a not-so-great sleep by both of us. The bed in this hotel is due for a change – serious sagging into the middle. It also didn’t help that: 1) it was the second night of a System of A Down concert at the Warsaw stadium, which is a little way down the road, and many of the attendees coming back into town I think headed to the bar area just a little behind our hotel and said bar area is open until 4 or 5am every night!; and 2) World cup final was last night, and those at the bar seemed to be celebrating the Spain win really hard, really late!
Had a good breakfast at the hotel, then we were off for our four hour drive. Bit of a hiccup before we left – I had somehow left the passenger side window open last night, and the rain got the passenger seat quite wet. So Lisa was my backseat passenger for this part of our drive, until the front seat dries up!
First stop – a mall to visit a Sephora! Claire got addicted to one of their products that isn’t available in Canada, so we needed to make stop at a mall just outside of Warsaw to pick some of them up. I had thought we could just pick some up in one of the other main cities we will be visiting on our tour, but, fun fact, Sephora doesn’t have any retail stores in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or most surprisingly, Finland. So we made the mall stop in the Warsaw burbs.
Then back on the road, headed to our next stop, Mikolajki (pronounced ‘mee-koh-WAI-kee’, which Lisa and I both have a hard time remembering) a small north Polish town in the Masurian lake district. Along the way we made two stops for a leg stretch and lunch. First, in Pułtusk where we had a walk down to the river, by a castle (now a hotel), and into the town centre (which has the longest paved market square in Poland, according to the town!). The second was Ostrołęka, where we stopped for lunch at a small Italian restaurant in the town centre, where I had one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had!
The drive the rest of the way was on some back road highways, and twisty-turny small unmarked roads that google maps though would save us time. It probably did, and they were very lightly travelled.
Arrived in Mikolajki around 4pm and checked into our hotel. Our hotel here is a small “boutique” hotel, that is right beside the river walk. The rooms are a little like ship cabins – in size and in style. Not quite the same level of the two hotels we have been in so far (hopefully the bed is better than the last one!) but well located. We had a stroll along the waterfront, which is kind of like a cross between Harbourfront and Wasaga beach (nice walk right along side the water with lots of private boats and a pirate ship), with all the kitschy stores/stalls selling souvenirs and knick-knacks, and found a nice restaurant for a meal. Then stroll back along the somewhat chilly waterfront (16 degrees!) to our room. Now waiting for the painfully slow internet to upload my pictures for the blog. That was day six.
Day 7 – Wolf’s Lair
Tues July 21, 2026
Today we took in some history. Two sites in northern Poland related to WWII.
First stop, about an hour and bit drive from Mikolajki, was Wolf’s Lair. This is a previous bunker complex in the forests of the Masurain lakelands, that was an important Nazi complex. Hitler spent a lot of his time at this complex directing the war on the eastern front. And of course, this is the spot where the assassination attempt occured July 20 1944. We opted for the audio guided tour, which was a great choice because it provided a lot more context and history than just reading the panels and was fully automated based on where you were on the path through the various bunkers in the forest. The bunkers were all blown up by the retreating Germans in January 1945, as the Red Army approached the area, so not much is left intact, but a few of them you could walk through a passage or two. A very well done tour.
We stayed and had lunch at that restaurant on the site which was also a good choice as just as we sat down the heavens opened with a good downpour. Felt sorry for the many visitors walking the site in the heavy rain.
After Wolf’s Lair, we visited another bunker site about a half hour further north. The Mamerki Bunker Museum has a few bunkers that were not destroyed that you could explore, along with a museum dedicated to the site and WWII in general. Not as polished as the Wolf’s Lair tour but very interesting.
After that, we drove back to Mikolajki for a bit of a rest before heading out to dinner by the lake. Very cool here today – 15 degrees – and as I mentioned, a bit wet. Hopefully things warm up a bit.
Day 8 – Poland to Lithuania
Wed July 22, 2026
Moved on to our second country on this tour of the Baltics today – Lithuania.
The drive from Mikolajki PL to Druskininkai LT is about 250km and takes about 3 hours. We broke up the drive with a couple stops along the way.
The first was Augustów, a smallish town in northern Poland. It has a nice waterfront park, which we had a stroll along, and then a quick lunch at a small (and very quiet) cantina in town. It was just a stop to have a bit of a break from the twisty narrow back roads leading us to our ultimate destination. When not the main highways, these roads are fairly narrow, with limited or no markings, and everyone is driving minium 90kmh. I kind of enjoy it, my copilot not so much.
Our second stop was just outside a small town by the name of Wigry (still in Poland). This stop was a monastery out on a peninsula jutting into the lake (Jezioro Wrigy) all around it. Pokamedulski Klasztor w Wigrach, or in english the post-Camaldolese Monastery in Wigry, is a fairly large compound of church and monks living quarters, with a spectacular view of the surrounding lake an countryside (it also hosts a hotel if you want to sleep in a monk’s cell. I don’t think monk is included). We spent about a half an hour wandering the grounds and visiting the church, before heading back out for our ultimate destination. Druskininkai in Lithuania.
Druskininkai is a small spa town in southern Lithuania that our tour company included as a stop. No idea why, as it is a fairly small town, but based on our short stroll from the hotel for dinner and back, seems quite pretty. We’ll find out more tomorrow, as we have a guided tour of the town arranged for us.
That’s it for today!
Day 9 – Druskininkai
Thu July 23, 2026
Breakfast at the Regina Hotel here in Druskininkai was not quite up to the standards of our other hotels on this trip. Not awful or anything, but the buffet selection was a little more lacking – very little fresh fruit and not quite as much variety. I don’t know, maybe it has something to with this hotel seeming a little like something from the soviet times? No elevator (ok, there are only two floors). Big bathtub instead of shower. Carpeted rooms. 70’s looking bedspread. But at least the internet is fast!
After breakfast we met up with Anna in the lobby for our guided tour. I mentioned yesterday that Druskininkai is a small town, and it is, but Anna kept us entertained for a 3 hour walk around this small town. Originally a spa town established during the time of the Tzar’s, it remains somewhat of a spa town with lots of spa hotels. Anna provided lots of history and had a tonne of information on any building we asked about. A few remaining wood-frame villas (some restored, some in bad shape), buildings from turn of century (the last one), soviet era buildings, and many modern ones. We even got to sample two kinds of spring waters – salty, and super salty! It was a very good tour and well worth the money (I actually have no idea how much it cost because it was all part of the tour package arranged for us – but we did give a 20euro tip).
After the tour, we had lunch in a lakeside restaurant and then visited the small Druskininkai city museum. It has three smallish rooms of various artifacts, photos and things from various time periods. Excluding anything from the soviet era. They don’t like this time in their history here. Every two minutes or so as we were looking around, the one staff member would pop into the room, tell us about a photo or artifact or something, then leave the room, only to come back in about another couple minutes and tell us about something different.
We then wandered back through the main pedestrian walkway through the town (that was partially under construction or reconstruction) and had a cable car ride. There are no real hills around Druskininkai, but this cable car takes you up high over the forest, to an indoor artificial ski hill just over the river from town. Snow Arena! Its a massive complex, fully enclosed, housing a long indoor ski run. We only observed a small part of it – the bunny hill – but it is monstrously huge. We took an elevator up to the very top of the ski hill, where there is an cafe and an observation deck that looks out over the forest, Nemunas river, and Druskininkai. A great view.
I mentioned in yesterday’s post about not knowing why our tour company had us stop in this small town. Now I see why. It is a very pretty, small, relaxed town with a lot of history. A very good stop on our Baltic itinery.
Day 10 – Statues, Hilltop, Castle
Fri July 24, 2026
We left Druskininkai today for our next stop, Vilnius. Again, with a rather short 2 hour drive, we planned a few stops along the way.
First up, just a little ways outside of Druskininkai was Grūtas Park. It is forested park along the side of a lake with statues, busts and memorials scattered throughout of Soviet leaders (Stalin, Lenin and such) as well as other historical Lithuanian socialist and communist leaders. They are all remnants from when the statues and stones were toppled from various cities in Lithuania after the iron curtain fell and Lithuania regained its independence. Understandably, the people did not want these reminders of an oppressive past in their town squares anymore, but instead of destroying them, a local businessman set about gathering them up and displaying them (along with less-than-complimentary historical descriptions of the figures) in a central location. A very interesting visit, and very few people there when we were there.
Next stop was a the small town of Merkinė. The visit there was to a hilltop mound – Merkinės piliakalnis or Merkinė Hillfort – with a fantastic view of the joining of three rivers. 180 or so steps up the hill (Lisa counted) afforded the view. Apparently at one time there was a castle on top of the hill, but it was hard to imagine as the top of the hill was not very expansive.
Our final stop before heading on to Vilnius was Trakai Island Castle. In the small village of Trakai there is a restored castle on an island in the middle of the lake. The original castle dates back to the 15th century, and it was just a ruin by the early 1900’s, when restoration began. It took them more than 80 years, but it was finally restored to its original form in 1987. It was a nice walk along the lake and bridges to the castle, and within the castle were various exhibits about the castle, the town and the area. The best part to me was the drawbridge leading to the castle – it looked almost exactly like the Friendly Giant’s drawbridge! We had late lunch in the town trying the local delicacy. Kibinas are savoury meat pastries, akin to Cornish pasties. We tried the beef, chicken and ricotta varieties. They were good.
After that, we made the one hour drive into the metropolis of Vilnius (pop. 600,000+ people, quite a difference from our last stop). Tomorrow, we have a personal guided tour of Vilnius to learn more about this city.
Day 11 – Vilnius
Sat July 25, 2026
Breakfast at Hotel Vilnia was better than Hotel Regina. But only slightly so. Lack for fresh fruit let it down.
Right at 10am, Dovile, our local guide, met us in the lobby for a three hour tour of Vilnius. First stop was St. Anna’s church, where we saw a baptism in progress (not specifically planned for the tour). Then through a bohemian part of the city, that in 1998 declared itself a breakaway republic – the Republic of Užupis. Then on to the old town, where we saw lots of churches (orthodox, catholic, other), some with things going on some with nothing going on. We toured historical buildings, the presidential palace, the main square, the university, more churches. Dovile was very knowledgeable (she majored in history at Vilnius university) and gave us a good tour with lots of history.
After the tour, and after a lunch, Lisa and I wandered a bit more through the old town, some of the shops, and soaked up the atmosphere. It was fairly crowded with tourists, but not overly so. Then back to the hotel for a rest, a beer in a beer garden for me, and then back into a different part of town for dinner.
A good day walking the city of Vilnius. I can’t really say anything specific about Vilnius – it is much like a lot of old European towns. It was a nice day though and a nice walk. Some pics below, many of churches I cannot remember the names of!
Day 12 – Vilnius
Sun July 26, 2026
Today was a free day in Vilnius. No guided tours planned. No tickets to museums purchased. Just free to do what we wished today. Read a book? Walk around some more? Take the car for a drive somewhere near Vilnius? What to do?
Nice and sunny and on the warm side (28C) in Vilnus today. So we decided to stay in the city and just be tourists. First up we thought we would take the funicular to the top of the hill just a short hop from our hotel, where the Gediminas Castle Tower sits. We walked around the mound to the funicular station but alas, funicular out of service. Is it worth walking up the hill? We decided not.
Instead, we decided to do the city bus tour. One of those hop-on hop-off tours. Only this one, once you hopped on, you were on for the duration. Sitting on top of the open air double decker, the bus drove through the old town and the audio guide told us much the same things that our guide had told us yesterday. That was ok. It was good to see them again from the vantage point of the second floor of the bus. It was about a 40 minute tour, and then there was a second 40 minute part. This time, around the newer parts of Vilnius.
I was struck when we were driving into Vilnius of the many modern office towers we could see from the road driving in. And this part of the bus tour took us around that section and provided a bit of history of the development of modern Vilnius and about some of the buildings. It was a good counter-tour to all the old town buildings and churches.
After the bus tour, it was time for a light lunch, and then a visit to the National Museum. The National Museum is housed in the reconstructed Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. This is a reconstructed palace from the time of the 17th century, that sits on the site of an original castle from the 1300’s. The museum was set up as a walk through time. First, you visit the excavated foundations of the original castle underneath the new palace. Then you walk through the rooms of the new palace. From start to finish there is a description of the history of the Dukes and kings and rulers that ruled Lithuania and Poland over the centuries. It was a very well done exhibit (will full English descriptions along with the Lithuanian).
After that, Lisa had a bit of a rest, while I did a bit more walking. There is a big garden right next to our hotel, with a few fountains, so i wandered a bit though that, having a sit down on a bench in the shade and watching the world go by for a bit. Then I got a bit more adventurous, and decided to tackle the 230 steps up the hill beside the park to visit the Three Crosses Monument that overlooks the city of Vilnius.
Legend has it that these three crosses were installed on the hill in the 13th century after the town executed 17 Franciscan monks because they weren’t fond of the catholicism they were spreading. They felt bad afterwards so erected some crosses in memory. The original crosses were burned down number times over the century, and rebuilt. Then they were rebuilt in concrete in the early 20th century, but the soviets didn’t like them when they took over so tore them down again. Once independent again in 1991, Vilnius rebuilt them at the top of the hill. Great view from up there too. I could easily see our hotel, so I had Lisa wave out a window for a picture (see below).
For dinner we walked back into old town, had a nice meal, then did a bit more wandering about the streets. Being Sunday, it was definitely quieter than yesterday, but still quite active.
That’s it for our visit to Vilnius, capital city of Lithuania. Tomorrow we are back on the road to the next country on our Baltic tour – Latvia.
Day 13 – Suds and Crosses
Mon July 27, 2026
It’s about a three hour drive, give or take, from Vilnius to our next stop, the small town of Bauska in Latvia. Over divided highways with 130kph speed limits that suddenly end in roundabouts, back-roads with little traffic, and through small towns where you slow to 30kph for about a hundred meters before you can go back to 90kph.
As usual, we planned a stop or two on our drive to break it up a bit, and see more than the road.
Today’s stop, still in Lithuania, was the Hill of Crosses. It’s a small hill (and I do mean small) that is adorned with hundreds and hundreds of crosses. 200,000 or more according to the marketing brochures. And because of the sheer number, they have expanded beyond the “hill”. They really should rename is as “Field of crosses – with a small hill of them”. Not as catchy, I know.
It was an interesting stop though. It really felt more like a junkyard of crosses. But there sure were a lot of them. Most of them wooden, some metal and some concrete. No smoking here. The photos below tell the story.
After the hill we stopped in a small village for a quick bite to eat, before we made the last 45 minute drive into Latvia and on to Bauska.
After we checked into our hotel (a four storey soviet style apartment block, with rooms that I’m sure date from then), we headed straight to …… The Laundromat! Yes, today was laundry day. I had actually scoped out where to do laundry in Bauska, probably as one of the first things I planned once we had our itinerary some months ago. Close to the halfway point of our vacay and we would need to refresh our duds.
To my delight, Bauska has a brand new laundromat (opened earlier this year) with fully automated machines (no need to buy soap separately), english instructions, and pay by credit card! Woo-hoo! When we arrived, there were only two machines available that weren’t being used, but that’s all we needed. About an hour and a half (and 20 euros!) later, our clothes were hot and ready for the last two weeks of our trip.
Back to the hotel for a small rest, then out for a nice dinner at a restaurant – Mežs Kungs – just a short block away. After dinner popped into the local Rimi mart to pick up a few road snacks, then back to the hotel.
As usual, pics below.
Day 14 – Bauska to Riga
Tue July 28, 2026
Travel day again today. With the usual stops along the way.
Got up a little later than usual, on account that neither of us slept particularly well last night. Nothing specific (the soviet hotel vibes not affecting us) just neither of us slept well. Also, we were told last night when we checked in that there was going to be a big tour group at breakfast at 7:30am, so we might want to get our breakfast earlier or later. We did later.
Packed up all our freshly laundered gear and hit the road. About 5 minutes from the hotel parking lot was our fist stop, Bauska Castle.
The castle sits on a peninsula between the confluence of two rivers, just outside of Bauska. The castle dates back from the 13th century, and half the castle has been restored, half left in ruins. Restoration stared around the turn of the century by some rich Latvian dude who bought the castle. The restored part hosted a museum, detailing the history of the castle and the area, along with various artefacts found on and around the grounds. In the ruins section you could walk around and see the old walls and gates. Overall, it was a well done smallish museum/castle. Highly recommend if you are ever in Bauska (maybe not worth a trip across the pond just to visit, though a very reasonable 9 euros each wasn’t too bad).
Second stop was a further 10 minutes down the road (getting our stops in early this travel day!), Rundale Palace. This is a palace that was built in the 17th century for the local Bauska-based duke, as his country summer home. The marketing material call it the Versailles of Latvia. Sure, I guess if you’ve never been to Versailles yourself, you might call it that. But it was a far cry. That said, it was actually a pretty impressive palace and palace gardens. We spent about 2 hours visiting the palace rooms and the garden, then had lunch at one of the cafes on the grounds. It reminded me a lot of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, with a similar tour of the rooms, and tour of the gardens.
Then, it was a relatively short drive of an hour or so into Riga, capital city of Latvia, for our next stop. Our hotel is located right in the old quarter, so for parking I was actually driving on the small cobblestone streets among all the pedestrian tourists. Fun.
We had a little walk around after check in, up to the park that surrounds the old town, and back into the centre for dinner. Tomorrow, another personal guided tour is on tap for the morning. We’ll learn much more about the city of Riga then.
Day 15 – Walking Riga
Wed July 29, 2026
Breakfast at Konventa Seta (our hotel in Riga, previously housing a convent) was definitely a step up from the last few stops. Though, this morning, I wasn’t particularly hungry so just had a few pastries and coffee.
We met our guide in the lobby just before 10am. She had brought her teenage daughter along also (on summer vacay, and I guess had nothing to do), so we got to hear a bit of perspective on things from a teenager in Latvia.
We had a good walk through the old medieval town of Riga, with Aira (our guide) pointing out the numerous churches and important buildings, while giving us a good history of the city, including some good stories of soviet times, which is when she herself grew up in Riga. We then walked over to the Art Nouveau district, or Quiet District, for a look at some of the early 20th century art nouveau style buildings. Finally, we walked over to and through the market district, which is huge area of fresh fruit, vegetable, meat and fish stalls. Kind of like St. Lawrence market, but on steroids (it covers 5 huge food halls plus lots of stalls surrounding them). Another very good walking tour.
After the tour, we made our way back to the old town for a lunch. After lunch, we were going to take a one hour boat tour that goes through the canal that surrounds the old town, and then through the main river that Riga sits on (the Daugava river), but the lines were quite long for the small boats and it looked like we were about an hour or more away from getting on one. So instead, we sauntered back through town back to the hotel for a little siesta.
After a little rest, we headed back out for dinner, and then another stroll through the cobbled streets, an ice cream for dessert, then back to the hotel.
I didn’t take as many pictures today for some reason, but a few of them below.
Day 16 – To the Seaside
Thu July 30, 2026
With our free day in Riga (nothing pre-planned) we decided we would take a trip to the beach.
Riga is very close to the Baltic coast, on the Gulf of Riga. Jūrmala is a seaside town a short way outside of Riga. So after breakfast, we sauntered down to the central trains station, bought our 2.30 euro tickets, and made the half hour train ride out to Jūrmala.
It was a nice sunny day today, so lots of people on the train headed to the seaside. On arrival at the Majori stop, most people with their families headed straight for the beach. We had a walk down the main pedestrian street, Jomas iela, which was quietly just opening. Lined with restaurants, cafes, small shops, and souvenir stands, we had a nice stroll down the street. At the end of the street is Dzintari Forest Park, a fairly large park full of towering pines, with a nice walkway through it. (And a tree-top adventure park for kids).
Then, down to the beach. Being fairly early in the day, the very wide and very long sandy beach was not crowded at all. We lay down our towels and both had a wade up to calf’s in the Baltic Sea. The ocean was not warm but not freezing either. It was very shallow for quite a way out and lots of kids were swimming and splashing. No waves.
We had a while just lazing on our towels on the beach, under the shade of some shore bushes, enjoying the nice warm day and relaxing. Then, back to Jomas iela for a lunch, before heading back to the train for the mid-afternoon trip back to Riga.
Lisa had an afternoon siesta in the hotel, while I walked back down to the market area we visited yesterday, for a bit of a longer look around. Being later in the day though, many of the vendors were closing up shop, so there wasn’t really anything new to see, so I headed back to the hotel for a siesta of my own.
After dinner, we had a walk through the park again around Riga, then headed back to the hotel.
Riga is a lively town, with a very different vibe than the other capital cities we have been in. And English is much more widely spoken here than in Lithuania, or even in the smaller Polish towns. We have definitely enjoyed our visit.
Day 17 – Riga to Tartu. And Breakfast
Fri July 31, 2026
Today’s road trip was Riga to Tartu. This three and a half hour drive was broken up by a stop in Cēsis.
An easy drive out of central Riga (compared to my drive in, where I had to make a loop over the river and back because of a wrong turn, then drive along the cobbles beside the streetcars, then down the very narrow cobbled one-way’s in central old town Riga to get to the hotel parking lot), and we headed to Cēsis, a Latvian medieval town about an hour out of Riga.
There, we toured the old castle, only partially restored with lots of very narrow circular staircases that you needed to have a light for because there were no windows. They offered lanterns with candles for that authentic “explore the castle” feel, but i opted for the cell-phone flashlight tour. Lisa declined the narrow staircases altogether. There were some exhibits about the history of the castle and some of the materials they excavated.
After the castle, we walked the very short main street and had a bite to eat for lunch at a courtyard restaurant. Then back on the road.
A few hours later we arrived in Tartu, Estonia. Tartu is Estonia’s second largest city, pop 100k. It is a university town. Driving in through the leafy suburbs really had a feel of driving into Victoria. We checked in, had a short rest, then walked to the main square for dinner, and walk to the river for an ice cream. We have a private tour here also tomorrow morning, so we don’t want to spoil that with a full walk around!
So, what about “And Breakfast” (in today’s title). This is my little editorial on the experience we have had of our hotel-included breakfasts on this trip. All the hotels have had breakfast included (we paid for that) and some have been better than others (I’ve made note of that in previous posts). But I wanted to talk about guest behaviour at breakfasts. It seems to me that it is a world-wide phenomenon, not just a North American one, that people are starving and desperate for food in the morning. The buffets are generally chaotic, with very little etiquette. “Can’t wait for you to finish getting your fruit – must butt in”. “Oh, you were patiently waiting for the person in front of you to get their coffee? Too bad, I need mine now!”. “Must fill my plate to the brim with something from every station!”. It just doesn’t matter where they are from, but that is the behaviour we see every morning at breakfast.
That’s it. Off my soap box. Back to regular programming.
Day 18 – Tartu
Sat Aug 1, 2026
Didn’t sleep as soundly last night (for no particular reason) so woke up a bit dopey.
Breakfast this morning was a surprisingly quiet affair – not too many other guests, so not as chaotic as previous breakfasts. Maybe just lack of people, rather than manners though.
We met our tour guide, Eve-Liis, right at 10, in the hotel lobby. She took us on a tour around the quite compact center of Tartu, visiting the main square, old town, riverfront, parks, the university area (Tartu is a university town, with 2 main universities and 7 other academic schools), and back again to old town. She provided a good history of Estonia and Tartu and we saw lots of interesting buildings and heard the history. Much of Tartu centre was bombed by the soviets in WWII, so most buildings are not that old. But a few survived.
After the tour and a lunch at a guide-recommended lunch spot (a pub in an old storage cellar with 50 foot high ceilings), we retraced some of the walk to visit a few museums. First the old observatory, which is part of the university buildings, then a partially restored church (also part of the university) that contained some history of Tartu exhibits and exhibits about the university and university life. An interesting museum, though mainly geared to the younger crowd.
Late afternoon Lisa had her siesta, and I went out for a drink at one of the outdoor patios in the main square (an Irish restaurant!). Then dinner, a short walk through town, and back to the hotel.
A short visit to Tartu, but worth it.
Day 19 – Tartu to Tallinn – the final road trip
Sun Aug 2, 2026
Slept even worse than the night before. Again, no particular reason (but one of my dreams was frustration at the line length for the mini-golf, when the regular golf line was much shorter. Interpret that for me).
Good, quiet breakfast once again. People must get up later in Estonia. Then we checked out, and hit the road for one last time (in our vehicle rental, anyway – still one more country to cover).
Our first stop today wasn’t even outside of Tartu. The Estonian National Museum is just slightly in the burbs, but since it has a big parking lot, we figured it would be good to visit on our way out of town.
The museum is built on the site of an old soviet air base – in fact the museum is a very long rectangular building that is build along the axis of one of the airstrips. Looks very impressive on arrival. And walking to the front doors felt kind of like docking my starship in the deathstar.
The main part of the museum has a history of Estonia and the Estonian people, in a reverse chronological order (and no, we didn’t go the wrong way). From current times, to liberation from soviet occupation, time of occupation, before WWII, and so forth, all the way back to when people first started living in the area that is now Estonia. It was a good exhibit, with way too much information to take in on one visit. I found the soviet times part the most interesting. And the neat thing about this museum is that all of the information boards are digital, and if you wave your museum ticket in front of them, they show the information in the language you chose when buying your ticket (we chose English of course, despite my partial mastery of the Estonian language – well, I can say thank you (Aitäh – EYE-tah), that’s about it).
There were some other exhibits also, on the Estonian language, on fabrics and on colours, but the history was the most interesting. And we happened to run into our tour guide from yesterday – she was leading a tour of the museum to some Finn’s.
After the museum, we were on the road, with a short stop about half way for lunch in a small town, and arrived in Tallinn around 3:30. Tomorrow we have our guided tour of Tallinn so we’ll see more then. (Sorry – I didn’t take a lot of pictures today).
Day 20/21 – Tallinn
Mon/Tue Aug 3/4, 2026
I’m back! No post yesterday for a couple of reasons. Lisa started her day with a migraine, so wasn’t up for the guided tour booked for us. I went by myself, but asked for a shorter version so I could get back to the hotel to make sure Lisa was ok. And on top of that, my gouty big toe started acting up, so I was not walking as normal. The afternoon and evening we stayed at the hotel. So today, making up for two day’s worth (well, one and a half I guess).
Lisa’s migraine had subsided after a sleep. My gouty toe was not better today (probably a bit worse) but I was ok enough to hobble-walk around. Not going to miss out because of a toe. So after breakfast, we did the walk of old town Tallinn, upper and lower. We kind of retraced the route I took with the guide yesterday, and I regaled Lisa with all my absorbed knowledge about the history of Tallinn and the various spots we stopped at. Surrounded by the medieval wall and towers, the upper old town has a number of government buildings and embassy’s. All built in the middle ages (with much additions and subtractions over the years). We took in some great views over the city from a few of the vantage points from up on the hill.
Then we tool the “long walk” down into lower old town, named so because it is a gradual road, rather then a steep flight of stairs. The lower town is about 2-3 times the size of the upper town, and Lisa had her personal guided walk through the cobbled streets with her excellent guide. A good number of tourists here in Tallinn, some from cruise ships, so fairly busy with people throughout.
After a late lunch, we went back to the hotel. Lisa rested up a bit, and despite my lame foot, I decided to take the public transit (tram) a short ride out to the palace and parklands of Tsar Peter the Great, Kadriorg Park. I had a leisurely stroll (hobble more like) around the park and palace grounds (the palace houses and art museum, which I did not go in to), had a coffee and sweet at the museum cafe, and a walk down to the seashore at the bottom of the hill. Then hopped back on public transit (bus) for the short ride back to the hotel, for a bit of a rest of my own.
In the evening, we strolled back into old town for our final meal (not including breakfast) in Estonia. Lisa really liked Tallinn (it took over top spot for her from Krakow). I liked it too, but I’m not sure I can really rank all of the different old cities we have been in. They are each different in their own way, yet similar in ways too. I’ve like them all.
Tomorrow, we head to the ferry for a trip across the Baltic sea to our last destination and country, Helsinki Finland.
Day 22 – Tallinn to Helsinki
Wed Aug 5, 2026
Last transfer day today. Got up a bit earlier than usual, had breakfast, then was met at hotel by our driver to take us to the port for the ferry ride to Helsinki. The ride took all of 15 minutes, and probably would only have taken 5 minutes if it hadn’t been for all the morning traffic in Tallinn. The port is quite close to Old town and our hotel.
The ferry to Helsinki is a great big modern passenger/vehicle ferry (2800pax. Name: MegaStar). Tallink runs a few of them and they leave every two hours or more (in summer at least) for the 2 hour trip across the Baltic sea to Helsinki. On board, its a very modern set up, mainly divided into a bunch of different eating/drinking lounges, cafeterias, and a small sundeck on the top open to the air. Oh, and almost half of one deck of the ship is dedicated to a shopping mall. I say mall, because you could get pretty much anything there – food, souvenirs, high and mid level clothing of all types (jeans, shorts, shirts, jackets, you name it). Maybe not furniture, but it sure felt like being in a department store.
Lisa and I opted for a comfy seat in one of the bar lounges and just chilled with a glass of water (!) for the trip. I’m surprised, though maybe not, by how many people are drinking wine, beer and spirits on a a 10:30am sailing!
On arrival in Helsinki, we were met by our driver, Darius, for another short (though convoluted due to much road construction) drive from the ferry terminal to our hotel in Helsinki. A rest, dinner at the hotel (included with the price, and surprisingly very good) and an early night. Darius will be taking us for our guided tour of Helsinki in the morning. Foot feeling a bit better again today, but still sore.
Day 23 – Helsinki by land and sea
Thu Aug 6, 2026
Breakfast at the hotel was quite busy this morning. But in contrast to some of the previous breakfasts and despite the crowd, it didn’t seem as end-of-the-worldy. Guess people are a bit more polite when in Finland.
At 10 am we were met in the lobby by Darius and we began our guided foot tour of Helsinki. Darius was probably the most chatty guide we have had this whole trip. He had lots to say about everywhere he showed us, the history of Finland, Helsinki and its people, and lots in between. We visited monuments, parks, important buildings, the railway station, the library (more on that in a second), modern malls (not so much to show us anything but as ways to get from place to place), tunnels, squares, marketplaces and esplanades. He packed a lot in on the three hour tour, and did a good job of linking things together.
The Helsinki library was an interesting visit. It is a very modern building, built in the shape of a ship. It has only three floors (or decks) but they are all quite long and open. In this library, in addition to books, they offer citizens lots of other services. Want to make a 3D print, no problem. Print something on a large poster printer, sure. Need to do some science experiments? They have a lab you can book. Sewing machines? Sure just sit down and start sewing something. Meeting rooms, that’s pretty basic. High-end graphics workstations, sit down and design. Need to do post production on a video you shot? Just book their video production room. Or if you are making an music album, they’ve got a studio you can use with all the modern and updated equipment. I wondered why a library visit was on the tour (I thought it was just to see the boat-like building from the inside) but all these services were incredible.
At the end of the tour, we found somewhere nice to have lunch, and then back to the hotel for a short rest before the next tour of Helsinki.
This one was on a boat. Lisa booked an hour and a half cruise that sailed around the various islands that make up the archipelago of Helsinki. Lisa and I sat up on the top deck of the fairly empty boat and saw a lot of the Helsinki landmarks from sea. The island of Suomenlinna, an 18th century fort and shipyard protecting Helsinki. Other islands that are parks, zoos, and private summer residences or yacht clubs. The various areas of mainland Helsinki along the shorelines. And passed by a few of the cruise ships docked in the port. Overall, it was a worthwhile cruise.
Back in town, we had a good meal at an Italian restaurant then sauntered back to the hotel. Temps of around 19-20 degrees and it was feeling a bit cool. But weather has been great.
Tomorrow is our last full day of our trip and we have another outing planned. Stay tuned.
Day 24 – Porvoo (by bus)
Fri Aug 7, 2026
Just up the road from Helsinki, about an hour away, is a small village of Porvoo. The guidebooks say that it makes a good outing from Helsinki, so Lisa looked up her trusty Viator tours app and found us a tour.
After our breakfast we made the six minute walk over to one of the big shopping malls in Helsinki – Kampii. That is where we were to meet our tour guide. Beside the CircleK-like convenience store on the lower level of the mall.
Danielle, our tour guide (who is originally from Bogata, and is in Helsinki doing a masters degree at university of Helsinki), met the five of us that had signed up for the tour, and we made our way to the bus. The bus was the public bus that runs between cities. A decent highway type bus.
You may think having a tour of a Finnish town being given by a Columbian temporarily living in Helsinki and taking the public bus to get there would be weird. We thought so too. But it turned out to be a decent tour.
After making a few stops within Helsinki to pick up more passengers, once on the highway the bus made good time, and we arrived in Porvoo within the advertised one hour. Danielle led us on a walk through the newer part of town, with some parks and some outdoor art pieces, while she told us about the history of Porvoo and some information about the art installations. We then made our way to the old part of Porvoo, where there are “warehouses” along the Porvoonjoki river (now mostly restaurants, hotels and shops), and a few cobbled streets of town with original houses (more shops and restaurants) and then up to the main church on the hill, where we had a short visit. Then back down into the old town, with a bit of time to explore or eat on our own (we chose to have a light lunch beside the river). Danielle was clearly practised at giving this tour and also had lots of knowledge of Finland and Helsinki in general. The Colombian temporarily living in Helsinki knows her stuff!
Then it was back on the bus for the hour drive back into the city. It was mid-afternoon, but we both felt like we have seen a lot of the city, so we just headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest, and a dinner in the hotel. Tomorrow afternoon, we head to the airport and end our Baltic tour.
Day 25 – Heading home
Sat Aug 8, 2026
Woke up bright and early (8:15 am), got dressed, then downstairs for breakfast. Did most of our packing last night, but just had to finish up, figure out where all the souvenirs were going, then close up the suitcases one last time.
Our flight is at 4:50pm and our ride to the airport is scheduled for 1:45pm, so we had a bit of time for one last look at Helsinki before departing. Mall or down to the waterfront? Waterfront it is!
Another nice day in Helsinki, and we ambled our way down to the old town and the harbour. Visited a few souvenir shops so see if there were any last minute purchases, wandered through the waterfront foodhall and marketplace, then stopped at the park cafe for a late morning refreshment.
Getting back to the hotel around 1:15, we got our luggage from the storage room and prepared to wait for our ride to the airport, but Darius was early. He was already waiting for us, so we hopped in his van for the (unusually long) drive to the airport. Check in was smooth, EES was fast, and after an airport lunch (reindeer pasta for me) we waited for our flight.
Had a great adventure and enjoyed every minute of it (less the gout and migraine episodes of course) but happy to be heading home.
Till our next adventure….
Thank you Darryl and Lisa for your detailed commentary on your trip so far. Krakow is where Agnes’ family come from and her grandmother would tell us about how she would bring food to the Jewish people in hiding during the war by smuggling it in a baby carriage to avoid suspicion. Your travelling style is very appealing with private tours away from the madding crowd. May you continue to enjoy each day.
Sincerely
Valerie
Hi Darryl & Lisa!
Enjoying the blog. Keep posting. All the cool kids are in Europe – and yeah, it is hot 🙂