baltic gems

8/3/2019 Baltic Gems

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• Enjoy a special cultural performance on the beautifulEstonian island of Saarema

• Explore Gauja National Park, with its ancient redsandstone caves and ruins of the Riga archbishops’Turaida Castle

• Discover Latvia’s rich chocolate-making tradition at oneof Riga’s best-known shops

• Get a unique look inside Vilnius’ KGB Museum, wherethousands of Lithuanians were held before being deportedto Siberia

• Enjoy an exclusive piano concert inside the intimateCiurlionis house museum

Program Highlights

Tallinn• Kuressaare • Riga • Vilnius

Study LeaderFrank Wcislo is Dean of e Ingram Com-

mons and Associate Professor of History andEuropean Studies. He teaches courses onmodern Russia, Eurasia, and Europe. Hisresearch and writing incorporates issues of

politics, identity, and culture in the pre-Rev-

olutionary Russian Empire. His latest book, ales of Imperial Russia: Te Life and imes of

Sergei Witte, 1849-1915, is a biography of one of the great statesmen of the tsarist empire and a history of the Victorian world he inhabited. Hehas enjoyed teaching courses with VU’s Osher Senior Learning Programand traveling with Vanderbilt alumni to Russia, Eastern Europe, and theeastern Mediterranean.



July 18-21 TallTallinn’s winding cobbled streets, red

roofs and turreted fortress wall are on theUNESCO World Heritage list. Dis-cover the Old Town Hall Square, with itsGothic Town Hall, the early Pharmacy,the Great Guild Hall, 13th century St.Catherine’s Dominican Monastery andthe House of the Brotherhood of Black-heads. Visit Kadriorg Park and Palace,built by Peter the Great in 1718. Hotel Clarion Euroopa or similar (2B, L, 2D)

July 22 Tallinn • ferry to Saarema Island • Kuressaare

Take a ferry over to Saaremaa Island, inhabited for at least 5,000 years. Before it wasconquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1227, notorious Estonian pirates apparentlyoperated from the island. Today the island is famous for its bread, its beer and its wind-

mills. It also is an up-and-coming destination for spa tourism. Check in to a select spahotel in Kuressaare. Gerog Ots Spa Hotel or similar (B, L)

July 23 Kuressaare, Saarema Isla

Visit Karja Church, decorated with fascinating stone carvings created in the 13th and14th centuries. Admire the Angla Windmills, the only remaining working windmillson the island, and Kuressaare Castle, the best preserved of the medieval Baltic castles.Later, enjoy a special cultural performance. Gerog Ots Spa Hotel or similar (B, L)

July 24 Kuressaare • ferry to Virtsu • drive to Riga

Continue to Latvia’s charming capital, Riga, making a stop in Gauja National Park, with its ancient red sandstone caves and the ruins of the Riga archbishops’ TuraidaCastle. Nordic Hotel Bellevue or similar (B, L)

July 25 UNESCO-listed Riga was rst a shing village founded by native Livonians, and todayis the largest city in the Baltics. On a walking tour, pass by the Dome Cathedral, St.Peter’s Church, the old Guild Houses, the ree Brothers and Riga Castle. Explore theArt Nouveau district a few blocks north of the city center. Many of the imaginative anddecorative buildings are designed by Mikhail Eisenstein (father of lm director SergeiEisenstein). Discover Latvia’s rich (literally) chocolate-making tradition at one of Riga’sbest-known shops, Gustav’s. Nordic Hotel Bellevue or similar (B, D)

July 26Riga • drive to Vilnius via Rundale

& Hill of Crosses

On the way to Lithuania, stop at the Castle of Rundale, designed in the early 18th century byRastrelli, who also built St. Petersburg’s Win-ter Palace. Aer entering Lithuania, stop atthe Hill of Crosses, a powerful symbol of faith

and perseverance. is small hill is totallyhidden by a multitude of crosses planted inthe ground by local believers. e evocativeatmosphere of this sacred place draws thou-sands of believers and pilgrims each year. Artis

Hotel or similar (B, L)

Day by Day Itinerary



July 27-29

Vilnius

Wander through Vilnius’ squares, arch- ways and courtyards,down Piles Street

with its 16th to 18thcentury structures,and by diminutive

red brick St. Anne’schurch, representing the pinnacle of Gothic architecture in Lithuania. Get aunique look inside Vilnius’ KGB Museum, where thousands of Lithuanians wereheld before being deported to Siberia. Venture outside of Vilnius to restoredTrakai Castle, built in the style called Brick Gothic on a little island in LakeGalve. Artis Hotel or similar (3B, L, D)

Dear Vanderbilt alumni and friends:

Join us as we explore the little coun-tries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithu-ania, three strategic nations clusteredalong the northern Baltic Sea coast.e Old Towns of each of their capitals – Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius – areUNESCO World Heritage Sites, with cobbled streets, handsome medi-eval churches and a wealth of fascinating and variegated cultural heritage.

Roam these beautiful pastoral countries, admiring ancient pagan sites, redbrick castles, and three dierent nationalities united by a love of freedom.

Begin in Tallinn, Estonia, admiring its medieval Town Square and turretedcity walls. Discover Kadriorg Park and Palace, built by Peter the Great in1718. Ferry to the beautiful Estonian island of Saarema to appreciate itsgreat beer and lovely windmills. In Riga, Latvia’s capital, explore the imagi-native Art Nouveau district and sample chocolates at Gustav’s. Explore

baroque Rundale Castle, designed in the early 18th century by Rastrelli, who also built St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace. Admire Vilnius’ diminutivered brick St. Anne’s church, representing the pinnacle of Gothic architec-ture in Lithuania. Pay your respects at the evocative Hill of Crosses andtour restored 14th century Trakai Castle.

Sincerely,

John Hindle, BA’68, PhD’81

President,

Vanderbilt Alumni Association

For more information, contact the Vanderbilt Travel Program at 615-322-3673 or email [email protected].

M A P A R E A

ESTONIA

LATVIA

L ITHUANIA

Tallinn

Riga

Vilnius

Hill of Crosses

Baltic Sea

Saarema Island

Kuressaare

Virtsu

baltic gems

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