baltic trip

7/31/2019 Baltic Trip

1/21


2/21

SPECIAL THANKS TO...

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for welcoming me and showing me all theessence of their beauty.

Lina and Algis for hosting me in Kaunas. You were the first ones of thisamazing trip, and beginning of such an unforgettable experience. I will alwaysremember all your lessons about the town and the country. All the best in Glasgow anddo not doubt on asking me whenever you want to practise your already fantasticSpanish.

Audrius and Vilius for being that kind with me in Kaunas even though we did

not spend that much time together.

Kamil and Jonas for taking care of me in Vilnius. It was absolutely brilliant tostay at your place and learn a lot of things from you. Keep rocking with your projects.

Evia for offering me her home in Riga and letting me see how wonderful lifecan be. We have a karaoke night waiting for us, do not forget it. And please, say to Burznot to change any more, it is a-wesome.

Simon, my German travelmate all around the Latvian capital. Do not stop

smiling and looking at life as you only know. Hope your Portuguese dreams come true.Mrten for such a charming behaviour and making me feel that comfortable in

Tallinn. We will have to climb up some mountains sooner than later. Enjoy your timewith rr, it was nice a flatmate.

Madis for teaching me all those interesting facts. Who needs a guider if onecan stay with you?

All of you for being an important part of this outstanding time. You alreadyknow you all are welcome to visit me either in Spain or wherever I am. It will be a

pleasure to host you back.

And of course to Ria and Oli for being that good friends and that patientwhenever I have asked you for a word or an expression in English. I will always keep itin my mind as well as the bike you lent me to go to the Station and your time whenchecking this English writing.


3/21

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are definitely three countries that deserve a longand open-minded stay within their territory. They own a single and wide historymarked, in many cases, by disputes, battles and wars against neighbouring states and

kingdoms. Denying parts of a common legacy that they have shared would turn out tobe an exercise of cynicism, but no less than ignoring their particular path through theages. The gate of the Baltic Sea and crossroads between the North and South, East andWest, theirstrategic location woke up the interest of many. Despite their small size and

population they have been able to preserve theirrespective identities, languages and traditions, evenduring some of the hardest periods of occupation.

However, there are a lot of people who stillthink that the three shape a unitary country, or they

are Russian regions, or parts of the (former) SovietUnion. Undoubtedly, these false perceptionsdisappear by visiting each and every of these nations-members of the European Union since 2004- as well as

by meeting and interacting with their local people.And this is, precisely, what I have done.

The aim of this trip was to know, personally, their cultural and social richness.For such purpose, I was couchsurfing from Karlstad (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia),

making stops in between in Kaunas, Vilnius (both in Lithuania) and Riga (Latvia). This isthe most appropriate way of travelling if one wants to better understand the local way ofacting. Lets start then!

After some days looking for information about my destinations and trying tofind some hosts over there, the moment had arrived. It was time to pack my luggage andfind someone who could drive me into town to catch the bus that would carry me toStockholm. It was not easy at all. I had only two pairs of trousers, two jackets, a towel, afew pairs of underwear, and some sandwiches in a backpack for eleven days. The lessweight the better. I had found a friend to drive me into town, but to my surprise it could

not be possible in the end, so a sudden change of plans happened. I would have to getup earlier than expected and ride a bike 8km down at 04.30 AM. Besides, I had beenconfirmed only by one of the hosts so far. As of then I was already starting to feel howamazing this trip was going to be.

Once at Stockholms Central Station a new obstacle took place. The train thatwas supposed to transport me to Skavsta the airport where I flew from- was delayed. Atfirst ten minutes, after that ten more minutes, and so on. Eventually it showed up aroundone and a half hour behind time. There is no need to say that the risk of losing my flightwas higher. Nonetheless, what does not kill you makes you stronger. There is not a

better moment to check how solid your self-control is, and that is what I did. I metCamille a friend doing her Erasmus in Karlstad too- and her cousin over there. The
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latviahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estoniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estoniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Seahttp://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/baltic.htmhttp://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/baltic.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://www.civitas.org.uk/eufacts/ms.htmlhttp://www.couchsurfing.org/http://www.destinationkarlstad.se/enhttp://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/enghttp://visit.kaunas.lt/W3/titulinis?lang=enhttp://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/http://www.liveriga.com/en/-1-visit-riga-riga-official-travel-guide-hotels-events-attractions-liveriga-comhttp://www.visitstockholm.com/en/http://www.skavsta.se/en/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latviahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estoniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Seahttp://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/baltic.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://www.civitas.org.uk/eufacts/ms.htmlhttp://www.couchsurfing.org/http://www.destinationkarlstad.se/enhttp://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/enghttp://visit.kaunas.lt/W3/titulinis?lang=enhttp://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/http://www.liveriga.com/en/-1-visit-riga-riga-official-travel-guide-hotels-events-attractions-liveriga-comhttp://www.visitstockholm.com/en/http://www.skavsta.se/en/


4/21

latter had to take the same train as me. Actually she had to fly back to France. Onecannot imagine how nervous she was due to the delay. Meanwhile, my attitude wascompletely the opposite. The reason to be that calm? The train will not show up earlier

by being angrier, more nervous or shouting instead of speaking. The quieter one facesthe potential setbacks the faster and the more accurate one thinks, and the better theresult will be.

Finally, we caught up our transport and were able to arrive to the airport. Threefantastic countries were waiting for me.

The journey to Kaunas, my first visiting town, had a special symbolism. Whilechecking-in as well as once inside the plane I felt rather observed. Lots of Lithuanians,as it sounds obvious, were at that time at that same place. My appearance, specificallymy more-than-average tanned skin and dark brown eyes, did not make me go unnoticed.What can one say or do in such circumstances? Just take it easy and feel it like acompliment. This like-observed feeling was constant throughout Lithuania and Latvia,

but not that much in Estonia. The reason? As some of my hosts told me, in spite ofbeing countries opened to the world and foreign people, multiculturalism is somethingnot that extended as it can be in Sweden, the UK or the USA so I turned out to be exoticfor most of their inhabitants. Therefore, do not take out wrong conclusions. Actually,some of those glances coming from some pretty girls were a really good stimulus tokeep on this trip, if I ever thought of giving up.

Kaunas welcomed me with a little bit messy weather, notcomparable with what I was delighted with from then on. It was

pretty windy, but complemented by a grey sky that threatened tostart raining. However this could not stop me from enjoying the

beautiful landscape where its airport is in, crowded by really greentrees looking like a forest. Indeed, this feeling of being full in thenature would become daily, somehow, in Lithuania.

Immediately after landing, getting hold of a map of the town, and exchanging

some coins I picked up a bus that drove me into town. The airport is located 14 km fromdowntown, although for me it seemed to be much longer. Too many stops and not suchdeveloped public transportation. Nonetheless, this is exactly a fact that could define thecurrent status of this country. It is getting advanced little by little, and one of the maincontributors for such a purpose is the use of the communitarian funds. It is not weird toobserve, especially in Kaunas, with many construction banners with the EUs logotype.Furthermore, this is a good chance to have a tour around and see how the urbanism styleis different to what I was used to in Spain, Sweden or the major Western Europeancountries. The Soviet-style housing was still present specifically at the suburbs. The

more to the periphery one moves to the more possibilities to notice this.
http://www.kaunas-airport.lt/index.php?lang=enhttp://www.kaunas-airport.lt/index.php?lang=en


5/21

Anyway, it was a pleasant and interesting journey tickets checking bycontrollers included-, and it was time to drop off. By then Lina and Algis, my hosts,were already messaged and their reply was amazingly quick. What a pity that I did notcontact them some minutes before since they were at the Castle and I wasat the busstation, which meant a 30 minutes walk. No problem. Thus, I could take advantage andsee this as an opportunity to begin visiting and seeing some of the monuments andcorners of the town.

Like many tourists inKaunas I walked through LaisvsAlja, the main avenue, full ofstores, bars, restaurants, and so onthat, to my surprise, was ratherempty. Right at the end, by

following the path, the Old Townstarts. So just keep walking somemore minutes and one will find theKaunas castle (XIV century).Surrounded by the Santakos Park,this is the oldest building in townand its beauty is complemented by its location at the confluence of the two largest riversof Lithuania: theNemunas and theNeris. The sights from its top are simply awesome,and that was a good pastime until Lina showed up.

She and Algis were kind from the first moment. Their backgrounds and degrees,Political Science and Architecture respectively, were ideal to optimize my stay in there.Just by this I could better understand the transition Lithuania dealt with after getting itsindependence, the meaning of being European for it, or how Kaunas was structured anddesigned, among other things. For instance, thanks to them I learnt that the town wasconstructed as a defensive one and that is why there are walls present all aroundKaunas.

Moreover our relationship got easier since they have a great interest in Spain.All in all, I am Spaniard and they had been studying there (Seville and Madrid), speak

Spanish and have a not bad liking for Spanish music. I could only laugh when Algisplayed Cachete con cachete, a very typical Latin song at village festivals when I wasyounger.

But lets go back to the Castle. After a short drive to a neighbouring bar Algistook care of me. Over there I met some of his friends and then he showed me around theOld Town, explaining me every single detail of what we were seeing. We ended up at aformer factory converted into an Arts gallery. At some point I thought I was back inBerlin. Eventually, having bought a non-fermented beer here its oddness- before, wewent home sited at the top of a hill where one can enjoy some fantastic views from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laisv%C4%97s_al%C4%97jahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laisv%C4%97s_al%C4%97jahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Kaunas#Old_Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaunas_Castlehttp://wikimapia.org/6808409/lt/Santakos-parkashttp://wikimapia.org/6808409/lt/Santakos-parkashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neman_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neman_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerishttp://www.visitasevilla.es/index.php?lang=enhttp://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.dohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfd9pCAeL0chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfd9pCAeL0chttp://www.visitberlin.de/enhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laisv%C4%97s_al%C4%97jahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laisv%C4%97s_al%C4%97jahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laisv%C4%97s_al%C4%97jahttp://wikitravel.org/en/Kaunas#Old_Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaunas_Castlehttp://wikimapia.org/6808409/lt/Santakos-parkashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neman_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerishttp://www.visitasevilla.es/index.php?lang=enhttp://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.dohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfd9pCAeL0chttp://www.visitberlin.de/en


6/21

Kaunas acted as the Lithuanian capital after Vilnius was occupied by theRussian Bolsheviks in 1919 and captured by Poland in 1920. This temporary situationremained de facto until July, 1940. By then the town enlarged significantly. Somereminiscences from that period as well as future ones are still present, and comprehendthem within their context was my purpose for the following day.

Starting from the mall I accompanied Lina and Algis to, I walked all over thetown. Something that caught my attention was the sort of tunnels to cross some avenuesand long streets. It is an effective way to lessen problems between pedestrian andvehicles, and also an appropriate safeguard for the hard winter, I guess.

One of the mandatory stops, picture-takenincluded, was at the Church of theResurrection. Its viewpoint, at the top of it,offers a panorama of the town as placid as theown building style. Its grey faade seems to

join together with the sky if one looks up at itfrom the ground.

Before meeting my hosts again I had enough time to find out some lovelysquares hidden among houses and tall trees, to witness a veterans military march atLaisvs Alja, whose meaning I would figure out the day after, and to come back to theOld Town.

Lina and Algis were waiting for me in a bridge together with Audrius and

Vilius in order to see a cycling race the latter took part in. While one was pedalling,three of us since the other one left- took advantage, regarding the cyclists were farfrom where we were, to go to a bar and eat eburekai. This is dish made of mince-meatinside dough cooked all together in oil. According to what Algis and Audrius told me, itwas easy to find people selling and eating eburekai in the beach when they wereyounger. Conclusion: it was absolutely tasty.

Once the race finished and we allcongratulated Vilius due to his good performance,

we three again went for a long walk throughoutwhich we could see the Zalgiris stadium, thelocal basketball team. This is the king sport inLithuania, a second religion as many say.Precisely, that day Zalgiris played againstLietuvos Rytas, the Vilnius team and main rival.For one to make it clearer, it would be theLithuanianEl Clsico Barcelona versus Madrid-

but in basketball.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ's_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ's_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunashttp://www.duona.com/en/recipes/news=127http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDalgiris_Arenahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ's_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ's_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ's_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunashttp://www.duona.com/en/recipes/news=127http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDalgiris_Arena


7/21

Whereas a lot of people were in front of a TV screen watching it and the streetslooked very empty, we decided to stop by a bar close to the Castle mentioned above andhave some beers taking advantage of the sunny day. Not sure why, we started one of themost interesting talks I had all over the trip. Algis and Audrius explained me how theylived -being just kids- the disintegration of the USSR, the independence gotten byLithuania, how their families dealt with it... Especially shocking for me maybe becauseI was taught at school some of the worst things about itwas the fact that theirgrandparents were moved to Siberia along with the Soviet regime.

However, this kind of History lesson would not end then.On the way back home we passed by The Field ofVictims, a memorial in Laisvs Alja near the garden ofthe Musical theatre. Unveiled on 14th May, 2002, it wasdedicated to Romas Kalanta, who self-immolated

protesting the Soviet oppression on that same day thirtyyears before. His figure and his death are a whole symbolfor the country, for its struggle for freedom, for itsnational identity... Actually, the next morning (14th May,2012) there was homage in his honour at that same placecommemorating the 40 years of such event. A lot of

people were gathered together carrying flowers, badgeswith the Lithuanian flag, the flag itself, while a

teenagers choir sang. It was absolutely emotional when the national anthem came outand almost everybody intoned its lyrics. Plenty of feelings were joined and I could nothelp thinking of my own country and that predominant lack of unity in almost everyissue since a long, long time ago.

But do not be anachronistic and let's continue with our way back home I couldenjoy a nice dinner where, pay attention, there were one of the most typical food inLithuania: potatoes. It is very common to find them as a complement in every dish. As Iwas said, many Lithuanian families grow up their own potatoes and vegetables sincemany houses, more often outsider ones, have a little garden where to do it.

Thus, quite fast my stay in Kaunas was finishing. Yet I had time to log in on

Couchsurfing and check that Kamil, my hostess in Vilnius, confirmed her acceptance.Getting up early the next morning, wear the same clothes as always and say 'see youlater' instead of 'good bye' to Lina and Algis, thanking them for such a splendid time.But I could not leave the town without a walk through its greenish parks at its heart,looking like rainforests. Do not miss this opportunity whenever you visit Kaunas,definitely a place to sightsee on foot. Oh, by the way, Zalgiris won.

And now, yes. After attending to the Roman Kalanta's homage explained above,it was time to start the second leg of the tour all over the Baltic countries. Destination:Vilnius. The journey had some interesting facts. Despite the intense warmth and the a-

bit-old-fashion bus, I could draw an image of Lithuania by travelling through its roads
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romas_Kalantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romas_Kalantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romas_Kalanta


8/21

surrounded by huge cultivation fields. Besides, some kilometres away from Kaunas Icould see a more-than-often number of hitchhikers, which added a more adventurouslook to this experience itself.

Once in Vilnius, my first impression was

strange. After arriving at the bus station, I went to thetrain one to get a map of the city. Yet it seemed to benot as developed as one can imagine by being thecapital of the country. Mistake. Obviously this sort ofstations are not the most attractive places of any city even in Sociology it is said that stations' surroundingareas are propitious to find a low class atmosphere- somy perception changed way much according as I waswalking around.

A couple of hundreds of metres from there and one comes in to the Old Town.The first thought I had, and apparently almost everybody has, was that Vilnius is thecity of the churches. As someone explained me in the street this is due to its vividhistory. Lithuanians of course-, but also Germans, Russians or even Napoleon builtchurches on it, so that is why it is likely to find all kind of styles throughout Vilnius:Gothic, Baroque, Byzantine, Renaissance... complemented by a synagogue and differentJewish as well as Muslim influences, which contributes to highlight the open-mindedfeatures of the Lithuanian capital.

To be honest and bridging the gap, VilniusOld Town is amazingly similar to a Spanishone. Narrow stony streets, familiarrestaurants serving local food, lots of giftstores... Keep walking and I arrived at theTown Hall, situated in the square of the samename. Among many things, it hosts a veryhelpful tourist information office. Alsoshowy, on the right side of the Town Hall -if

it is in front of you- there is a plaque commemorating a George W. Bush visit, in whose

speech he referred to the Lithuanian independence from the USSR as well as its alliedrelationship, the same year (2002) that the country was formally invited to join NATOafter eleven years of being a partner country.

After having seen this part of the city I can understand, somehow, why it wasadded to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Anyway, that is not the onlyinternational recognition Vilnius has had. Along with Linz (Austria), it was theEuropean Capital of Culture in 2009. A sculpture announcing it is situated on the new

part of the city, where the financial activities carry on. By here the landscape iscompletely different to what I had seen so far. Multinational companies all aroundwhose offices, in the outstanding skyscrapers, presume of some of the best views.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius_Old_Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius_Old_Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius_Town_Hallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius_Town_Hallhttp://whc.unesco.org/en/list/541http://www.linz.at/english/tourism/http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/doc2485_en.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius_Old_Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius_Town_Hallhttp://whc.unesco.org/en/list/541http://www.linz.at/english/tourism/http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/doc2485_en.htm


9/21

Notwithstanding the best one, for me, is at the top of the Gediminas Castle. To go thereyou can climb up from the Cathedral Square -another almost mandatory visit- or takethe funicular on the other side of the hill facing the river. Inside one can get in to theUpper Castle Museum (Adult 5 LTL; children 2 LTL). This spot seems to be the gate

between the old and the new, depending on if one looks right or left. Just one blink andyou can change from domes to one of the most modern malls. All of it without losingthe reference of the river Neris which works as another line between antiquity andcontemporaneity.

I was lucky enough to spend sometime and comprehend the meaning of what wasover there thanks to Kamil. We had met up atViktor Kudirka's square. Find it would not be a

problem since, as she messaged me, everybody

knows very well where it is. Seemingly, that isright. What a lively atmosphere I saw whilewaiting for her! A bit tired due to her freneticrhythm of lessons and job as a tutorial, Kamilarrived at our meeting point disposed to showme around. After the already mentionedCathedral and Gediminas Castle, we wenttowards Uzupis district, a largely bohemianarea full of street art that reminds pretty muchthe Danish Christiania. In 1998, the residentsunofficially declared it to be an independent republic with its own President, anthem,flag, and constitution a funny one which can be seen and read in one of the walls.

Later on it was time to see the Presidential Palace. Specifically from an outlookshe told me that not everyone knew. I felt like a privileged when hearing so. Eventually,we passed by her so-called second house: her Faculty. She is a French Philologystudent, a feature that eased our talk on how important a language is for the nationalculture as well as about the different languages spoken in Spain or how popular Spanishis becoming all around Lithuania.

My first day in Vilnius was being intense so we decided to relax for a while.She had met some people in a bar, and did not hesitate to invite me to join them. Two ofher friends were there drinking an odd beer. It was flavoured. It called my curiosity so Idecided to taste one by myself. A fresh strawberry-flavoured beer and some fried breadwith sauce Kamil ordered. It was as delicious as surprised I got when watching it.Undoubtedly, it would be a good idea to bring some back with me. As a politegentleman I could only thank such a service, but I wanted to do it in Lithuanian, that iswhy I asked them how it is said in that language.Ai they told me. I began to laugh notat the word but at how it sounds (acho) as it reminded me some friends from Murcia

(Spain), where it is typical to say acho as referring buddy. It seems like a new anecdotefor the overall of this trip.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gediminas_Towerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Square,_Vilniushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Square,_Vilniushttp://www.balticroads.lt/en/museums/vucmuseum.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U%C5%BEupishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christianiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christianiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Palace,_Vilniushttp://www.murciaturistica.es/en/tourism.homehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gediminas_Towerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Square,_Vilniushttp://www.balticroads.lt/en/museums/vucmuseum.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U%C5%BEupishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christianiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Palace,_Vilniushttp://www.murciaturistica.es/en/tourism.home


10/21

It was time to go home. We could have walked but we chose to use the publictransportation. Thus, I would be able to know another element of Vilnius. On the way

back, Kamil explained me that the tram we were in had been made in Czechoslovakia!It is long time ago since then. This gives an idea of how it is, but do not be wrong. Itworked perfectly, at least when I was there.

Once at her flat I could observe it is still preserved Soviet style: a double door atthe entrance followed by a corridor and just a few rooms. And given that I was inLithuania, I took my shoes off straight after getting in. When we were there Jonas,Kamils brother, was waiting for us. Getting bored with him would be impossible. We

barely met each other and started a rich conversation that lasted for hours. Again, themain topics we covered were Politics, Economics, History, Sociology and somecuriosities. Did you know that Vilnius and Kaunas are at the top 10 highest broadbandInternet speed cities in the world?

It was time to sleep and I did on anair mattress. Even more, I spent thewhole night on the same stance sothat I did not get dishevelled andtherefore I could save time the nextmorning. By then my two hostswould have to go to the Universitywhilst I would visit the financialdistrict before meeting them again

at the Cathedrals Square and gotogether with Kamils friends tohave lunch. The chosen place wasthe Faculty of Arts and in there wecould enjoy a cheap menu. Notonly that, but also I would be ableto taste altibarsciai, a typical

Eastern European cold beet soup whose way of cooking differs from one country toanother. The day was rather chilled out. Jonas and I thought the best manner to digest

the food was to go for a walk around. He took to show me some old walls at the top of ahill with the corresponding explanation on its defensive use.

At some point he had to look after his courses duties and so he left. That meantthat I would be alone for some hours to keep sightseeing Vilnius before meeting againKamil in order to go to an amateur concert at the periphery. I decided to spend thattime on climbing up again at the top of the Castle and enjoy the views. In this occasion I

paid more attention on the Three Crosses Hill a monument to seven Franciscan monksthat were tortured by pagans before Lithuania converted in Christianity; it alsosymbolizes the importance of this doctrine for the country.
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/soups/r/lithuanian-cold-beet.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Crosseshttp://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/soups/r/lithuanian-cold-beet.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Crosses


11/21


12/21

As always once out of the bus I contacted my hostess over there: Evia. Meetingwith her was a fun chaos. I had no umbrella and it was raining a lot; she told me to go toa specific street whose best way was taking an urban bus and drop off 4 stops away; Ithought Riga was not that big for me to use public transportation so I went to that street

but I stayed at the wrong point since that street was simply huge...In other words, I wasable to meet her after 15-20 minutes walking under the rain, being rejected by two menI asked for help and, likewise, being helped, somehow, by a store assistant. A fun chaosas I wrote before.

Evia was not alone. Butz and Simon were with her. Who are they? Butz is heruntiring dog, who I finally would be friend of; whereas Simon is a German couchsurferEvia was hosting at the same time, and who I had plenty of good moments with. Alltogether we made our way towards her flat.

Her house was in a very old building whose walls could explain a lot of storiesif they were able to speak. As well as in Vilnius, the communist-Soviet style could beobserved. Notwithstanding I got very surprised by seeing such a wide living room,

probably because the one from my former hosting house was two times smaller.Anyway, and to be honest, I did not like too much those first moments at Evias flat. Iwas completely wet, the room was untidy and a mess, Burz did not like me at first, andit did not cease raining so I could not go out and start sightseeing the city. Who wouldtell me that I would end up loving that atmosphere? Yeah I did since I started to reallyappreciate what having a roof to stay under means -no matter how it looks like; Burzliked me in the end because he had fun with me and not due to it wanted to be kind from

the first time I gained its friendship, in other words; the wait taught me that goodthings take their time; and of course I could take advantage to get to know Evia andSimon a bit more in depth, what made me find out two absolutely inspiring and lovely

people.

As if it was a moral lesson, after havinginternalized those feelings it stopped raining, it means4-5 hours later, and so one could go out. Simon and Idecided to go for a walk around before meeting Evia ina bar/club at Rigas city centre. We did not spend

much time on our tour, but enough to remark somefacts. This city is home to the largest concentration ofJugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture in theworld, but what I liked so much was the FreedomMonument. It might sound that it was erected aftergetting its independence in the early nineties, butindeed it was during the first one in 1918. Surprisingly,it was never taken down by the Soviets, laying flowersat its feet was forbidden though. It consisted of the

statue of a woman holding three stars at the top whichrepresents Freedom embracing Latvias regions.
http://www.eatriga.lv/riga-art-nouveau/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monumenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monumenthttp://www.eatriga.lv/riga-art-nouveau/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monumenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monumenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monument


13/21

Simon and I agreed on saying that Riga is a city that may change quiet muchdepending on the weather, but never disappoints you. In a grey day like that one, the skyand the buildings seem to join since the colour is pretty similar. Therefore, the vividlights of the shops play a special role and give such an interesting wintry image. On theother hand -and just commenting according to my imagination as I did not see itin asunny day the beauty of the city might jut out and share a contrast of tones that allowone to discover new feelings on it.

Anyway, after this reflection and having spent a long day it was time to have asnack. We saw a burger bar and it was too tempting to say no. I usually try to spend asless money as possible in my trips. Just go to a supermarket and buy the essential foodfor the whole stay. On that day I must acknowledge that I relaxed that attitude bylooking at the price. Basically it was around 2.50 Latvian lats (LVL) -its currency- so Ithought that it was really cheap if I convert it into Euros since LVL is weaker.

WRONG! What a big mistake! Latvian lats are stronger than Euro in terms ofconvertion: 1 LVL = 1.43 (on 31st July, 2012). I had liked to see my face when Simonexplained me so. It was a good reason to laugh a bit. And bearing in mind that themoment was related to food, I used it to kid on and ask him if he was hungry. Thisapparently simple question has an explanation. It turns out that a previous host ofSimon, trying to be kind, insisted him way much on offering food until making him geta little bored. Thus, this joke would be a constant along the two days in Riga.

Almost without noticing what time itwas we had to leave and go to the

bar/club where we were supposed tomeet Evia. There was a contest ofheavy music, I guess. Excuse me butI am not very good when identifyingmusic genres. Like in Vilnius, Iunderstood nothing as it was sung inLatvian, but the ambient was reallynice and the evening itself could not

be any better. The final point to that

night was at the Old Town, rathersimilar to my hometown's one -Len. Evia led us to a bar managed by a friend of her.Everything what could happen inside seemed to be surrealist. At first it was prettyempty and I was getting tired. Whereas Evia was talking to her friend, Simon and I weresitting quietly when a guy showed up suddenly and started to ask us, at the beginning ifwe smoked weed, and later if we had some. The conversation ended up with his

personal philosophical monologue on pleasures. Interesting. But that was not the onlypart that came about. On the wall one could observe a clock whose hands and digitswere in reverse. In addition, Simon began to tell me his passion with Portugal. Manygood memories came to his mind at that moment with such a shining smile that he even

felt to be there: Oporto, Lisbon,pastis de Belm, Saramago...
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/852/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/852/http://www.leon.es/leon_spain/?precaching=truehttp://www.portoturismo.pt/Visitar/Paginas/default.aspxhttp://www.visitlisboa.com/Home_UK.aspx?lang=en-GBhttp://whc.unesco.org/en/list/852/http://www.leon.es/leon_spain/?precaching=truehttp://www.portoturismo.pt/Visitar/Paginas/default.aspxhttp://www.visitlisboa.com/Home_UK.aspx?lang=en-GB


14/21

Already back at home, it was time to sleep and recover some energy. I startedto feel my legs a little heavy due to so many hours travelling and walking around. Mysleeping surface for those two nights in Riga would be another air mattress. At this

point I have to be thankful to Evia for offering it to me, and to Simon since he broughthis own resources and, like the perfect globe trekker, was well-equipped with a

backpack full-of-tools so he was able to lie on a mat inside a sleeping bag.

On the next morning, he and I got up early so that we could make up thetourism time we did not have the day before. What a warm good morning when Burzsaw us and began to bark and run from one side of the room to the other. FortunatelyEvia was deeply asleep so all that racket did not wake her up.

Once again the sky was notvery bright, but still it wasworthwhile. I can fairly say that wecrossed the city from north to south,from east to west. In between wecould admire such nice buildings andmonuments like the House ofBlackheads, Saint Peters Church theoldest- or the Latvian Parliament.However that was not all. Afterhaving eaten a couple of sandwichesoutside the train station, we went

inside theCentral Market, not so far from there. It is noticeable for its huge hangars, builtfrom parts of actual zeppelin hangars bought for the market in 1920. To my surprise Ifound a store thought to sell only gourmet products from Spain. Its assistant was a verysmiling local girl in love with wine from La Rioja a Spanish region popular because ofits vineyards and the quality of its wines. Suddenly I improvised a lesson about mycountry whose conclusion was that I do not know it that well.

Thereupon, and just a couple of minutes from there, along the bank of the riverDaugava, we visited the Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum (free, donationswelcomed). The name explains by itself what one can find over there. At that moment,

just when one wonders how those unacceptable facts can take place, I got an unexpectedmessage on my mobile. It was Oliver, my flatmate in Karlstad, happier than ever

because his football team (Manchester City) had won the Premier League, interested inhow my trip was going. I will not deny that I got excited when seeing it, even though itis hard to show gladness while watching such terrifying pictures. However, our travelthroughout History did not finish there. Simon and I moved on towards the Museum ofthe Occupation of Latvia (also free, donations welcomed), at the heart of the Old Town,where one can find well-documented walls and exposures based, widely, on the XXcentury, and specially as of the first Latvian independence in 1918, through facts and

events such as the interwar period, the World War II and, mainly, the Cold War and -asthe name of the museum remarks- the Soviet occupation of Latvia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Blackheadshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Blackheadshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Church,_Rigahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeimahttp://www.latvia.travel/en/riga-central-markethttp://www.latvia.travel/en/riga-central-markethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daugava_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daugava_Riverhttp://www.rgm.lv/?lang=enhttp://www.omf.lv/index.php?lang=englishhttp://www.omf.lv/index.php?lang=englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Blackheadshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Blackheadshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Blackheadshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Church,_Rigahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeimahttp://www.latvia.travel/en/riga-central-markethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daugava_Riverhttp://www.rgm.lv/?lang=enhttp://www.omf.lv/index.php?lang=englishhttp://www.omf.lv/index.php?lang=english


15/21

Straight at the end of the exposures there are some information banners on theethnic communities living in Latvia along years. Having a look at it one couldunderstand one the social issues this country is dealing with: the integration of theRussian community. Ethnic Russians represent about a third of Latvias population,which is even higher in the case of Riga with almost half of it. Some Latvians accusethem of not doing their best to solve the differences. Thus, one of the most recurrentaffairs is the language. The official one is Latvian but in practice, due to thecircumstances explained above, it coexists, somehow, with Russian. This reason is whatthis part of the society alleged to ask for is acknowledged as a second language. That

possibility already had its legal moment with a referendum ran on 18 th February, 2012.The final score showed a rejection of 76% with a turnout of around 69%. Some of thearguments of these no voters claim such a situation would be a loss of national identityand cultural heritage. Indeed, learning Latvian was a prerequisite for citizenship in theyears after the country split from the USSR, but many Russian speakers resisted, and

that is why some 300,000 remain without that recognition, which means they cannotvote in elections, hold public office or work in government institutions, AFP quoted assaying.

Well, after keeping in mind that amount of data followed by a break in a coffeebar, we went back home. Evia had told us that that night could be appropriate for goingto a karaoke, therefore a bit of relaxation would not be bad. Once at her place the moodwas quite chilled out. We were tired and she had a sore throat so little by little the idea

of going out was losing power.Nonetheless, if the mountain will notcome to Mohammed, Mohammed will goto the mountain then we enjoyed a home-made karaoke. All kind of songs, all sortof combinations and at that point therewas something that could not miss: foodand drink. I thought I was touching thesky with my hands when Evia brought us

her special dish, the so-called by her Iron Punch since it is red therefore it has lots ofiron and is healthy. It consists of red pepper, tomatoes, aubergine, red kidney beans and

random spices. No specific country, no specific name, absolutely tasty. And, ifmoreover, there is a German person and beers what is likely to happen is that you allend up playing Schulz. That is what we did. What is Schulz? Basically it is a fun, sillygame based on putting your thumb finger on your forehead while saying the word

schulzafter someone has burped. If you do not do it, you will be hit.

Feeling like a complete leftover, my stay in Riga came to its end, but there wasstill time for another song that night. As if I was George Michael himself -or even thewhole WHAM band- I performed Wake me up before you go go. That is exactly what Idid early the following morning: wake them up before I left to the station in order to

catch my bus to Tallinn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hignzKHphvQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hignzKHphvQ


16/21
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/822http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Estonian_alternative_flag_proposal.svg


17/21

Walking around, up and down, I stopped at the top of a hill next to the castle,and while eating some sandwiches still left from the beginning in Karlstad I enjoyed bywitnessing a couple of girls teaching tourists how to practice archery as a way ofearning some money. People from diverse places, with different backgrounds pursuingthe same aim: shoot the arrow on the target. There were those who were really good,and those who were really...unlucky, so to say, but it was very interesting to watch theattitude towards the challenge of each one of them. This is not a mathematic formula,

but those who faced it humbly, modestly were righter than those who did withcockiness.

I kept sightseeing afterwards. I strongly recommend going uphill to somenatural outlooks in the Old Town. Once there one can figure out how the city isdesigned and distributed. What nice panoramas from there! I lived a funny confusion atone of them. It turns out that I saw a Spanish flag hanging of the roof of a building, so I

thought that that was the Embassy of Spain, it did not have such an impressive faade asthese institutions are used to have though, but you readers know that the most famousword that is accompanying Spaniards all over the world is crisis, so maybe it was aconsequence of the new cuts and reforms. No way! The Embassy is placed at the samelocation and I doubt it has suffered any substantial change-, but that office was thePicasso Centre. It is admirable the foreign interest in your own Culture. Many times wedo not fairly appreciate what we have at home, but I guess it is just the law of life.

My time to meet Mrten had come.As it happened with Tallinn, he was my

fourth host and the more tired I was, the lessfresh and kind I felt. At the beginning themood of the encounter was a bit cold.Obviously there were attempts of starting aconversation going to nowhere. Nonethelessthis situation changed all of a sudden whenentering in his flat. It was neither better norworse, but rather distinct to the ones I had

been in before. I really liked it. Moreover, a special housemate welcomed us: rr, his

dog. Drinking a cup of coffee, now the talk seemed to be more fluent. The ice wasdefinitely broken when it drifted to Economy and Politics. I was especially interested inknowing how Estonians had dealt with their new monetary landscape. The country

joined the Euro zone in 2011, coping thus a considerable risk a suicide one couldthink- keeping in mind the current circumstances. He explained me how prices had risensince then; how prices are still, somewhere, written in euro and kroons its formercurrency-; how some people felt sceptical to the change as it means, somehow, a loss ofsovereignty and do not forget how young this country is since the lastindependence...On the other hand, he underlined that this shift may suppose anadvantage for the country to export and make its inputs more competitive; and

businesses with Finland and the rest of the Euro zone will knock down another barrier.
http://www.centropicasso.com/new/estonia/en/ngo.phphttp://www.france24.com/en/20100608-eu-ministers-offer-estonia-entry-eurozone-january-1-currency-europehttp://www.centropicasso.com/new/estonia/en/ngo.phphttp://www.france24.com/en/20100608-eu-ministers-offer-estonia-entry-eurozone-january-1-currency-europe


18/21

The best way of corroborating some of these points was to check them by ourown by going shopping and buying some food for the dinner. Once there, at first it wasan alleviation not to make mental calculations in order to know how much was this or

that in euro; and secondly it allowed me tocompare prices as well as find out typical foodfrom Estonia. Mrten wanted to offer me anational dish so he bought an already cooked

sltready to be eaten. Sltis, basically, porks(it can also be made from chicken, beef or fish)head and feet in jelly, which is made by boilingthe animal bones. It is normally served withstrong mustard or diluted vinegar. As always itwas delicious, but be careful with the mustard!I was about to spit out fire.

Hours passed, the stomach was full, and so it was the perfect moment to go outand discover corners of the city guided my Mrten. We had not left the flat yet when hetaught me the first lesson and showed me its corresponding spot: the Pikk Hermann. Itis a tower of the Toompea Castle, on a hill with the same name, situated next to theEstonian Parliament. On its top the national flag is raised and the national anthem is

played at the time of sunrise (but not earlier than 7am. Keep in mind that inspring/summer the sunrise is very early) and lowered while heard the song Mu isamaaon minu arm (My Fatherland is My Love) at the time of sunset (but not later than 10pm.Sunset is very late in spring/summer).

It was a long night that, after walking around, continued in drinking some beersin a bar while talking about different topics, such as tourism in Spain, sports, how his

birth card noted he was born in the USSR, how he lived its disintegration by being just akid...We ended up back at home where his flatmate was with some friends. We joinedthem and hanged out with them. I do not know why I was suddenly asked about footballas if I was an expert. Who I thought was going to win the Euro 2012, who was going to

be the most surprising team, if I knew some Estonian footballers, why Athletic Club(the team I cheer for) lost the Europa League final, and so on. Anyway, the night lasted

more than expected it even dawned- and I could not have been any funnier. It was timeto sleep, but where am I going to? I did not bring a mattress and Mrtens was lostsomewhere in his home, so we decided to share his big bed.

Awake by the hit of the sun rays on my face while slept, we had to figure outwhat to do that day. First of all, we had a huge breakfast full of delicious pancakes andcereals with yogurt (or at least I thought that was) cooked by my host. Later on we metMadis, a fantastic guy friend of Mrten, who we were with for a long walk all aroundTallinn. They showed me a local market where I had the chance to be informed aboutsome Estonian books for kids; we visited the recently inaugurated Lennusadam

Seaplane Harbour, a maritime museum with a display comprising of over two hundredlarge exhibits, ending up inside an outstanding ship. Feeling like Indiana Jones we
http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/S%C3%BClthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikk_Hermannhttp://www.tallinn.info/toompea/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riigikoguhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_isamaa,_mu_%C3%B5nn_ja_r%C3%B5%C3%B5mhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mYlYkzPVUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mYlYkzPVUhttp://www.lennusadam.eu/en/http://www.lennusadam.eu/en/http://www.lennusadam.eu/en/http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/S%C3%BClthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikk_Hermannhttp://www.tallinn.info/toompea/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riigikoguhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_isamaa,_mu_%C3%B5nn_ja_r%C3%B5%C3%B5mhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mYlYkzPVUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mYlYkzPVUhttp://www.lennusadam.eu/en/http://www.lennusadam.eu/en/


19/21

walked through a seashore path we just created, I mean, there was a path along theseashore but we opted to cross by the rocks touching the sea. Thus, Madis could explainme that the rusted bars I was holding on used to own to the Soviets, and that was a jailused during the occupation times.

Back in the Old Town,our next stop was the St. MarysCathedral (Toomkirik), the oldestchurch in the capital, originally

built as a Catholic one in 1229but renovated and expandedmany times since, becomingLutheran in 1561. We wentupstairs to the roof, where we

had a fantastic view of the cityfrom. After this spot, we woulddrive to one of the spaces inTallinn Estonians feel proud of:the Song Festival Grounds. As of 1869, every five years the Estonian Song Celebration(Laulupidu) takes place here. It is one of the largest amateur choral events in the worldand is recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage ofHumanity. The following one will be in 2014 so do not lose the chance to come overand enjoy it. Locals like this sort of festivals that much that Madis even asked me whatmy favourite one was. I have to say that the question surprised me and I acknowledgedthat I do not even attend to any of them.

Both of them suggested me to roll the hills of that park down in order tobecome a local. I did not by alleging the most useless excuse ever (I wore glasses), butthat warm enthusiasm by them made me see the potential beginning of a goodfriendship. Already in the afternoon, we went towards the Open Air Museum. Itincludes 72 buildings of Estonian regional architecture and village means of the Tsarist

period of rule. All in it provides an image of the life and hardship in the old times.There was a kind of swing on the grass that contemporary inhabitants used to play with.

We remembered those moments and played with it, but my damn vertigo had somethingto say and I looked like a baby begging them to stop pushing. Laughs were unavoidable,even mine at myself.

After having had dinner at a nearby restaurant where I could taste kali -apopular drink in Estonia similar to coke-, Madis invited us to stay for a while at hisplace. Accompanied by some cups of tea and coffee, we began talking aboutembarrassing moments along our lives. Remembering one of mine at school, we agreedon saying nipples whenever in the future we feel like being in an embarrassingsituation. It is a long story; do not try to understand it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallinn_Song_Festival_Groundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Open_Air_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Cathedral,_Tallinnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallinn_Song_Festival_Groundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Open_Air_Museum


20/21
http://www2.bilbao.net/bilbaoturismo/index_ingles.htmhttp://www.visithaapsalu.com/enhttp://www.saint-petersburg.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haapsalu_Castlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haapsalu_Castle


21/21

me and offering me as much as they had; for having learnt an incalculable wisdomthrough this multicultural coexistence; having realized and internalized the power andvalue of controlling ones mind; and in another scale, for making me able to show, asfar as I can, these three amazing nations, full of History, integrated in the EU and theworld at all, and no longer parts of the extinguished USSR but being the independentRepublics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Well, what about finishing with my last morning in Tallinn? Mrten left to hisoffice while I was still sleeping. Could you guess what woke me up? rr licking myknee. No comments. After checking my backpack and being sure everything wasalright, Mrten showed up with a new guest. A girl, a friend of his, deep in love withSpain and who did not want to let escape the chance to practice her Spanish with anative speaker. I could only congratulate her for the high level presented. She had beenstudying in Seville, and has some kind of relative link with the country, in addition to a

well settled Andalucan accent. We all together went to a restaurant for my last lunch inthe Estonian capital. So far so good, right? I thought that same until I noticed there wereonly forty five minutes left for my plane to depart. Mrten had told me the first day thatthe airport was quite close, that it was into the city, so I did not care too much. As it waswritten at the beginning of this paper, to just calm down. We had lunch -the waitresstook her time to bring it- very fast and nearly with a piece of bread in my mouth wedrove to the airport. Nonetheless, there was a mandatory stop to be done at Mrten'soffice so that he could print out my tickets and, at the same time, take her friend to heroffice too. In the end, we arrived on time. My bag checking succeeded, and I wenttowards my plane, whose passengers were already in and about to take off. Look at the

bright side of life: I did not have to wait too long for it.
http://www.tallinn-airport.ee/eng/http://www.tallinn-airport.ee/eng/

baltic trip

Documents