The Baltic States

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Vaufi

Pack Dog
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
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Location
Munich, the beer capital
Bike
BMW F700GS
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Due to the present Russian war against the Ukraine I thought it might be of interest to take a look at the Baltic states.


Since they share their eastern border completely with Belarus and Russia and having experienced roundabout five decades of Soviet dictatorship since WW II they naturally fear a new aggressive reaction from the Russian side.




Having visited most East-European countries from Poland down to Bulgaria I decided in 2018 to travel north and have a look at the Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and maybe extend the ride to Scandinavia.


My route went from Munich via Vienna, Bratislava through Slovakia, where I found a room just south of the Polish border in the Tatra mountains at a price similar to South African accommodation.
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Early next morning saw me on my bike zooming across Poland, like the day before roundabout 800 kms, to southern Lithuania.


Typical for these rural areas are little wooden houses
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Next stop was the capital, Vilnius, where I found a viby backpackers. Only young people. I felt like the grandfather to all :D

Some sights of the city:
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Lithuania had a rough time during the previous century, invaded from the Kaiser Reich, then from Poland, after that the Nazis and finally occupied by the Soviets. The latter gave them a hard time. It seems as if the Baltic people hate the Russians even more than the Nazis. The Nazis “just” deported (and murdered) the Jewish people – the Baltic people were considered as “Aryans” and subsequently in high esteem to the Nazi doctrine.

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The Independence Square

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This plate marks the starting point of a chain of people, hand in hand, connecting all three Baltic capitals, from Vilnius right up to Talinn in their quest for freedom in the end of the 1980'ties.

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Starting early the next day wasn't early enough. The daily traffic rush was at in full go. I stood behind an elderly man waiting patiently at a huge 6-lane traffic circle. Suddenly he made a dash. So did I, but unfortunately he jumped on the brakes again and – bang – I bumped against his car. The GS was ok, but the car's bumper had nearly disintegrated. Waiting for the police caused an even bigger traffic jam ;o) but the old man wouldn't budge. Only when the cops had arrived was he prepared to come to a compromise and accepted some Euros to fix his car.

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Travelling northwards I passed the centre point of the EU, whereby I don't know if this still applies after Britain's walk-out ;)

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A beautiful wooden church on the way and a bit later the fire fighters of a small village with an old Magirus Deutz in mint condition. These guys were really proud of their fire engine!

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Further north you come across the famous Hill of Crosses, a sign of peaceful resistance. The Soviets bulldozed the site several times, but the next day the first crosses and rosaries would reappear again.

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Another little wooden church along the route.


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Great thread - very insightful! Mach bitte mehr davon!
 
Here we go. From Lithuania the trip goes north to Latvia.
I travelled along the coastline into Latvia to its capital, the city of Riga.

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On the central market quite funny: A peace initiative presents one bear for (nearly) each country. The body-painting shows something special for that country.
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Nicely renovated buildings in the town center.

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Many Art Nouveau façades.

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Venturing out of the city, on sandy forest trails, past a wooden church.

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From Latvia it was only a short ride to Estonia, where I took a ferry to the largest island of the country. That'l be the next post.
 
Hi @Inus, whereabouts do you live? End of May I'll visit German friends in Akasia. The wife of my friend managed for some years in the kitchen at the Pretoria German School.

Thx for the feedback.
I currently live in Wingate Park, Pretoria East.
Lovely pictures - the architecture in that part of the world is fascinating! and dare I say, not very well known here.
 
The next country in line was Estonia, the smallest of the Baltic states. I took the ferry to the largest island Saaremaa and next to it Hiumaa. Near the campsite was a nice fish restaurant right next to the little harbour.
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Next morning I took the ferry back to the mainland. Goal of the day was the capital of Talinn or Reval as it was called in the past.
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Estonia shared the political ups and downs of all Baltic states, having been under the rule of Denmark, Sweden, Russia and the German Reich. Before WW II they managed to break free, only to be occupied by the Nazis and later Soviets. The Nazis, as was to be expected, deported mainly the Jews. The Estonian citizens instead were considered as Aryans.
Like Latvia, Estonia shares a border with Putin's Russia, whereas Lithuania has Belarus at its eastern border.
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Time was running out, so I carried on to Finland. I found an affordable backpackers accommodation. The Scandinavian countries are very expensive, even for European travellers. So I only stayed for two days in Helsinki.
The central market place. The second picture isn't the “White House” with the “Oval Office” but the Helsinki Cathredal😁




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Still in Finland.

A very interesting attraction in Helsinki is the Temppeliaukio Church. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the skylight surrounding the centre copper dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics.
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Fifty kms east of Helsinki is one of the oldest towns of Finland, Porvoo, consisting of beautiful old wooden houses in the typical Scandinavian style.

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On my way to the harbour of Turku: Happy Birthday, GS!
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Instead of carrying on north I decided to return home directly via Sweden, so I boarded the ferry at Turku, west of Helsinki, to the island of Åland which lies in a direct line to Stockholm.
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One thing that stands out it all these places:
Clean and tidy.
You are fortunate to have such opportunities to enjoy other countries like that.
 
One thing that stands out it all these places:
Clean and tidy.
You are fortunate to have such opportunities to enjoy other countries like that.
I was about to say that!! (y)
👏
Thank you for posting.
 
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One thing that stands out it all these places:
Clean and tidy.
You are fortunate to have such opportunities to enjoy other countries like that.
I'd say mostly ;o)
But yes, esp. the North, Scandinavia and the Baltics are really tidy. Germany is somewhere in the middle, but the South of Europe is visibly a bit careless.
 
Right, we're now on the island of Åland. I stayed there just for a day. That's long enough to ride most of the roads :D

Åland is an autonomous region of Finland although it is geographically nearer to Sweden.

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Next stop was Stockholm, but only the camp site.

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Weather was changing. Every night brought rain, so in the morning I had to pack my wet tent. I made a bee-line to Helsingbourg in southern Sweden and took the new bridge spanning the gap to Sjealand (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Belt_Bridge) and across the Belt to Nyborg. DK. Meanwhile the wind was blowing like hell. I was glad to ride the heavy 1150GS, so I wasn't swept from the bridge. Nonetheless I used the whole width of my lane.

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Next was a ferry to Fynhavn, which is on a promontory of south-eastern Denmark. From here it wasn't far to the German border. Halfway-stop to Munich was at a friend's place. He is a great fan of vintage bikes. Normally there are several Harleys standing around. This once he had picked up an old Dutch army sidecar rig.

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Well, that was my trip to the north. It was yery interesting, since these countries were part of the Soviet block which I couldn't visit with my South African passport at that time. Meanwhile I've got a German passport for many years. During Apartheid times it was more and more a problem to get visas for other - even European - countries. The biggest farts were the Frenchies. They made business with SA (Mirage planes), but wouldn't let me enter their country :mad:

Sooo, next stop Munich and another 7 kkms on the clock.
 
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