Friday 09 September 2016  Today we have a relatively short drive to the Lithuanian-Belarus Border. Belarus is in a country grouping with Russia and visas are required so we definitely have to go through passport control here. The Lithuanian side is easy – first the driver gets out and shows his papers and then a guard walks through the bus with a dog (both look fairly friendly). Then we drive a bit further and have to all get out an present our passports at the counter (apparently … [Read more...]

Thursday 08 September 2016 Hotel Panorama is conveniently situated on a little hill just out of the main Old Town area of Vilnius and as the name suggests has a wonderful panoramic view over the city. Our room has a panoramic view of the magnificent castle that is the railway station, built in times that they wanted their grandeur to be known for ever. But as we go out to the lifts on the 5th floor there is a breathtaking view of the city and its many domes. The hotel is very … [Read more...]

Wednesday 07 September 2016 Today we travel to our third country on this trip - Lithuania- and visit the Hill of Crosses and Trakai Castle on our way to the capital Vilnius. We have a trip of 300km in a mini-bus (unfortunately not so comfortable as the previous one). On the way we detour through an area that was the Duchy of Courland during the Romanov era and see a magnificent castle that just appears out of nowhere - an enormous fairytale palace. The Baltic States were the primary … [Read more...]

Tuesday 06 September 2016  Today we have a walking tour of Riga Old Town and we are impressed again at the grace and beauty of this city. It is a beautiful autumn day and the sunshine is sparkling through the trees and on the little river. We wander through the park and watch the river boats cruising down the river with the water fountain in full glory ahead of them. Like Tallinn, Riga is packed full of historic buildings with onion domes and spires appearing in almost every vista, but most … [Read more...]

Monday 05 September 2016  Today we leave Tallinn just as we are starting to feel comfortable and know our way around. We had a mini-bus and trailer for our luggage to drive us through to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Till now we have stayed almost all our time in the medieval Old Town, so it was quite a surprise to drive out into a very modern city. There were a few post-war Soviet style buildings but most of the development has been in the past 25 years since independence in 1991. Tallinn is … [Read more...]

Sunday 4 September 2016 Today we are to meet our local guide at 9.00 so have a fairly leisurely start. Breakfast doesn't open until 8,00 and by then there are a huge number of guests queued up waiting to go in and it is pandemonium once we get inside. But there is a good selection of different food and drink options. As we discovered last night, we are an easy walk away from the Old Town. We have a walking tour through the fascinating and picturesque UNESCO World Heritage Old Town of … [Read more...]

Saturday 3 September 2016 After our long days of travel, we slept through until after midday so definitely missed breakfast that day. After showers and sorting our bags we ventured out for a walk around the neighbourhood, finding a basement supermarket to buy some water and seeking out somewhere for whatever meal it is that you have midafternoon and is your first of the day. We saw an ad for brunch at nearby hotel, only to discover that it was for Sunday but we stayed there anyway and enjoyed … [Read more...]

1-2 September 2016 I'm starting today with trepidation, knowing that it will be a very, very long time before I get to see a bed again. Our flight doesn't leave until 9.50pm. Air New Zealand NZ2 to London Heathrow has a flight time of 24 hours and 40 minutes! (with one stop in Los Angeles on the way). But our journey doesn't stop there: we then transfer to Lufthansa to fly to Frankfurt and then finally on to our final destination: Tallinn, Estonia. Even flying backwards in time around the … [Read more...]

September 2016 A trip to Russia, Belarus and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was a perfect extension to a trip to England to visit family and friends. Gill and I were keen to include travel to places that neither of us had been to before - and this certainly fitted the bill. It was a different sort of tour from those I have previously done, this time focusing on cities, history and culture rather than including nature and wildlife. The pace was described as 'busy' and 'full … [Read more...]