So we have been to Poland before to stay with our friends in Warsaw.  On one of the days we went with them from Warsaw to Poznan as they had been offered a job there and wanted to see what it was like.  I recall a city square that was ok, it was the middle of winter and so very cold and icy and the square was covered in dog poo. 

I think they made a life decision that day based on the amount of dog poo and the condition of the road to get there which was terrible, as they stayed in Warsaw. 

Fast forward 19 years and after becoming part of the EU, Poland has built great cross country motorways. We stayed close to Poznan and there didn’t seem to be as much dog poo. We stayed on the outskirts of Warsaw and spent the evening in the grounds of a palace. 

We wanted to spend as much time in the Baltics as we could so we kind of legged it through Germany and Poland. We bought polish beer for our friend and ate sausages and salads along the way.

We hit Lithuania and immediately hit roadworks after the highly efficient Polish four lane highway. The roads didn’t get that much better to be fair and Google took Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift down some decidedly narrow roads. We spent a few nights at a campground outside of Vilnius the capital. 

That’s where we decided that it wouldn’t be the world’s best decision to try and hop into Belarus as it’s on virtually every countries ‘Do not travel’ list.  Belarus is Russias closest ally in the war on Ukraine and is run by a dictatorial leader who according to the UN stole the previous election. It is very volatile and you are likely to encounter military action from Ukraine.  So Belarus will not be making it to our country list right now.

We took a day to head into Vilnius and have traditional Lithuanian food. It was cold beetroot soup (Borscht) and a potato dough thing with meat inside. It was nice.  Nigel also had the best caviar he’s ever had so that was a bonus. We also got to see a TikTok challenge happening in the main square. Groups of gorgeous girls (mainly) all lined up and when a TikTok song would play those that knew the dance routine would step into the middle and those that didn’t would wait on the sides.  Seemed like this was the thing you did in Sundays in Vilnius.

Next on to Riga in Latvia. The roads got better, their English got better and the food got even better. It felt less Soviet and more Scandinavian and the streets of Riga were cobble stoned and really sweet. We loved wandering about and seeing a beautiful mixture of old and new as the old city merged into the modern with high rises and architecturally inspiring buildings lining the river. We spent some good time driving around and seeing the outer suburbs as well with some spectacular old buildings.

Then we headed off towards Tallin in Estonia and it got even more Swedish. The town names and the houses and the flagpoles all looked familiar to us. The roads got even better, the English got way better and there was a very familiar feeling for us. We stayed on the outskirts of Tallin and so took a train into the Centre to have a look around. Wow what a cute colorful beautiful old town. Very medieval. You could wander the streets getting lost in the alleys for hours. Everywhere we turned we wanted to see what was around the next corner. There were a lot more tour groups than the other Baltic countries and as it is a port city built for cruise lines that’s probably why.

I had googled authentic Estonian food restaurants which led us to a medieval place right in the heart of the old town. It’s a themed event with the serving staff dressed with wimples and shoes with curled up toes. The menu is apparently authentic to what would have been served at the time including duck, elk, wild boar and bear! The bathrooms are authentic to how it would be in medieval times (except they flush) it was really really cute. There was a lot of saffron and berries and herbs and grains. Everything came with a story and a ritual to perform. Along the way you had schnapps and wine and herb beer. We loved it. 

So far our decision to come up through the Baltics has been such a great one. The thing that I love most about travel is going to places you’ve never been.  The feeling of what’s around the next corner?, will we be understood?, is there actually a campground at the end of this road?, keeps you on your toes and alive. There is comfort in the familiar and excitement in the unknown. 

It is however really annoying to constantly buy sparkling water instead of still because you forget to use your google translate. Three times now!!!!

Sweden and Stefan and family and friends and crayfish parties and feeling like home and the familiar is next.