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2019 Travels
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

June 28 to July 10, 2019

Estonia

Tallinn, the capital, was a delight to visit. The people were so friendly, and we enjoyed exploring the medieval castles and tunnels.

Below: View of the harbor in Tallinn.



Below: Jamie is getting ready to load a torpedo in an Estonian WWII submarine.



Below: Chariot riding and kite surfing at the beach.



Below: The original medieval city wall, castles and churches are well-preserved and it is permitted to climb all over them. That was the highlight.





Below: We walked through a medieval tunnel under the city. It was filled with Estonian artifacts from the middle ages.



Below: Here is a portion of the city wall, with the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in the background.

Latvia

Below: The main Cathedral in Old Town Riga.



Below: View of Riga from the Cathedral steeple.



Bill's grandfather was born in Riga, the capitol. That made walking around the charming Old Town area extra special.







Below: The town square, with the 'House of Blackheads' on the right.

Lithuania

We stayed in Vilnius, the capitol, and took day-trips to the surrounding attractions. Lithuania is more modern than the other Baltic countries. That's good for the locals but we liked the old-world charm of Estonia and Latvia better.

Below: In Trakai we took a boat tour of the area and visited the Trakai Island Castle. Portions from the original construction in the 1300s are still standing.







Below: View of Vilnius from the top of the Gediminas Castle Tower.



Below: The 'Hill of Crosses' in Siauliai is a very interesting place. Here you can leave a cross as a rememberance for a person or event and the crosses have been accumulating for years. There are now over 250,000 crosses at this site!





Below: This is St. Anne's Church in Old Town Vilnius, built in the 1500s.



Below: The interior of the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese is stunning. We love visiting these historic churches because they typically house some of the finest artwork in the country.



The Baltic countries are now our favorite part of Northern Europe!